Winchester Mystery House

The Hubby William Wirt Winchester Born - June 22, 1837 Married Sarah Lockwood Pardee – September 30, 1862 Had one child Annie Pardee Winchester Born July 15, 1866 Died July 24, 1866, of marasmus Father – Oliver Fisher Winchester Manufactured and marketed the Winchester repeating rifle Died on December 11, 1880 Ownership of company given to William Winchester Died March 7, 1881 of tuberculosis

The wife Sarah Lockwood Pardee Born in 1839 Death of only child Became deeply depressed Never had any more children Father-in-law and husband died within 3 months of each other 50% ownership of Winchester Company upon husband’s death Income $1,000 a day (equal to $22,000 a day in 2008) Died September 5, 1922 – 83 years old

The house Winchester Mystery House Sarah - convinced Winchester family was cursed Went to a psychic Family cursed by spirits killed by Winchester rifle Should move west Build house for herself and spirits Construction should not stop or Sarah would die Moved to San Jose, California from Connecticut Bought eight-room farmhouse on 162 acres

Questions How did Sarah keep building constantly according to the psychic’s directions? How big is the house? What are some unique features of the house? Why did Sarah build the house the way she did? What happened after the earthquake? What happened to the house after Sarah died? Is the Winchester House haunted?

Plenty of money ($20 million dollar inheritance) HOW did Sarah keep building constantly according to the psychic’s directions? Plenty of money ($20 million dollar inheritance) Hired workers to build 13 full-time workers 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 days a year For the next 38 years! Workers caught not working immediately fired

How big is the house? Covers 4 acres Had 7 stories (earthquake brought it down to 4 stories) 2 functional basements 160 rooms 40 bedrooms 13 bathrooms 5 kitchens To paint entire house  20,000 gallons

How big is the house? 3 elevators 47 fireplaces @1,257 window frames @10,000 window panes 467 doorways 950 doors 40 staircases

What are some unique features of the house? Repeating number 13 theme 13 Chandeliers 13 panes in many windows 13 bathrooms 13 steps on most staircases (one has 39) Doors that open into walls Stairs that lead nowhere Windows that look into walls

What are some unique features of the house? (continued)

Why did Sarah build the house the way she did? Following psychic’s instructions Held seances (spirits “told” her how to build the next day) Strange design Wanted to confuse spirits Wasn’t a trained architect Slept in a different room every night Believed if she stopped building, she would die

What happened after the earthquake? Earthquake in 1906 Top 3 stories collapsed Sarah trapped in her room Convinced spirits were angry because house almost complete Boarded up front 30 rooms of house Ensure house would never be complete Trap spirits that fell through the floors

What happened after Sarah died? All building stopped Left possessions to niece, Frances Marriot Took 6 weeks to remove furniture House auctioned to investors Turned into a tourist attraction

Is the Winchester House haunted? Many visiting psychics claim to see spirits Numerous claims of ghost sightings Employees/Visitors Footsteps Banging doors Mysterious voices

Is the Winchester House haunted? Windows bang so hard they shatter Cold spots Strange moving lights Doorknobs that move by themselves Light orbs in pictures

Conclusion – No, the house is not haunted. Sarah was mentally unstable. Suffered severe depression from the loss of her husband and daughter Was not in a good mental state when she went to a psychic Lived as a recluse for 38 years Lack of communication with people did not help her sanity. Bizarre events can be explained: Light orbs are reflections of flash off of dust particles. Cold spots are normal in a huge house with inconsistent heating. Strange noises in a house where tours are given could be explained by other tourists making them. People want to see ghosts so badly, they interpret normal events as ghosts. There are so many windows, some are bound to break.

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