Our morning was spent at the incredible Winchester Mystery House. You see billboards marketing this all over the Bay area. It is an amazing property with an even more amazing story.
We were not allowed to take pictures inside the house, and the website does not do it justice. You just need to take the tour to really get a sense of the house.
Sarah Winchester, widowed after 16 years of marriage to the owner of Winchester rifles, and also having lost her baby daughter to disease, grieving and depressed, Sarah sought out a psychic. The psychic alluded that the spirits that were killed by Winchester rifles were responsible for killing her family and that she might be next. To appease the spirits, the psychic suggested she move west and build a great house for them. She was to constantly build on to the house.
Sooooo, Sarah moved to San Jose, and began building. Bringing 20 million dollars with her (yes, 20 million…), she purchased an eight room house and 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 38 years, the house was constantly being built and remodeled. The eight rooms went on to 160, 110 of which we saw on the tour. There’s just too much to mention on this blog. Sarah was crazy yet brilliant. If you have time, it’s worth visiting their website to learn more.
Here are some exterior and garden shots…
