The long time residence of Sarah Winchester - widow of gun magnate William Winchester, the mansion is best known for its unusual building features, including doors that lead to nowhere and stairs that go up into the ceiling. Popular legend is that Sarah Winchester believed the house was haunted by ghosts killed by Winchester rifles, and that the only way to appease the ghost was continuous construction.

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Last edited on Apr 24, 10 3:46 PM.
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Nathan P.

Jun 11, 2008

What prompted Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune, to build continuously on her house for 38 years? No one really knows. Some speculate it was spirits that haunted Sarah. Others think she went mad from the grief of loosing her daughter and husband. Luck for you, you can still tour the 160 rooms of Winchester Mystery House and decide for yourself.

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Ready for Europe!

Sep 22, 2008

Odd but fascinating!! As I remember Sarah Winchester (widow of the man who invented the Winchester rifle) was told by a medium after her husband had died that the spirits of all who had been killed by a Winchester rifle may be haunting her. She spent the rest of her life (and a good deal of her fortune) building a crazy house trying to confuse the spirits.

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Angel C.

Sep 21, 2010

This was a nice stop to make if you are passing through in your travels. I've done this tour a few times with friends when they come to visit me and it never gets boring. In fact, each time I go it gets a lil more creepy. If you dont believe in that stuff, the house and the grounds are still impressive for the time that it was built.

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Philip R.

Jul 9, 2011

Better on Halloween =) Special tours are given, but fill up fast. Be sure to plan out this trip and book in advance. The House is located next to major freeways of Nothern California, so it is very easy to get to. Additionally, it is located to a section of San Jose named "Santana Row". It is the high end sector of San Jose....

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Pokin Y.

Oct 19, 2010

While this place is definitely touristy, it was fun to see such a crazy place with its staircases to the ceiling, uneven steps, twisted hallways and all. The topper is knowing that someone actually designed the house to be that way to live in, not that it was built to be a tourist attraction. Fun to visit at least once.

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