The Winchester Mystery House is an insanely huge 24,000-square-foot mansion in San Jose, California that was owned by Sarah Winchester – the heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and at the time, one of the world’s richest women. Winchester moved cross-country into what was originally an 8-bedroom farmhouse and quickly began expanding it. By the time of her death in 1922, it had 160 rooms and sat on a massive 162 acres of land. Today, that has shrunk to 4.5 acres and the home is open to the public.
There’s more to tell about the Winchester Mystery House, so continue on for more photos and the story of how this mystifying mansion came to be.
Photography: Winchester Mystery House, LLC
Sarah’s husband William was the treasurer and one of the last surviving family members at the helm of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. After his death in 1881, Sarah inherited a 50% holding in the Winchester Repeating Arms company which was then worth around $20 million, the equivalent of $555 million in 2021. In 1885, she moved from Connecticut to sunny California and took up residence in a quaint, 8-bedroom farmhouse.
Between 1885 when she bought the home and her death in 1922, Sarah Winchester repeatedly made additions to the property. It ended up with two ballrooms, two conservatories, three elevators, six kitchens, 47 fireplaces and some very odd features like false floors, secret passageways and a purposefully bizarre layout anyone would get lost in.
Rumor has it that Winchester visited a psychic after her husband's death, who explained that she'd be kept safe from the spirits of people killed by the Winchester company's guns as long as construction on the home never ceased. The infinitely confusing mega-mansion has multiple secret tunnels and passageways, doors that open to very odd areas like an eight-foot drop down into a kitchen sink, and multiple rooms without floors. It’s full of optical illusions and was given the name “Mystery House” by famed illusionist Harry Houdini after a visit in the early 1920s.
The daunting home ended up with 40 different bedrooms that were all in use by Winchester on different nights. There are also still many antiques in the home that have been preserved over the years. That includes a massive collection of more than 100 antique, very valuable stained glass panels that are located throughout the house. Many of the designs hint at Winchester’s obsession with the number 13 (which symbolizes death) and paranormal activity.
Before an earthquake took out part of the home in 1906, it was actually seven stories high. In its final form, it ended up with four stories and two different basement levels. Many people claim to have seen the ghost of a gardener pushing a wheelbarrow around the grounds.
The most disturbing area of the home is the Witch’s Cap Tower, which looks primed and ready for an exorcism to take place. The large room is minimally furnished with no walls, which creates a very unsettling echo. In addition, it's apparently only accessible through a tiny passageway with five-foot ceilings.
The Winchester Mystery House was restored in 1970 and is now owned and operated by Winchester Investments LLC –– a company representing descendants of John and Mayme Brown, who ended up buying the home years after Sarah's death. If you’re into paranormal activity and haunted houses, or just want to explore this massive architectural wonder, it's open to the public year-round for tours.
Make sure to follow the Winchester Mystery House on Instagram at @winchestermysteryhouse for more information.