Winchester Mystery House

525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose, California 95128

The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose

Winchester Mystery House is legendary now. The construction of Sarah Winchester, the house was kept in perpetual construction while she was alive. Mrs. Winchester believed that as long as construction kept up night and day, then the spirits of the people killed by the Winchester rifle would be appeased. As a result, the mansion is a convoluted maze of hallways and rooms with some staircases and doors leading no where. There is even a door that opens up to thin air several feet off the ground. Her sense of paranoia was further enhanced as a result of the deaths of her husband and infant daughter.

Winchester Mystery House

Additionally Sarah Winchester was obsessed with the number 13. A variety of items are grouped in sets of 13 or appear only in numbers of 13, such as 13 panes of glass or 13 palm trees or 13 bathrooms. Also a lot of the columns in the house, railings, etc, are hung upside down. Because of Sarah's small size, several stair cases are built with very tiny steps, called risers by the tour guides. One cabinet in the kitchen opens up into an entire other section of the mansion with multiple rooms. Mrs. Winchester also had a séance room which she went into every night. During her sessions in the séance room, she would come up with new plans for the construction of the house.

Door to Nowhere

Winchester Mystery House

When Mrs. Winchester died, construction stopped immediately right where it was leaving unfinished rooms, incomplete walls, etc. Now spirits are rumored to wander the twisted maze of passageways that are the mansion. Not only Sarah Winchester, but other spectral spirits inhabit the enormous house.

Winchester House

Built by Sarah Winchester, widow of rifle manufacturer William Winchester. This unique structure includes many outstanding elements of victorian architecture and fine craftsmanship. Construction began in 1884 and continued without interruption until Mrs. Winchester's death in 1922. The continual building and remodeling created a 160 room house covering an area of six acres.

California Registered Historical Landmark No. 868

Entry is a work in progress.

One hundred years have passed since Sarah L Winchester first arrived in the Santa Clara Valley with nearly $20,000,000 and began quietly adding rooms to a small country farm house, then three miles west of San Jose. Ten years have passed since the massive restoration of the Winchester House and Gardens commenced as a tribute to America's and San Jose's Bicentennials.

Today the Winchester Estate is once again the showplace of the valley! Although the "Lady of Mystery" was called from her earthly home in 1922, we believe these events have permitted Sarah L Winchester, in her own way, to achieve a unique kind of eternal life.

This plaque was dedicated on Friday, April 13, 1984 by the Winchester Mystery House Restoration Board and Mountain Charlie Chapter No 1850 E Clampus Vitus