Winchester Mystery House
Located in San Jose, California

In 1884, a widow named Sarah L. Winchester began a construction project that would occupy the lives of carpenters and craftsmen until her death thirty-eight years later. A Victorian mansion, built with no blueprints by the Winchester Rifle heiress, is filled with so many oddities, that it has come to be known as the Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester built the home that is an architectural marvel, by drawing sketches on paper and even tablecloths. This 160-room Victorian mansion had modern heating, gas lights that operated by pushing a button, sewer systems, three working elevators, and 47 fireplaces. From hand inlaid parquet floors, rambling roofs, gold and silver chandeliers and Tiffany art glass windows.

After her husband, William Winchester died in 1881, a friend suggested that Sarah speak to a medium about her loss. The medium told her, "Your husband is here," and then discribed  William Winchester. "He says for me to tell you that there is a curse on your family, a curse that has resulted from the terrible weapon created by the Winchester family. Thousands of people have died because of it and their spirits are now seeking vengeance." The medium told her William Winchester said it was the curse which took his life and the life of their child and It would soon take hers also.

Sarah was told she must sell her property in New Haven and head towards the West Coast. Her husband would guide her and when she found the location for her new home in the west, she would recognize it.  "You must start a new life," said the medium, "and build a home for yourself and for the spirits who have fallen from this terrible weapon too. You can never stop building the house. If you continue building, you will stay alive, but if you stop, you will die."

After a seance on September 4th, 1922, Sarah retired for the evening and passed away in the early morning at the age of 83. Construction stopped on the estate and it was left to her neice, Francis Marriot.

Today, the house is a California Historical Landmark and is registered with the National Park Service as "a large, odd dwelling with an unknown number of rooms."

In the years that the house has been open to the public, employees and visitors alike have had unusual encounters here. There have been banging doors, cold spots, mysterious voices, footsteps, doorknobs that turn by themselves, windows that bang so hard they shatter, strange lights.... and don’t forget the scores of psychics who have their own claims of phenomena to report.