The Winchester Mystery House

In 525 South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, California, there is this one house known for being beautiful and bizarre. Ask any people who live in California, and they tell you the Winchester Mystery House. What made it prominent to people, is not only because of its strange design, but also its intriguing continuous construction for 38 years now. Also, the mansion is known for being haunted.

The Winchester Mystery House was once owned by Sarah Winchester. She is the wife of the famous gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. The construction with Sarah’s guidance as day-to-day was reported to be attending during the construction of the house from 1884 until her death, September 5, 1992. The construction started from the ground leading upstairs and eventually to the renovation of the clock without interruption on the said duration of Mrs. Winchester’s guidance. The work ceased for a moment during her death. The building was estimated to cost about US $5.5 million during her time. The renowned house is one of the greatest attractions in California.

Its size and lack of any master building plan had made it also differ from other well-known architectural mansions. Known for its haunting atmosphere, hearsay talk about ghosts who eventually are individual victims of Winchester rifles that they are found responsible for the horror inside the house. They believed that the terrifying experiences inside the house only stopped when there is no cessation of construction and renovations of the house.

The construction of the mansion started when Sarah Winchester’s daughter died in 1866 followed by her husband in 1881. Seeking for comfort after the successive death of her loved one, Sarah searched for a psychic to give a medium of advice. The medium which given by the psychic is now colloquially known as Boston Medium. It talks about the belief that there is a curse on the Winchester family due to the thousands of lives being taken away by the guns they made. The souls of the victims of their made rifles were said to be seeking for intense vengeance.

Boston Medium was doubtful. However, Sarah had to follow the psychic’s advice. She had to leave her home in New Haven. A house in the West must be built for Sarah and for the spirits, too, the psychic added. The construction of the house must not cease, or else she will die too.

Another version of the Winchester family’s story was released by Modern Mechanix in June 1937. Mrs. Winchester was stunned after the sudden tragedy of his husband and her baby leading her to a comma. When she recovered, she visited a medium due to a friend’s suggestion. During a séance, a communication with the spirits, she was told by her husband: “Sarah dear, if our house had not been finished, I would still be with you, I urge you now to build a home, but never let it be finished, for then you will live….”

The architectural details of the house have also something to tell about Sarah’s history. The unstoppable building of the house was a key to stop the spirits from coming after her.
The house was then constructed like a maze full of twist turns and dead ends. The idea of making it maze-like was believed to make spirits lost and unable to find her.

Sarah received about 50 percent ownership of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company making her receive an approximate $1,000 a day which was non-taxable until 1913. If equated to 2008, the amount is equivalent to $21,000 a day. She also received $20.5 million after her husband’s death. This wealth of hers funded the construction of her large mansion.