We all love a good mystery, and in this month's newsletter I explore one of the strangest mysteries of the 20th century -- The Winchester Mystery House.
In 1886, Sarah Winchester inherited a fortune and moved from New Haven, Connecticut to San Jose, California. It's said that a psychic medium instructed her to move there, and to build a magnificent house in order to appease the spirits of those killed by the guns manufactured by the Winchester Rifle Company she had inherited. But there was one catch -- if she ever stopped building onto the house, she would die!
Mrs. Winchester drew up plans for rooms without any knowledge of architecture -- plans supposedly given to her by the spirits. She hired carpenters to work around the clock, night and day to build her incredible house. Building went on continuously until her death in 1922. Today, the 161 room labyrinth of a mansion is known as the Winchester Mystery House.
The Winchester Mystery House is said to be haunted. Footsteps have been heard shuffling to and from Mrs. Winchester's bedroom; doorknobs have been seen turning by themselves; people's clothing has been tugged by unseen hands during tours; the ghost of a worker has been spotted by tour guides and guests; and a surveillance camera picked up this eerie light on one of the balconies when the house was totally empty.
The podcast version of the story has a LOT more details. Click HERE listen on iTunes, or HERE to listen on Spotify. To see interior photos of the house, click HERE for the slideshow.
In 1886, Sarah Winchester inherited a fortune and moved from New Haven, Connecticut to San Jose, California. It's said that a psychic medium instructed her to move there, and to build a magnificent house in order to appease the spirits of those killed by the guns manufactured by the Winchester Rifle Company she had inherited. But there was one catch -- if she ever stopped building onto the house, she would die!
Mrs. Winchester drew up plans for rooms without any knowledge of architecture -- plans supposedly given to her by the spirits. She hired carpenters to work around the clock, night and day to build her incredible house. Building went on continuously until her death in 1922. Today, the 161 room labyrinth of a mansion is known as the Winchester Mystery House.
The Winchester Mystery House is said to be haunted. Footsteps have been heard shuffling to and from Mrs. Winchester's bedroom; doorknobs have been seen turning by themselves; people's clothing has been tugged by unseen hands during tours; the ghost of a worker has been spotted by tour guides and guests; and a surveillance camera picked up this eerie light on one of the balconies when the house was totally empty.
The podcast version of the story has a LOT more details. Click HERE listen on iTunes, or HERE to listen on Spotify. To see interior photos of the house, click HERE for the slideshow.
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