The Guide to the Winchester Mystery House San Francisco Travel

Table Of Content

• The Heiress to a Gun Empire Built a Mansion Forever Haunted by the Blood Money That Built It
• HISTORY
• Moving to California
• Legend and lore
• Historical Trips - Book your next historical adventure
• Amazing Historical Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds
• THE HOUSE WAS UNDER CONSTANT CONSTRUCTION FOR 38 YEARS.
• Flashlight tours

The true nature of Winchester’s motivations is likely to remain a mystery. But as the video tour points out, the house she built was not only bizarre—it was innovative. Winchester loved to garden, so the conservatory featured an indoor watering system and wooden floorboards that could be lifted up to water plants resting below. But as Katie Dowd of SFGate points out, there is “scant proof” for this theory. Winchester could have been engaging in an eccentric brand of philanthropy, as she built her home during an economic depression, and the continuous construction project provided jobs for locals. When she died, in fact, the heiress left most of her money to charity.

The Heiress to a Gun Empire Built a Mansion Forever Haunted by the Blood Money That Built It

The work only stopped on September 5, 1922, because the octogenarian mastermind behind the home died of heart failure in her sleep. It's said that upon hearing the news of Sarah's death, the carpenters quit so abruptly they left half-hammered nails protruding from walls. Within just a few months, she'd already added more than a dozen rooms onto her new home with the intention of accommodating her two little sisters and their families.

HISTORY

She was a woman of independence, drive, and courage, and the mansion she built is world-renowned for its many design curiositiesand innovations,” said Walter Magnuson, Winchester Mystery House General Manager. “Today, we are striving to follow in her footsteps by offering an innovative way for guests to explore the mansion unlike ever before. The new tour also offers fans and the Winchester Mystery House staff the first-ever digital floor plan of the historic mansion. Sarah Winchester’s 38-year renovation project became the most infamous historic home in the country, but upon her death, no blueprints or floor plans were ever found. Now, after 97 years of guiding guests safely through its confusing halls without a map, the Estate’s caretakers are thrilled to present this digital floor plan to the public.

Moving to California

Winchester hired carpenters to work around the clock, expanding the small house into a seven-story mansion. Due to the lack of a plan and the presence of an architect, the house was constructed haphazardly; rooms were added onto exterior walls resulting in windows overlooking other rooms. Multiple staircases would be added, all with different sized risers, giving each staircase a distorted look. For ONLY six select nights starting Saturday November 25th till December 30th, experience the magic of the season as you journey through this beautifully decorated mansion, lit up by the warm glow of candlelights. They force attention on your gate and make you self-concious of how you step. This is because they are not designed with an able-bodied person in mind.

Sarah Winchester’s main bedroom in the Winchester Mystery House is a favorite stop on the Mansion Tour. From the original Luncrusta Walton Wallcovering, to the ornate ceilings perfectly preserved after nearly 97 years of tours. Sarah passed away in this room in her sleep in 1922 at the age of 83. Sarah relocated to this room after getting trapped inside of the Daisy Bedroom during the 1906 earthquake. One legend says that Sarah felt the earthquake was a warning from the spirits that she had spent too much money on the front section of the house. Once referred to as an “important” room to Sarah Winchester by world-renowned psychic-medium James Van Praagh, the Witches Cap had it’s doors opened on the Explore More Tour in 2017.

Historical Trips - Book your next historical adventure

After she moved from New Haven, Connecticut, to San Jose, Winchester dedicated a large part of her fortune to ceaseless, enigmatic building. She built her house with shifts of 16 carpenters who were paid three times the going rate and worked 24 hours a day, every day, from 1886 until Sarah’s death in 1922. Enjoy unprecedented access to the world’s most bizarre mansion with an all-new tour —The Winchester Mystery House Immersive 360° Tour. This virtual experience allows guests to independently roam each level of the mansion, while exploring many rooms previously inaccessible on standard Estate tours. Starting Friday the 13th we will be hosting Flashlight Tours every Friday evening till February 24th. These self-guided tours give guests the opportunity to roam through the halls of the purportedly haunted Victorian mansion while hearing tales of its former and (possibly current!) inhabitants.

The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, is one of the nation’s most curious landmarks. Built by a millionaire widow over the course of 36 years, the sprawling mansion features more than 200 rooms, 10,000 windows, trap doors, spy holes and a host of other architectural oddities. After the house was emptied, a local investor purchased the home for a cool $135,000.

THE HOUSE WAS UNDER CONSTANT CONSTRUCTION FOR 38 YEARS.

The renovated rooms have become a popular sight to see on the Mansion Tour. American's love affair with guns is unparalleled, as are all of its resultant, gun-related tragedies and deaths. As Popular Mechanics recounts, Winchesters were developed during the Civil War in response to the need for a more mechanically advanced weapon, and sold to both sides. They also wound up in the hands of various Native American tribes. The Winchester Repeating Arms Company refined the gun's design to such a great extent that it endured for decades as the standard-bearer of "repeating rifles." Following Sarah's death, Winchester House was converted into a tourist attraction.

Flashlight tours

San Jose celebrates Winchester Mystery House Day June 30 - Marin Independent Journal

San Jose celebrates Winchester Mystery House Day June 30.

Posted: Sun, 11 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Despite the Winchester Mystery House's cheerful appearance, this massive California mansion's history is edged with tragedy, mystery ... Naturally, it has inspired a chilling horror movie, Winchester, which opens in theaters today. But before you go to the movie theater, wander through the curious past of one of America's most infamous homes. Experience the ultimate exploration of Winchester Mystery House with our Explore More Tour —an exclusive opportunity see even more rooms in this historic mansion. Prepare to uncover hidden secrets and unlock doors to the oldest sections of the home. The Winchester Mystery House is offering guests unprecedented access to the most beautiful and bizarre Victorian Mansion.

For the first time ever, the Winchester Mystery House is offering guests unprecedented access to the world’s most bizarre mansion with an all-new tour —The Winchester Mystery House Immersive 360 Tour. This virtual experience allows guests to independently roam each level of the mansion, from the basement to the rarely seen fourth floor, while exploring many rooms previously inaccessible on standard Estate tours. SAN JOSE, CA (April 22, 2020)—For the first time ever, the Winchester Mystery House is offering guests unprecedented access to the world’s most bizarre mansion with an all-new tour —The Winchester Mystery House Immersive 360 Tour.

It's a question people have asked ever since Sarah started construction. In order to make sense of this perceived monstrosity in what was then a rural community, rumors began to swirl about her motivations. Other versions of the story purport that Sarah was driven west because she was being haunted in the family mansion in New Haven. Unfortunately for her, the ghosts followed her to California, so she tried to outsmart them by building a rambling home with a tangle of hallways.