Haunted Winchester Mystery House

by Walter Bissell

The construction of this unusual mansion located at 525 South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose California began in 1884 under the watchful eye of Sarah L. Winchester, the widow of William W. Winchester (manufacturer of the winchester rifle).

Seeking guidance after his death, Sarah consulted a medium (known only as the “Boston Medium”) who told her of her late husband’s wishes that she move westward to a location he would show her and build a home. The medium also informed Sarah that William had said, “There is a curse that has resulted from the terrible weapon created by the Winchester family. A curse that took my life and the life of our child. It will take your life too. You must 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 live. Stop and you will die.”

Odd Construction
So construction continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, until Sarah’s death 38 years later on Sept. 5, 1922. There was never a master plan. Sarah would consult the spirits at night and instruct the workers the next day. An estimated 160 rooms existed in this seven story mansion. The actual total is not known as rooms were built inside of rooms and some of the upper floors collapsed during the 1906 earthquake and were not restored. Rooms were added to rooms and then entire wings were built. Roof peaks were added to roof peaks, skylights located on top of skylights and towers erected at various spots. There were countless staircases inside which led no-where; a blind chimney that stops short of the ceiling; trap doors; double-back hallways; closets that opened to blank walls; doors were joined to windows and others opened to drop offs to the lawn below; all of the stair posts were installed upside-down; many of the bathrooms had glass doors and there were other odd features as well.

The Number 13
It is obvious that the number "13" was used often in the construction. Nearly all of the walls had 13 panels; many of the wooden floors contained 13 sections; some of the rooms had 13 windows, each containing 13 panes of glass and every staircase but one had 13 steps. The exception is a winding staircase with 42 steps, enough to take one up three stories. In this case, however, the steps only rise nine feet because each step is only two inches high. The greenhouse also had 13 cupolas. The house had over 40 bedrooms, 2 ballrooms and 47 fireplaces. Three elevators were installed to get to the upper levels.