https://dh.scu.edu/exhibits/files/original/55/1957/WMH_People.pdf 4d44b731bb07519ecf7fa4648ca4943f PDF Text Text Eerie Landmark “The house [ca. 1900] feels like it’s a living, breathing thing,” says Winchester codirector Michael Spierig. “It creaks and makes strange noises.” 56 February 12, 2018 PEOPLE �Owner Sarah Winchester (left, ca. 1906) “is absolutely shrouded in mystery,” says Helen Mirren, who plays the heiress. THE WINCHESTER MANSION America’s Most Haunted House? THE INSPIRATION FOR A NEW HORROR MOVIE, THIS SPOOKY SAN JOSE ESTATE HAS A TRAGIC REAL-LIFE PAST, A BIZARRE INTERIOR AND MAYBE SOME LINGERING SPIRITS By KARA WARNER A staircase that dead-ends at the ceiling. A door that opens into thin air. A turret known as the “witch’s cap.” An affinity with the number 13: panes in the windows, steps on the stairways, petals on a stained-glass flower. The labyrinthine, sprawling 160-room Queen Anne-style Victorian known as the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, Calif., has been spooking visitors as a tourist attraction for almost a century. Now the house and its haunting past pa st aare re ccom omin ingg to tthe he big big screen in coming Winchester, horror Winc Wi nch hest he h ster er,, a h hor orro rorr thriller thri th rill ller er starring ssta tarr rrin ingg The famous staircase to the ceiling (in a 1938 photo) “did go upstairs once,” says historian Janan Boehme. “But Sarah put a hallway over the top of it.” CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE; BETTMANN ARCHIVE/ GETTY IMAGES; LACHLAN MOORE/CBS FILMS; BETTMANN ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES 57 �Manuel Antonio Park Beach Sunset Architectural Oddity The second floor features a door to nowhere. Keel-billed Toucan xx x Explore Costa Rica with Caravan; Join the smart shoppers and experienced travelers The ballroom cost $9,000 to build, more than three times the cost of at an average home the time. 9-Day Fully Guided Tour $1295 + tax & fees <RXU�&RVWD�5LFD�WRXU LV�DOO�LQFOXVLYH�ZLWK DOO�KRWHOV��DOO�PHDOV� DQG�DOO�DFWLYLWLHV� 6HH�H[RWLF�ELUGV� �ZLOGOLIH��KLNH�LQ MXQJOH�UDLQIRUHVWV��YLHZ�YROFDQRHV� VRDN�LQ�KRW�VSULQJV��FUXLVH�WKURXJK ELRORJLFDO�UHVHUYHV��DQG�UHOD[�RQ WURSLFDO�RFHDQ�EHDFKHV� 'HWDLOHG�LWLQHUDU\�DW�&DUDYDQ�FRP� &DOO�QRZ�IRU�FKRLFH�GDWHV� Choose A Guided Tour + tax & fees 10 days 9 days 8 days 10 days 9 days 8 days 8 days 8 days 8 days $1395 $1295 $1295 $1495 $1795 $1495 $1595 $1395 $1395 ´%ULOOLDQW� $IIRUGDEOH�3ULFLQJ µ —Arthur Frommer, Travel Editor FREE Brochure &DOO�1RZ�������&$5$9$1 &DUDYDQ� FRP Born in Connecticut, Sarah Lockwood Pardee married William Winchester, whose father founded the rifle company at 22. The couple’s Sarah Winchester died in one of the 40 bedrooms. ‘It took an obsession and also great wealth to build it. It’s really beautiful and strange’ —JASON CLARKE, WINCHESTER COSTAR CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM: WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE (4); BEN KING/CBS FILMS Guatemala w/ Tikal Costa Rica Panama Canal Tour Nova Scotia & PEI Canadian Rockies Grand Canyon California Coast Mount Rushmore New England Helen Mirren as its mysterious owner Sarah Winchester. Following the deaths of her young husband and infant daughter, the heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune started construction on the house in 1886. The reclusive widow was said to have never stopped building, with workers laboring 24 hours a day until her death in 1922. Some historians think the compulsion was an effort to deal with her grief and possibly a way to escape the gnawing weight of countless deaths caused by the family business’s weapons. Spirits may or may not visit the property to this day. “It’s a fascinating mythology, the notion that somebody feels haunted by all the deaths at the hand of the rifle,” says Michael Spierig, who directed Winchester with his twin brother, Peter. “It’s a blessing and a curse to profit from them but then also feel responsible. It must’ve been a hell of a burden for