Winchester Mystery House

Join lecturer Barry Pirro as he explores the most mysterious and interesting houses ever built. See historic and current photos of the house and come along on a virtual tour of the interior. 

In 1886, Sarah Winchester inherited a fortune and moved from New Haven, Connecticut, to San Jose, California. A psychic medium instructed her to move there and to build a magnificent house in order to appease the spirits of those killed by the guns manufactured by the Winchester Rifle Company she had inherited. But there was one catch:  if she ever stopped building onto the house, she would die. Mrs. Winchester drew up plans for rooms without any knowledge of architecture--plans supposedly given to her by the spirits during seances at the house. She hired carpenters to work around the clock, and building went on continuously until her death in 1922. Today, the 161-room labyrinth of a mansion is known as the Winchester Mystery House.