At first glance, the Winchester Mansion just looks like any other architectural wonder, combining both Victorian and Queen Anne architectural styles. In its time, the mansion was a modern marvel, with indoor plumbing, central heating, and multiple elevators. The mansion spans 24,000 square feet of living space, on 6 acres of land, and if that wasn’t impressive enough, it boasts 161 rooms (one previously unknown room was just discovered in the attic of the house. In it contained a pump organ, a dress form, a sewing machine, a Victorian sofa, and several paintings), 40 bedrooms, 47 staircases, 10,000 windows, 2 basements and 2,000 doors.
What makes the Winchester Mansion a mystery though? Perhaps it’s the fact that construction began in 1884 and continued ceaselessly until 1922. Perhaps it’s the fact that there was no general construction plan, leaving the house a labyrinth of rooms and secret passages. Perhaps it’s the ghosts, victims to the Winchester repeating rifle, that are said to wander the grounds.
Sarah Winchester was born Sarah Pardee in 1839 in New Haven, Connecticut. Sarah was petite, standing at four feet, ten inches. She was beautiful and had a wonderful personality.
William Wirt Winchester was born to a prominent New Haven family. In 1857 he took over the assets of a weapons firm, and in 1860, that firm developed the Henry Rifle. It was said that the rifle had a tubular magazine beneath the barrel and it was easy to reload. Because it was so easy to reload, the rifle could average one shot, every 3 seconds. It was the first repeating rifle and a favorite among the Northern troops at the outbreak of the Civil War. Money began to pour in, and the firm was reorganized and renamed to the Winchester Repeating Arms company.
On September 30, 1862, Sarah and William were married. Things were great, and on July 15, 1866, Sarah gave birth to a daughter, named Annie Pardee Winchester. Unfortunately, a short time later, Annie contracted an illness known as “marasmus,” and on July 24, at only 9 days old, she passed away.
Overcome with sadness, Sarah withdrew into herself, teetering on the edge of madness. It took her nearly a decade to break free of her depression and return to her home and family. She and William never had another child, and on March 7, 1881, William died, a result of pulmonary tuberculosis.
As a result of William’s death, Sarah inherited over $20 million dollars, 48.9% of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and an income of about $1000 per day, which was not taxable until 1913. But money could not ease her pain, and as she grieved for her husband, she was also reminded of her daughter, taken too soon.
Sarah sought the help of a medium; a spiritualist, to help her with her loss. “Your husband is here,” the medium told her. “He says for me to tell you that there is a curse on your family, which took the life of he and your child. It will soon take you too. It is a curse that has resulted from the terrible weapon created by the Winchester family. Thousands of persons have died because of it and their spirits are now seeking vengeance.”
Sarah was told she must sell her property in New Haven and head west, towards the setting sun. Her husband would guide her, and she would know instantly when she found her new home. “You must start a new life, and build a home for yourself and the spirits who have fallen from this terrible weapon too,” the medium told her. “You can never stop building the house. If you continue building, you will live. Stop and you will die.”
Sarah sold her home in New Haven and moved west, to California. When she reached the Santa Clara Valley, in 1884, she found a six room home under construction. She convinced the owner to sell her the house as well as the 162 acres of land on which it was being built. She immediately threw away the previous plans for the house and started building what is now the Winchester Mystery House.
Sarah kept a crew of 22 carpenters at work, year round, 24 hours a day. The house grew quickly, and by 1906 it had reached seven stories tall. She lived a life of solitude, with only her construction crew and servants. Every morning she would meet with her construction foreman to go over plans for the house, and every night, she would commune with the spirits. Her home was filled with both friendly and evil spirits. The friendly would help her make plans to continue construction.
Some say the haphazard design of the house was due to Sarah’s lack of architectural experience and know how. Others will say it was built this way to confuse the evil spirits. They would get lost in the maze of hallways and rooms, and she could sleep in peace – often in a different bedroom every night.
When tragedy struck again, with the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, Sarah was not discouraged. Although the top three floors of the house had collapsed into the gardens, and even the fireplace in the Daisy Room – where she had been sleeping on the night of the earthquake – had collapsed, she was more convinced than ever that she would continue to build. She believed the earthquake to be a sign from the spirits; they were furious that construction was nearly finished. She boarded up the front 30 rooms of the mansion and resumed construction, believing any spirits in that portion of the house would be trapped, and the house would never be complete.
On September 4, 1922, Sarah went to bed for the night. In the early morning hours, she died in her sleep at the age of 83. Construction ceased immediately.
By the time of Sarah’s death, the house had grown to stand at four stories tall with 161 rooms including 40 bedrooms, 2 ballrooms, 47 fireplaces, 17 chimneys, 2 basements, and 3 elevators.
There are 2,000 doors, but not all can be walked through, as there are only 467 doorways. For example, one door leads to an 8-foot drop into a kitchen sink, while another leads to a 15-foot drop into bushes in the garden outside. Some of the doors open to a blank wall.
There are Tiffany stained-glass windows installed in locations where they would never see light (One has a wall directly behind it), staircases that led directly into ceilings and numerous secret passages. There is also an odd cabinet, that when opened, extends through thirty rooms of the house.
In the years that the house has been open to the public, employees and visitors alike have had unusual encounters here. There have been footsteps; banging doors; mysterious voices; windows that bang so hard they shatter; cold spots; strange moving lights; door knobs that turn by themselves. Do you believe the ghosts of the Winchester Repeating Rifle haunted Sarah Winchester, and still remain in her house?
Up Next: The Villisca Murder House
That’s the shooting gallery.