Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House is a 45-minute drive south of Pacifica in the heart of Silicon Valley. Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun manufacturer William Winchester, owned the 160-room house. Upon his death, Sarah Winchester visited a medium, which told her that there was a curse on the Winchester family and the spirits of the people killed by her husband’s guns were now seeking revenge. The medium instructed Sarah to move west and build the Winchester Mystery House for her and the spirits. If she kept building the house, she would live. If she ever stopped building the house she would die. The Winchester Mystery House was under construction for 38 years.

The haunted Winchester Mystery House continued to grow. Inside of the house, three elevators were installed, as were 47 fireplaces. There are countless staircases that go nowhere, a blind chimney that stops short of the ceiling, closets that open to blank walls, trap doors, and dozens of other oddities.

It was also obvious that Sarah Winchester was intrigued by the number "13". Nearly all of the windows at the Winchester Mystery House contain 13 panes of glass, the walls have 13 panels, many of the wooden floors contain 13 sections, and every staircase, except one, has 13 steps. Sarah’s days at the Winchester Mystery House were soon to come to an end. On September 4, 1922, after a conference session with the spirits in the séance room, Sarah went to her bedroom for the night. At some point in the early morning hours, she died in her sleep. The furnishings, and personal belongings at the Winchester Mystery House were removed and the house was sold to a group of investors who planned to use it as a tourist attraction.