by RachelK

Created on: July 15, 2009   Last Updated: June 15, 2011

The Winchester House was under construction for 38 years. Construction started in 1884 by widow Sarah L. Winchester. After the death of her husband and daughter a grief stricken Sarah contacted a medium and psychic who was known as 'The Boston Medium'. As legend has it Sarah Winchester was told that the house was haunted by people killed by the Winchester rifles and that the continuous construction would appease them. Eventually Sarah sold the house and moved to California.

Besides being reportedly haunted the house is also amazingly built. There are an astonishing 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms and 2 ballrooms, one completed and one under construction. The house also has 47 fireplaces, 10,000 window panes, 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others), two basements and three elevators. There are doors and stairways that lead to nowhere. This amazing house also includes approximately 467 doorways, 950 doors, 52 skylights, and 2 ballrooms. Over 20,000 gallons of paint were required to paint the home. The cost to build the mansion was $5,500,000. The home is truly an architectural marvel.

Today, the house has been declared a California Historical Landmark and is registered with the National Park Service as "a large, odd dwelling with an unknown number of rooms." It is also known today as one of the world's largest haunted houses.

The question remains, is the mansion really haunted? Many people still believe so. Others think that there never were any ghosts at all, but only the imagination of a very eccentric woman. One thing is certain, there have been a number of strange events reported at the Winchester House for many years and they continue to be reported today. Some of the reports from employees and visitors include banging doors, footsteps, voices, and cold spots. The only way to know for sure is to visit the mansion yourself.

You can take an estate tour of the property. There is a garden tour which takes you through the beautiful gardens on the property. There is a behind the scenes tour which takes you into the home in areas that haven't been seen for over 75 years. The behind the scenes tour is limited to those that are 10 and under. There is also a firearms museum that you can visit.

Special tours of the house are also held on Friday the 13th and Halloween. Tour prices and hours can be found on their website which is http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/rates.html. This is a must see for anyone interested in hauntings and the paranormal!

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