Winchester Mystery House Facts

Winchester Mystery House Interesting Facts

• Number of rooms: 160
• Cost: $5,500,000
• Number of stories: prior to 1906 Earthquake - 7; presently 4
• Number of acres: originally 161.919; presently 4
• Number of windows: frames 1,257, approx. 10,000
• Number of doors: doorways 467
• Number of fireplaces: 47 (gas, wood, or coal burning)
• Number of staircases: 40 [Top]

Winchester Mystery House Tour. The Gardens Tour has nine major points of interest: The Estate's Greenhouse, Garage, Car Wash, Pump House, Tank House, Foreman's House, Fruit Drying Shed and Gardener's Tool Shed. The Winchester House is located at 525 South Winchester Boulevard and is open to the public for tours the year around. For tour hours and admission prices call (408) 247-2101.  [Top]

History of the Winchester Mystery House. Separating Winchester Mystery House fancy versus fact begins on September 30, 1862, at the height of the Civil War, when William Wirt Winchester and Sarah Pardee were married in an elaborate ceremony in New Haven. Four years later, on July 15, 1866, Sarah gave birth to a daughter. The infant died on July 24. Not long after William died on March 7, 1881. As a result of his death, Sarah inherited over $20 million dollars. She also received an income of about $1000 per day, which was not taxable until 1913.  [Top]

Winchester Mystery House Ghosts & Spirits. But her new-found wealth could do nothing to ease her pain. Sarah grieved deeply, believing that her family was cursed by the weapon created by the Winchester family. A spiritual medium told her that thousands of people have died because of it and their ghosts and spirits are now seeking vengeance. Sarah was then told that she must sell her property in New Haven and build a new home and never stop building the house or she will die.

Shortly after the séance, Sarah sold her home in New Haven and with a vast fortune at her disposal, moved west to California. She believed that she was guided by the hand of her dead husband and she did not stop traveling until she reached the Santa Clara Valley in 1884. Here, she found a six room home on 162 acres under construction, and continued her monumental building project until her death in 1922.   [Top]