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Winchester Mystery House
Having the dubious distinction of being a haunted house, the Winchester Mystery House or the Victorian Mansion is a popular tourist destination located in San Jose, California. This mansion used to be the primary residence of Sarah Winchester, who was a wealthy heiress and the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. The construction of the building began in 1884 under the guidance of Sarah Winchester. It was constructed continuously for 38 years at an estimated cost of US $5.5 million.
According to the history, Sarah constructed the building as a part of curse upon the Winchester family as thousands of people were killed by their guns. Sarah believed that her house in New Haven was haunted by spirits of people killed by her husband. She was advised by a Boston medium to travel west to San Jose and build a home for the spirits and the construction of the house should never stop as the moment construction stops, Sarah would die. The most interesting aspect of Winchester Mystery House is that it does not have any ground plan nor any blueprints of the mansion have been found. However, Sarah used to personally design each and every corner of the house and get it constructed.
The construction of the mansion was funded by Sarah through her $20 million that was inherited upon her husband’s death. Apart from this, Sarah even had 50 percent ownership of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, through which she used to earn $1,000 per day.
Winchester Mystery House has 160 rooms that include 40 bedrooms, two ball rooms and 5 kitchens. The house also has 47 fireplaces, 10,000 window panes, 467 doorways, 2 basements, 40 staircases, 367 steps, and 3 elevators. Spread over an area of 162 acres, this estate originally had seven stories. The Winchester Mystery House was an architectural wonder that was completely furnished with modern heating and sewer systems, indoor-toilets and even push-button gas lights.
The Winchester Mystery House has witnessed several natural calamities, but stood the test of time. After the devastating earthquakes in 1906 and 1989, a major portion of the house got damaged. Now the estate is spread over just 4.5 acres and has 4 stories.
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