Sarah and the Mystery House
© Mary M. Alward
Sarah Lockwood Pardee was born in the mid to late 1830's. The exact date is not known.
When Sarah was in her mid-twenties, she met William Wirt Winchester, son of Oliver Winchester, of Winchester Rifle fame. The couple had an elaborate wedding in New Haven, Connecticut in September, 1862. Sarah was now an elite member of society.
The couple was blessed with a daughter, Annie, in 1866. They couldn't have been happier. Their family was expanding and due to the Civil War, the Winchester rifle was being sold by the thousands. Government contracts were making a fortune for the Winchesters.
Tragedy struck in one swift blow. Six month old Annie came down with a childhood disease and died. From that day forth, Sarah believed her family was cursed. When William died from tuberculosis in March, 1881, the "curse" was reinforced in Sarah's mind.
Sarah inherited $20 million dollars when he husband died, plus half of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Each day, $1,000 poured into Sarah's bank account. Sarah couldn't have cared less. She'd lost the loves of her life. She was on the brink of madness.
A friend saw the mental state that Sarah was in. Trying to help, she advised Sarah to see a psychic. Sarah followed her friend's advice. Instead of alleviating the problem, the so-called clairvoyant only made things worse. She confirmed Sarah's theory that there was indeed a "curse" on the family; the spirits of all those who'd been killed by the Winchester rifles had taken her daughter and husband. They were out for revenge. Then, she advised Sarah to buy a house and continually add to its structure. It's believed Sarah was told that if the construction were to end, she would die.
Whether or not the psychic actually told Sarah this, is not known. What is known is that Sarah took the psychics word literally. She purchased a house that sat on 161.919 acres of land in San Jose, California. Additions were started immediately. The construction team worked on the house around the clock, seven days a week for thirty-eight years.
Though Sarah was not an architect, she designed all the additions for the house. What a mess! Staircases and halls lead nowhere. Eventually the house consisted of 160 rooms. Every staircase, with the exception of one, had thirteen steps. 10,000 windows gave views in every direction. All of them contained thirteen panes of glass. One room even had a window in the floor. One door opens to an eight foot drop into the garden. Another opens to overlook the kitchen sink, which had thirteen drains. Twelve light gas chandeliers were converted to thirteen lights. One closet opens to a blank wall.
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