The Winchester Mystery Mansion
San Jose, California

By Daniel Cumerlato

The story of Sarah Winchester is as fascinating as the legend of the house itself. To 19th century pioneers, the Winchester repeating rifle was "the gun that won the West," but to Sarah, heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune, the weapon was an instrument of doom and ultimate destruction for herself.

The History
__________________________________

Sarah L. Winchester married William Wirt Winchester, the son of the manufacturer of that famous Winchester Repeating Rifle. Her only daughter and husband William both died, leaving poor Sarah alone.

Sarah was the wife of William Wirt Winchester who was the son of the manufacturer of the Winchester Repeating Rifle. He died in 1881 of tuberculosis. Fifteen years earlier, the couple had had only one child, a daughter named Annie, who died at the age of one month. Of course, Sarah was distraught at the loss of her child but the loss of her husband as well became unbearable for her, and it is said that she eventually visited a medium. The result of that visit overshadowed the remainder of her life as she faithfully acted upon the medium's advice.

What had the medium told her? It was that the spirits of all the people who had been killed by the rifles the Winchester's had made had obtained their revenge by taking the lives of her family. In addition, the medium told her that these spirits had placed a curse on her and would haunt her for the remainder of her life. Only by buying a house and building on it constantly could she escape this curse and obtain eternal life.

The unhappy heiress obediently took her "blood money," as she called it, and moved to San Jose, Calif., where she purchased an eight-room farmhouse, which she proceeded to remodel literally as the spirits moved her. The construction project, begun in 1884, was to occupy the next 38 years of her life and would ultimately employ hundreds of artisans working on a round-the-clock-basis that included Sundays and holidays.

As a result, the house is a maze with some staircases and doorways going nowhere. There is a window built into the floor, a staircases leading to nowhere, a chimney that rises four floors, doors that open onto blank walls, and upside down posts! The number thirteen is commonly used throughout the house, as in the quantity of groups of windows and stair steps. So why did Sarah do this? Well, one speculation is that she build this massive labyrinth the way she did to confuse and lose the spirits.

The Hauntings
__________________________________

The explanation for all this is that the house was designed by ghosts for ghosts.

In l903, Theodore Roosevelt, who was then president, passed through San Jose and called at the Winchester Mansion. He was turned away with the message that "the house was not open to strangers." According to servants' tales, the only guests that Sarah entertained were spectral ones. Each evening at 12 midnight, a bell summoned them. Another bell tolling at 2 heralded their exit.

During these two hours the strains of organ music could be heard by passersby. There are several organs in the house, for Sarah was once a fine musician, but as the years passed arthritis severely crippled her hands, It was said that the affliction was so intense that she could scarcely hold the pencil with which to make the building plans she was constantly creating and changing. If so, then who was the phantom organist?

Dining in splendor with her secretary-companion, Sarah enjoyed the best vintage wines. One evening she went to the wine cellar (to which only she possessed the key) to locate a very special bottle. To her horror, she discovered a black hand print on the wall. That night the spirits confided that it was the print of a demon's hand. Sarah took this as a warning against alcohol and had the cellar walled up so carefully that, to this day the liquid treasure has yet to be found.

In 1981 on two separate occasions, two tour guides passed by the front kitchen (which is never in use) and smelled the strong aroma of chicken soup. As well, footsteps can be heard in Mrs. Winchester's bedroom, as Brent Miller, a former caretaker experienced.

Sarah Winchester died on Sept. 5, l922 at the age of 82. But was that the end of her story? Hardly, to judge from the weird tales that surround the house. Over the years a variety of other strange phenomena have been reported including chains rattling, cold spots, and whispers.

Nationally recognized psychic Sylvia Browne, was asked to make contact with Sarah Winchester. As TV lights gleamed and cameras whirled, Sylvia went into a deep trance. The message was clear "Who are these people? What are they doing in my house?"

Dozens of psychics have visited the house over the years and most have come away convinced, or claim to be convinced, that spirits still wander the place.

Article By: Daniel Cumerlato
Founding Partner of Haunted Hamilton

Visit: www.winchestermysteryhouse.com

Many thanks to Antoinette May, the author of "Haunted Houses of California" for the excerpts used from her book.