Winchester
Mystery House
San Jose, CA
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The Winchester "Mystery" House has been a source of fascination to many over the years. Designed and occupied by Sarah Winchester, heiress to the vast Winchester Repeating Arms fortune, from its beginnings as a 6-room farmhouse until her death, it stands as a testament to eccentricity.
It's commonly said that Sarah took her inspirations from "spirits" - those whose lives had been taken by the firearms from which her family had made its profits. The house was rumored to have been built either to appease the spirits, or to be so confusing in design that they wouldn't be able to find here to exact their revenge. Reclusive by nature, no one really knows what Mrs. Winchester's motivation really was, but it's very possible that was merely an obsessive-compulsive.
The mansion itself sits on a plot of land now a fraction of the size of the original estate. Having been operated as a tourist attraction almost from the moment of Sarah's death, little attention has been paid to historical preservation until recently. Most of the furnishings and exterior paint are not original to the house. Sara Winchester's estate was broken up and auctioned off quickly after her death, there was no complete inventory done of the house's contents, and early visitors to the house actually stole quite a bit of material. The house itself is surrounded by original outbuildings and gardens.
 The
house is a rambling Queen Anne-style Victorian building, currently
comprised of 160 individual rooms. The house was larger at one time,
but parts of it had to be torn down after they were damaged by the
1906 San Francisco earthquake, large enough to cause damage to structures
in San Jose, 50 miles away. |
 This
is one of the approximately 40 bedrooms in the house. Sarah was
known to sleep in a different location every night. While the common
rumor is that she did this to "confuse the spirits," she
probably just slept as far from whatever part of the house was under
construction as possible. Builders worked on site 24 hours a day,
and Sarah would sleep in the quietest bedroom available. |
 The
fireplace in the great hall. This room was intended for entertaining,
and contains a functional pipe organ, which Sarah Winchester used
to play at all hours of day and night. |
 This
Asian-style screen partition is believed to be similar to the ones
that adorned the Japanese Bedroom, just off of the "Hall of
Fire" - so named because of its seven fireplaces. |
 The
infamous "stairs to nowhere". While many think that the
home's odd architectural features were intentional (again, to "confuse
the spirits"), the more reasonable explanation is less spooky.
Sara designed all of the house herself, but had no formal architectural
or engineering training. When her plans conflicted with the existing
structure, workmen simply built over whatever was in the way, whether
windows, doorways, or stairwells. |
 The
house is surrounded by carefully manicured gardens. Mrs. Winchester
demanded much of her hired help, but paid them twice the going rate
for their services. She also paid daily, so that she could fire
anyone at will and only owe a day's wages. |
 The
house itself covers about an acre and a half, and is four stories
high. The entire property currently stands at four acres, but originally
was comprised of 160. |
 Fountains
adorn the front gardens. This one depicts a cherub on a bucking
stallion. The house itself is Victorian, and the gardens are laid
out in an Italianate fashion. |
|
|
 Theresa
finds a shady spot in the garden's arbors. |
Another
fountain, in a side courtyard, in the shape of a heron.