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The construction of this unusual mansion located at 525 South
Winchester Boulevard in San Jose California began in 1884
under the watchful eye of Sarah L. Winchester, the widow of
William W. Winchester (manufacturer of the winchester rifle).
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Seeking guidance after his death, Sarah consulted a medium (known only as the “Boston
Medium”) who told her of her late husband’s wishes that she move westward to a location
he would show her and build a home. The medium also informed Sarah that William had
said, “There is a curse that has resulted from the terrible weapon created by the
Winchester family. A curse that took my life and the life of our child. It will take your life too.
You must build a home for yourself and for the spirits who have fallen from this terrible
weapon too. You can never stop building the house. If you continue building, you will live.
Stop and you will die.”
So construction continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, until
Sarah’s death 38 years later on Sept. 5, 1922. There was never a master plan. Sarah
would consult the spirits at night and instruct the workers the next day. An estimated 160
rooms existed in this seven story mansion. The actual total is not known as rooms were
built inside of rooms and some of the upper floors collapsed during the 1906 earthquake
and were not restored. Rooms were added to rooms and then entire wings were built.
Roof peaks were added to roof peaks, skylights located on top of skylights and towers
erected at various spots. There were countless staircases inside which led no-where; a
blind chimney that stops short of the ceiling; trap doors; double-back hallways; closets that
opened to blank walls; doors were joined to windows and others opened to drop offs to the
lawn below; all of the stair posts were installed upside-down; many of the bathrooms had
glass doors and there were other odd features as well.
It is obvious that the number "13" was used often in the construction. Nearly all of the walls
had 13 panels; many of the wooden floors contained 13 sections; some of the rooms had
13 windows, each containing 13 panes of glass and every staircase but one had 13 steps.
The exception is a winding staircase with 42 steps, enough to take one up three stories. In
this case, however, the steps only rise nine feet because each step is only two inches
high. The greenhouse also had 13 cupolas. The house had over 40 bedrooms, 2
ballrooms and 47 fireplaces. Three elevators were installed to get to the upper levels.
Is the house haunted? In the years that the house has been open to the public, employees,
visitors and psychics share clams of unusual phenomena reported here. There have been
banging doors; mysterious voices and whisperings; footsteps; windows that bang so hard
they shatter; lights going on and off, strange moving lights and red balls of light that fade
and explode; doorknobs that turn by themselves; security alarms being set off from within
the house; a couple lingering in the corner of a bedroom; cold spots in Sarah's bedroom
as well as apparitions of Sarah. The sound of music has been reported coming from the
“Blue Room” where Sarah died. Perhaps one of the oddest reports is the smell of chicken
soup coming from a long-unused kitchen.
Psychic Jeanne Borgen visited in 1975 and reportedly took on Sarah Winchester's
appearance for a short time. Authors Richard Winer and Nancy Osborn spent the night
there in 1979 while researching a book and were awakened by footsteps and piano
music. Tours of the Winchester Mystery House can be obtained on-line. Besides the
normal tours, Winchester Mystery House offers special flashlights tours every Friday the
thirteenth and at Christmas.
Ghost Pictures taken at the Winchester Mystery House:
Winchester Mystery House Ghost Pictures
Winchester Mystery House Ghost Photo
Winchester Mystery House Ghost Video
For more information visit the:
Winchester Mystery House Official Website
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