Inside and out, every surface was ornamented. ![]() Today Winchester Mystery House comprises 24,000 square feet in 160 rooms.Ĭourtesy Winchester Mystery House The Aesthetic Movement & Queen Anne Style Now four storeys, the house had a seven-storey tower before the 1906 earthquake, evident in this archival photo. It’s true that staircases spiral-or dead end that doors open to nowhere that the prime number 13 and spider webs are favorite motifs. Whether Sarah believed in ghosts, or was a mathematics prodigy dabbling in labyrinths and encryption, the house she built is a puzzle. Money was no object: Sarah had inherited $20 million ($520 million today) and also had an income from her shares in the company-the equivalent of $26,000 a day in today’s currency. The story told is that Sarah Winchester, widow of rifle heir William Wirt Winchester, was encouraged, during a séance, to leave Connecticut and head to California, to build an eccentric home for the spirits of all those killed by Winchester firearms. The museum house is privately owned and heavily visited. From the roof on down, every surface is exuberantly ornamented with fish-scale shingles, ball-and-spindle decorations, turnings, carvings, and board siding at the base. Turrets and bays, balconies with fancy railings, irregularly shaped windows, and a “door to nowhere” together create a rich Queen Anne fantasy. The cost was $5 million, or $71 million in today’s currency. Built over and around a modest Victorian farmhouse, the mansion took 38 years to create (1884–1922) and was never really finished. Architecture buffs, on the other hand, are in for a jaw-dropping tour of Aesthetic Movement architecture and decoration. The pic got nearly 350 likes on the contest site, and her bell-ringing duties will be streamed on Facebook live.Most of the tourists who visit the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, come for its spooky associations. The winner, Bianca Holkesvig, submitted a photo of the pergola in the mansion’s garden where she got engaged after a tour. Often visiting celebrities or elected officials are asked to handle the duty, but this year for the first time a contest was held to pick the bell-ringer. According to “Captive of the Labyrinth,” Mary Jo Ignoffo‘s insightful biography of Winchester, Bill Rebello - a manager of the attraction in the early days - started the ritual of ringing the mansion’s tower bell 13 times at 1 p.m. ![]() The Winchester Mystery House’s blog shows photos of the handwritten gift lists she took down in a leather notebook from 1912-14, which included items like silver vases, scarf pins, thimbles and towels.Īnother Friday the 13th tradition at the Winchester Mystery House is being observed with a twist. While it seems unlikely that Sarah Winchester ever decorated her sprawling house as elaborately as it is during the holiday season today, we know that she did give Christmas gifts. You can also take a regular tour of the decorated house during the day through Dec. Tickets are $49 and include a souvenir flashlight. ![]() Who knows, maybe someone will spot the Ghost of Christmas Past on one of the shadowy tours, which start at 5:30 p.m. Talk about your eerie coincidences: The Winchester Mystery House will be marking the final Friday the 13th of the decade this week with the return of its evening flashlight tours, but since the spooky date is falling in December, the landmark Victorian mansion in San Jose is also decorated festively for the holidays.
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