The Haunted Winchester House Lore
The Winchester house is a place that needs no introduction. Its unusual design and folklore surrounding it have captured the public’s attention for over 100 years, and the world-famous Winchester rifle is at the heart of this story.
Winchester Company Fame
The Winchester company became famous by being one of the first companies to mass-produce firearms that could fire several rounds before you had to reload. The infamous Model 1873 was one of the most popular guns of its day, being marketed as “The Gun That Won the West.” It was the firearm of choice for settlers, featured in multiple John Wayne movies, and used in many wars globally, making the Oliver Winchester and the Winchester family very wealthy.
This haunted house was owned by the heir to the Winchester rifle fortune, Sarah Winchester. She was an architect and designed the sprawling mansion herself over 38 38-year period. As the story goes, after a series of personal tragedies within the Winchester family, including the death of her father-in-law, Oliver, her daughter, and her husband, she moved out west and started to build Winchester House.
But before her move, she was forewarned by a medium that she was not alone. The spirits who had died from the barrel of a Winchester rifle would accompany Sarah. As the money that she inherited came from people dying through her family’s creation, she would be the family member to face the consequences. But it seems the medium wasn’t all doom and gloom, as it gave Sarah an answer to this problem: if you keep adding and extending your house, it will keep the ghosts at bay. But as soon as Sarah ceased construction on her home, the spirits would take her.
From this tale, she bought a two-storey farmhouse with eight rooms and started on her life’s work to outrun her demons. It is widely thought that the unusual design of the house was Sarah’s attempt to confuse the spirits that haunted her by creating a labyrinth of her very own making.
Secrets and Symbolism
The huge, 24,000-square-foot building has countless secrets encased within its walls, with many speculating what they might be. This includes over 2,000 doors, with the most famous being a second-floor door leading to a 20-foot drop onto the garden below, 47 fireplaces, but only 17 chimneys, 47 stairways, and only one shower. It even has skylights on the floor; these windows are usually found on roofs or ceilings.
Along with an eclectic design, symbolism also featured heavily in the Winchester House. The number 13 is a pattern that has been repeated throughout, including 13 bathrooms, the 13th floor has 13 windows, 13 steps on a staircase, and 13 hooks in a closet, just to name a few. Also, Masonic symbols adorned the iron gates and some of the staircases, and as Sarah was well-educated for the time, she may have been a member of the secret society.
Haunting of Winchester House
So, where does the “haunting of Winchester House” start if Sarah managed to keep her spirits at bay through constant construction and expansion? After Sarah’s death, the house was bought by John and Mayme Bron, and soon after their purchase, they began public tours. This is where countless sightings and unexplained happenings occurred.
The most famous ghost dwelling in the Winchester House is a 19th-century male named Clyde. Many people have seen him working in several different rooms throughout the house, including the basement and the ballroom. Clyde is depicted in many pictures on the wall of the mansion.
Sarah is also known to make an appearance, usually near the Daisy bedroom where she slept, where she frequently shows her disapproval of these tours through loud sighing.
Along with ghost sightings, employees have often felt a helping hand on their back, on their shoulders, when no one is around. Also, guests have woken in the middle of the night to a haunted alarm clock that would ring for extended periods. Hearing footsteps would be a regular occurrence for anyone who enters the premises.
The hauntings of the Winchester house captured the public’s interest to such an extent that the world-famous magician Harry Houdini even made a visit to see the paranormal activities for himself. During his visit, he was interested to see the rooms with the most ghost activity, but in an unusual turn of events, he never talked about what he encountered.
Conclusion
Overall, the world received a one-of-a-kind house that has kept everyone guessing for over a century now, and it all started with the Winchester Rifle. If you would like to learn more about gun folklore or the Winchester rifle, then MGS trade school is the hub you need for everything guns! Whether you are looking for information or starting a professional course, they have everything you need in your quest for knowledge. Head to MGS trade school today!
Written by: Ryan Clancy, Mechanical Engineer
