In California, there is a “strange dwelling place with an unknown number of rooms.” This dwelling place is known as The Winchester House, one of the most famous haunted houses in America. It was a woman named Sarah Winchester who built the strange mansion back in 1884. Her story began when she learned of the curse placed upon her family. Her only child died from marasmus while her husband died from pulmonary tuberculosis.
The famous Winchester House
The curse was said to have come from the vengeful spirits who were struck down by the destructive weapons created by her husband. In order to keep herself alive, she would need to sell all of her properties and find a new home. She was told to keep building the home or else she would die.
With a huge amount of money in her hands, Sarah Winchester began building the house. In the 38 years of continuous work, the house took on a form all on its own. Although there was no blueprint and no real master plan on how the house was supposed to look like, Sarah met with the foreman every morning to discuss plans. The result was both bizarre and beautiful where there were stairs that led to the ceiling, chimneys that served no purpose and closets that opened to walls.
The stairs that lead to the ceiling…
However, there was one thing consistent with the architecture of the Winchester House. Apparently, Sarah Winchester had an obsession for the number 13.
Nearly all of the windows contained 13 panes of glass; the walls had 13 panels; the greenhouse had 13 cupolas; many of the wooden floors contained 13 sections; some of the rooms had 13 windows and every staircase but one had 13 steps.
The design was said to confuse the ghosts who continued to haunt Sarah.