her.” The “witch’s cap” turret may have hosted séances. �only child, daughter Annie, died at 6 weeks old. William died in 1881, making Sarah a widow at 41 and an heiress to $20 million (more than $450 million today). Her new home “started out as a simple two-story farmhouse,” says Winchester Mystery House historian Janan Boehme, but it spread helter-skelter as Sarah’s passion turned into an obsession. No one today is sure why. “There are all sorts of explanations,” says Boehme. “Like she was trying to disconcert bad sspirits she didn’t want to have in her house, or she was just a really bad architect.” Gossip ran ramw pant. “People were curious about her,” says p Boehme. “She was extraordinarily wealthy, she B bore a very famous name, but she was also a very b private person, and since people didn’t really p know, they made up their own stories.” k But is the house haunted? “We’ve had a couple people claim to have seen a shadow of Sarah, and often psychics will say that they can sense her presence,” says Boehme. A “wheelbarrow ghost” is also rumored to roam the premises, though he’s a friendly type believed to be the spirit of a loyal employee of Sarah’s. “Generally he’s dressed in overalls, and he carries an old wooden toolbox or ‘It’s a classic ghost story based in truth and real history’ —HELEN MIRREN ON THE MOVIE is pushing a wheelbarrow,” Boehme says. “He’s still looking after the place.” In 40 years of working for the Mystery House, Boehme claims she has never seen a ghost herself—but that she senses energies, sometimes sad and lonely, but mostly kind. “The psychics I’ve worked with here all say it was a good energy, especially up around the third floor near the servants’ quarters,” says Boehme. “I’ve heard things I can’t explain,” she says. “I don’t ever feel unsafe here. But I never feel alone here either.” • (+)*6�;174�%17)* +0����*174�5*+(65� 7KH OLTXLG�VWUHQJWK RI�5RELWXVVLQ ŵJKWV \RXU FRXJK DOO�GD\ RU DOO�QLJKW� +6o5�0'8'4 ,756�#�%17)* 8VH�DV�GLUHFWHG��k������3Ɠ]HU� 8VH DVV GL GLUHF UHFWHG UHF WHG��k WHG � ����� 3Ɠ]HU��,,,QF� QF� 6/ �SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION Metal Mix Introducing the PEOPLE Collection from Shelly Brown—earrings, rings, ® bracelets, and necklaces handmade in the USA with a modern twist on classic styles that are a perfect update to your fall look. ShellyBrown.com/PEOPLE 3 Your choice of gold, silver or rose gold. 2 1 4 5 1. Brie Necklace Available in Gold, Silver or Rose Gold, $75 2. Harper Earrings Available in Gold, Silver or Rose Gold, $68 3. Angela Bracelet Silver plated brass with Swarovski® crystals, $145 4. Isabelle Bracelet Set Set of 4 plated brass bracelets in Rose Gold, Silver, Hematite & Gold, $160 5. Gloria Cuff Silver plated brass with Swarovski® crystals, $245 �© Time Inc., 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be duplicated or redisseminated without permission. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Winchester Mystery House Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lueck, Amy Subject The topic of the resource Buildings Description An account of the resource A collection of images about the Winchester House in San Jose, California. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1886-2020 Type The nature or genre of the resource Images Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context winchester Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource America's Most Haunted House? Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kara Warner Subject The topic of the resource The Winchester Mystery House Description An account of the resource A three-page excerpt from People magazine concerning the Winchester Mystery House. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available People Magazine Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Dominick Ott Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018-02-07 Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived search.ebscohost.com Language A language of the resource English