Winchester Mystery House - San Jose

The Winchester Mystery House is located on South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, California.  In 1881, Sarah Winchester, wife of William Winchester, heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company fortune, inherited 20 million dollars from her recently deceased husband.  Legend has it that she was told to move out west and keep building a house to contain all the spirits of those killed by Winchester arms.  In 1884 she began work on this Queen Anne Style Victorian mansion.  The work reportedly continued without stop until her death in 1922.  The house is noted for its odd construction, with doors leading into walls and staircases climbing up into ceilings, and its 13 motif.  When Sarah Winchester died the house was not mentioned in her will, so it was sold at auction and eventually purchased by John and Mayme Brown.  They first opened the house to the public in 1923. The house is listed in the National register of Historic Places and is a California National Landmark.

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