Our friend, Jim, recommended we visit the Winchester Mystery House anytime we are near San Jose.
Today Eric & I tour this unique
Victorian home.
Sarah Pardee married into the influential and incredibly rich Winchester family in 1862. She and her husband, William, suffered the loss of their only child, Annie, at six weeks of age in 1866. William W. Winchester, the second owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company died of Tuberculosis in 1881. Sarah grieved William and missed him dearly.
She became the half-owner of the company and inherited $20 million dollars. Money did not provide Sarah with any comfort. She was deeply depressed and turned to Spiritualism and mediums during this dark time.
According to legend, Sarah was burdened by the deaths caused by Winchester Repeating Arms Company. She followed the advice of a medium, to leave Hartford, Connecticut, and move west to begin the project which would consume the rest of her life... The 38-year round-the-clock construction of her home.
The construction was meant to appease and/or confuse the ghosts of those killed by Winchester Repeating Rifles and give Sarah the peace she desperately sought.
Sarah was incredibly wealthy and could purchase whatever she wanted for her new home. She hired workers and designed sections of the sprawling Queen Anne mansion. No blueprints exist for the entire house.
Living a reclusive life and believed to be crazy, Sarah paid well above the going rate for construction workers and house staff. She provided housing for them on the estate which grew to 160 acres.
an awning to provide cover
for carriages.
Sarah had her carriage entry
enclosed so she was shielded
from the elements.
This image is cropped from a
photo of Sarah Winchester in
her carriage.
She is elderly in this photo.
Richard tells our group that Sarah
Winchester had a strong affinityfor Spider Webs & the number 13.
Both are represented in this
stained glass panel that
she designed.
This large, rambling house was customized to Sarah's specifications, which changed over time.
This stairway has too many turns
in it.
It was constructed to Sarah's
specifications to accommodate
her advancing arthritis.
larger than average steps that
are two or three inches in
height.
The system was named
Easy Risers.
Nearby is a set of staircases
that meet at the bottom.
This is confusing to me...
... probably ghosts too.
Richard points shares details in Sarah's Bedroom.
Photos of her niece, Marian Isabel "Daisy" Merriman Merritt, Sara's niece, and Sarah Winchester's dog, Zip are on the left. The photo on the table to the right is of William W. Winchester.
"Daisy" lived with Sarah and was her secretary until she married Alfred Frederick Mariott III in 1903.
Sarah's Seance Room.
This room was very private &
off-limits to everyone but Sarah.
Spiritualism and the desire to communicate with deceased members of the family grew throughout the mid to late 19th century. Sarah and many others were attracted to Spiritualism and paid mediums to communicate with their dead loved ones.
Sunlight illuminates one of
the Conservatories.
The floor was carefully built
on a slant to allow water to
runoff into a drain.
One of three Elevators in
the house allow Sarah to
move around with ease.
Because Sarah Winchester was reclusive and construction occurred here continually for nearly 40 years, there are many stories circulated about this house. The creepy ones are the most popular and that's why the Winchester House is listed on many "Most Haunted Houses in the United States."
from falling through the
window in the floor.
Confused ghosts can slide
through & maybe get lost.
Pictures of the house after
the1906 Earthquake.
The house is built on a floating foundation, saving it from being totally destroyed.
Sarah was trapped in her bedroom for several hours because a shifted wall wedged the door shut. She was freed by a servant using a crowbar to open the door.
Some sections of the house
were never rebuilt.
At the time of the Earthquake, Sarah's house was seven stories tall. After repairs, the bottom four floors remained.
Richard brings us to one of the
upper floor porches with a viewt
of other portions of the house.
I am charmed by the edging &
finials on some of the roof
ridges.
More railings that keep humans
safe from open spaces to the
floor below.
Another bedroom
This turn of the 20th century
bathroom has a fully plumbed
toilet & tub.
Laundry was washed by hand on washboards in these sinks.
This is the unfinished Ballroom.
The wet laundry was rung out
by hand using these crank
wringers.
The wall is built right next
to an existing wall.
Maybe the ghosts get lost
moving between these
two rooms.
furnished.
The glassware & dishes are
from high-end retailers.
Sarah purchased only the best for her ever-expanding home.
This ballroom is ready for guests, but Sarah didn't entertain in her home.
This Kitchen was built in 1906.
porches on our way to the
Exit
Eric & me in front of Sarah
A shot of the back of the house
Potted plants are ready to be
planted.
Eric took a video of the grounds.
Winchester's home.
No comments:
Post a Comment