#Winchester Mystery House

[heartshapedcofffinss]

For some reason I have to be the cutest girl in the haunted Victorian mansion 👁️

[aanxii]

Winchester Mystery House - 10/13/2024

[harveyguillensource]

Harvey investigated the Winchester Mystery House with Nathan Foad and Rachael Leigh Cook!

[marzipanandminutiae]

i just reblogged that post about saying nice things abt prev but i wanna send an ask too, so: thank you for being one of the only people to be correct about the winchester mystery house and sarah herself!! so many people spread the stories of her being weird/crazy/whatever when she was just. a woman who suffered some tragedies and liked architecture.

i went on a tour of graceland recently and was intrigued by how they barely talked about elvis as a person, whereas winchester tours are basically a trap where you think you're getting to explore a weird fucked up house but actually you're going to hear about how wonderful sarah winchester was for an hour and if you say anything mean about her design skills one of the tour guides will push you out the door to nowhere.

i go through your winchester tag sometimes when i'm nostalgic and missing the house (i got laid off during quarantine) and it's just nice to see that even people who didn't devote years of their lives to the house can genuinely understand and appreciate it.

I'm so glad it's gotten better! Someone once anonymously told me the guides had to sign a contract saying they would only stick to the story made up by that ridiculous carnie family that bought her house in the 1920s, and even though it was an anon and therefore unverifiable...I believe it, sadly. For Profits often are more about...well, profit. As opposed to history. But it's good to know the guides care about getting the truth out there.

In Sarah Winchester I see a woman whose character assassination for being different(tm) has carried on after death. It's not that she was perfect- far be it from me to lay perfection at the feet of a white 19th-century gun fortune heiress -but she seems like a genuinely caring person in many ways, about her workers and her community. She was an unattached woman of means with an unconventional hobby (architecture), though, and that seems to have made wagging tongues nervous. During her lifetime that meant claiming she thought she'd live forever if construction never ceased (it did, several times), and after- well. The tale of the mad widow fleeing from invisible ghosts has come to prevail.

It feels unfair to me that she should forever be remembered by what her detractors said about her, instead of her own triumphs and setbacks, merits and flaws. And that her beautiful house, where she poured so much love and attention, should be so misrepresented. I'm glad people are trying to fix the narrative.

[watcherwiki]

Watcher shared the Winchester Mystery House IG post on their Instagram story September 29, 2024

Ghoul Boys were slide 3

[xyzmp3]

This is so silly!! This is so silly!!

[spookysalem13]

This would be an amazing bucket list adventure. 😍

I must say I'm intrigued. I want to begin taking vacations to these listed locations that I haven't already been to 🖤👻 create a spooky adventure of a lifetime.

[loveinstreams]

the haunted mansion movie? you mean that thing from the winchester ghost files episode? you know it’s not real right

[chestcavityyy]

[ivys-garden]

Too all fans and Buzzfeed Unsolved and Ghostfiles: while I love and appreciate the dedication of Shane and Ryan to tell the real history of locations and not solely telling stories of ghosts, I do implore you to do your own research as there are times in which Shane and Ryan make mistakes or the history of a place is too vast to cover elegantly in a short video.

The most notable example of this is the Winchester House in which they unknowingly perpetuate the rumors of Victorian socialites who were distrustful of a grieving woman who wanted to be left alone, Kaz Rowe made an excellent video going over the real history of the Winchester house, I'll attach it here for ease and I suggest everyone watch it (her other stuff too this gal is incredible)

[mildgirlnextdoor]

favorite details of the mansion

[nickysfacts]

Happy hauntings, hope you enjoy your visit!🪦

👻⚰️👻

[fallenangelblade]

insane to me that we never got an episode of supernatural set in the winchester mystery house. i need there to be an 11/22/63-style time rift at the top of one of the staircases to nowhere that’s sending tourists back to like, 1899, and the brothers have to go through to rescue them and meet sarah winchester and debunk all the myths around her work and the “ghosts” that haunted her. or something

[asoftershipwrecked]

happy birthday, sinéad!

[marzipanandminutiae]

god my urge to fight Ry*n and Sh*ne GhostF*les in a parking lot grows ever-stronger

now they're jumping on the "Sarah Winchester was CRaAaAaZY!!!!" bandwagon

like genuinely fuck off. they remind me of my middle school bullies more than anything and they clearly don't give a shit about research

nice job giving the exploitative carnie family that's controlled the mansion since the 1920s more power over the popular narrative about the house and its architect, assholes

[ladyeckland28]

### The Winchester Mystery House: An Architectural Enigma

The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, remains one of America’s most enigmatic and captivating landmarks, a testament to Sarah Winchester’s eccentric vision and haunted beliefs. Widow of William Wirt Winchester, the heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Sarah Winchester embarked on a ceaseless construction project that spanned 38 years, driven by an unorthodox mission to appease the spirits she believed were victims of her husband's invention: the Winchester rifle.

Sarah Winchester's life was marred by tragedy. Following the death of her infant daughter from marasmus and her husband's untimely demise from tuberculosis, she turned to a spiritualist for guidance. It was purportedly this medium who informed her that she was cursed by the vengeful spirits of those slain by Winchester rifles and that the only way to avoid their wrath was to build a house that would confuse and contain them. Thus began the construction of what would become known as the Winchester Mystery House, a sprawling 24,000 square feet mansion comprised of peculiar and whimsical architectural elements.

The mansion's design is a labyrinthine wonder. Staircases ascend to ceilings, doors open to solid walls, and windows overlook interior rooms. The house contains 160 rooms, 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 52 skylights, 47 stairways, 47 fireplaces, 17 chimneys, 13 bathrooms, and 6 kitchens. Many of these features serve no practical purpose other than to bewilder. For instance, the infamous "Door to Nowhere" opens to a sheer drop from the second floor, a prime example of Sarah Winchester's effort to mislead and perplex any spectral inhabitants.

Sarah Winchester's architectural improvisation was underpinned by a combination of superstition, wealth, and an unending pursuit of atonement. The number 13 is a recurring motif throughout the house, believed to have spiritual significance. The chandeliers, windows, and even drain covers feature this motif, symbolizing Sarah’s deep commitment to her esoteric beliefs.

Despite the erratic and often illogical design, the Winchester Mystery House holds considerable historical and cultural significance. Its construction showcases Victorian craftsmanship and an era of newfound prosperity in post-Gold Rush California. Today, the mansion is a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors intrigued by its paranormal lore and architectural curiosities.

The Winchester Mystery House exemplifies how personal grief and guilt can manifest in extraordinary ways. Sarah Winchester's attempt to cope with her tragic losses resulted in one of the most bizarre and fascinating architectural endeavors in history. The mansion stands as both a monument to human eccentricity and a testament to the lengths one might go to find solace from inner turmoil.