Winchester Mystery House
| Location | Santa Clara, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37.3184, -121.9508 |
| Access | Public - guided tours only, ticketed |
The letters survive more clearly than the explanation.
History San Jose holds correspondence between Sarah Winchester and her lawyer, along with records relating to her properties. The house's operators say they have no diary that explains her intentions. For a woman whose name became attached to one of America's most famous architectural mysteries, that absence has left a great deal of room for other people to speak.
The best-known story gives her a command: keep building.
In the legend, spirits of people killed by Winchester firearms pursue the widow who inherited part of the family fortune. A medium tells her to construct a house that can never be finished, or to arrange its rooms so the spirits cannot find her. As the story travels, the purpose shifts. Sometimes the house is protection. Sometimes it is payment. Sometimes it is a maze for the dead.
The rest of this file is sealed. 8 more sections: what happened next, what people still report, and how to visit.
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