For more than a century, the Winchester House on San Francisco Bay has fascinated fans of the odd. It even inspired the popular Netflix series The Curse of Hill House. Guided tour on the occasion of Halloween.
The leaves on the trees display red and orange colors. The cold is slowly coming towards us. Autumn has taken effect. And with that comes its share of scary stories. Because yes, we celebrate this October 31st Halloween. But do you know the history of one of the most famous haunted houses? It is located in San José. Californiaand has been the subject of a certain admiration of visitors for more than a century. Her name ? House of Winchester or for the curious Winchester Mystery House. The building is one of the Bay’s most popular tourist attractions. SanFrancisco.
The legend dates back to Sarah Winchester, the owner of the house and heiress of a famous arms manufacturer of the same name in the 19th century. At that time, he had expanded and renovated his mansion, adding many rooms, stairs that sometimes led to nowhere, and corridors that turned this house into a labyrinth. A constructive madness that later gave rise to the wildest rumors. Because Sarah Winchester refuses to call an architect and designs the plans for this interesting mansion on her own. What does she want by building such a house? Is this simply a representation of architectural excess or an evil spirit? Do ghosts populate these places? It must be said that the owner’s story is as sad and scary as a haunted house can conjure up.
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many rumors
Sarah Winchester suffered a truly terrible loss: she lost her child when he was just a few weeks old. She then falls into a deep depression. She would never have any other children with her husband, William Winchester. She died of tuberculosis a few years later. After these two tragedies, he purchased an eight-room farmhouse and began a renovation that would last nearly 40 years. In his presence, the modest estate turns into a huge mansion equipped with the latest technology such as toilets, hot showers and even elevators. But despite this apparent luxury, no one is invited. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which destroyed part of the building, also contributed to the formation of the legend about Sarah Winchester. He refuses to rebuild the destroyed parts and some of the stairs leading to the upper floors are no longer in use.
Shortly before his death in 1922, the house was the subject of many rumors. And when new owners took over the place after his death, the legend began. They will make this residence a center of attraction for fans of horror stories. Magician Harry Houdini helped spread the word about the house by advising the owners to rename it the “Winchester Mystery House.” The mansion inspires Shirley Jackson and her novel Haunted house, then the Netflix series The Curse of Hill House, a free adaptation of the book. To properly celebrate Halloween, Winchester Mystery House is currently running new evenings that are intended to be the “most immersive formula” in the manor’s history. Fear guaranteed.
