The Winchester Mystery House

Published 13 months ago

The Winchester Mystery House, in San Jose, California, was built by the heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune. Paranoid that angry spirits killed by the rifles would haunt her, Sarah Winchester began a bizarre architecture project that would not be... more

The Winchester Mystery House, in San Jose, California, was built by the heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune. Paranoid that angry spirits killed by the rifles would haunt her, Sarah Winchester began a bizarre architecture project that would not be completed until she finally died 38 years later. Sarah would wake up in the morning and enter a sance room, where she believed “good” spirits would give her instructions on how to build the house to ward of the angry ones, and then she would give the plans to carpenters and architects she kept in her employ to implement. This went on for nearly four decades, and turned the house into a bizarre architectural marvel, filled with maze like stairs and hallways that led to nowhere in order to ward off the bad spirits. The 160 room house has some surprisingly modern touches for a mansion built during its era, including button operated gas lights, three elevators, and 47 fireplaces. Visitors can experie ... less

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