Trifter

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525 South Winchester Blvd.

San Jose, CA 05128

Phone Number:  (408) 247-2101

In 1884, Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle Company, visited a fortune teller after the death of her husband and baby daughter.  The medium told her that her fate was tied to her house.  Continuous building had to continue to appease the evil spirits and help her attain eternal life.  Sarah took the premonition very seriously.  She continued building her San Jose, California, mansion for the following 38 years, spending the bulk of her multimillion dollar inheritance in the process.

When the hammering finally stopped after Sarah’s death in 1922, there were:

160 rooms

40 staircases, some of which (along with many doors) lead nowhere

52 skylights

Many design elements that Sarah believed would ward off evil spirits, including stained glass that seems inspired by a disturbing spiderweb.

Zero blueprints, although Sarah did sketch plans for rooms on paper and sometimes tablecloths.

The house is open all year except Christmas and is a little expensive to tour, but is well worth the price.

There is no inside photography of the mansion allowed by the tourists.

http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

http://www.terragalleria.com/california/california.san-jose-winchester-house.html