Think of the name Winchester and what comes to mind? In our home, visions would most certainly be of a rifle - specifically a 30.06 and lead to accounts of hunting from seasons past, mostly exaggerated yarns reminiscing of positive, and sometimes comical, experiences, fortunately for us. However, not everyone can recall fond memories of Winchesters and, some would have certainly faced the barrel of a Winchester in their demise, when tales of centuries gone by are recounted. Just as certain for me, until now, the name Winchester would not have conjured up images of a 160 room mansion in San Jose, California, but it will going forward.
Expecting a sprawling acreage for the infamous Winchester Home, we found it lying in the heart of San Jose, across from a shopping district. To access the entryway required a u-turn at the intersection, a u-turn that was not only acceptable but necessary, as the signage pointed out - a new sign for me and one found commonly at interactions across the state of California we discovered.
After checking in, we joined a tour group of about twenty people, and while this seemed an appropriate number, we quickly realized once the tour began it was too crowded. The larger group brought additional challenges, specifically one group member who from room to room asked questions that were not particularly relevant to the tour and became slightly annoying by tour’s end. The tour guide was well versed and easily blended stories of Sarah Winchester into the chronicles of each room and while the tour length was not necessarily short, we would have enjoyed the opportunity to explore the home for an extended period (and outside of the tour guide’s direction) were we permitted to. The tour offered just a sampling of the experience we really wanted to have and we regretted not being available to do an evening tour, or even a paranormal tour.
The tour began in the carriage house and, immediately, we felt the energy of the home while being cast into a previous era. The team, who have managed the Winchester Home for over 100 years now, since it first opened to visitors only nine months after Sarah’s passing, have done a first rate job filling her home with era specific furniture, making it feel like Sarah Winchester’s home and providing a sensory experience not to be forgotten.
The 40 bedroom, 10 000 window paned structure included stairs to ceilings, doors to walls, and a seance room with a single entrance but three exits. As we meandered through the labyrinth, it is not difficult to sense the chill in the air in certain rooms, while in others it is easy to feel warm and cozy. The musty smell from hay lingers from the days when the upper level was a hay loft before being incorporated into the home and the eyes of photos hanging on the wall seemingly follow you from room to room, while the faint whispers of sounds that you cannot say for certain came from anyone specific to the tour echo in the halls. Each room prompted wonder and amazement and boasted the uniqueness that Sarah crafted into the architecture of the home.
While there is debate about the reasons Sarah had for reconstructing her final home in the manner in which she did, it was a very impressive piece of architecture and she was fortunate to have had the financial and human resources at her hands to carry out her designs, having been the heiress to late husband’s fortune. Unfortunately, Annie, the child Sarah and William lost shortly after her birth, never had the opportunity to host friends in the home that would have made for a thrilling game of Hide n Seek.
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