We're familiar with haunted house movies like THE HAUNTING, HELL HOUSE and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. There are also a multitude of other, "real life" haunted houses, such as the one in Amityville on Long Island. While not necessarily haunted in the true sense of the word, the infamous Winchester House still defies all logic and the story behind it remains a mystery.
In the 1880's, when Sarah Winchester's daughter died, followed by her husband (the son of Oliver, the owner of Winchester Repeating Arms), she was devastated. She soon packed her bags and headed to California to start a new life. She bought an 8-room farmhouse outside of San Jose and made plans to renovate it.
Then, something strange happened. At the rate of $1,000 a day (she was left with millions), she had her crew build a maze of corridors and rooms, including doors that opened into walls. As the work continued, Sarah claimed she was guided by "spirits" and maintained her nearly complete isolation in the house. When she died, the mystery of "why?" still remained and does until this day.
This article, from TRUE WEST (May-June 1963) explains the bizarre story.
Here is a LINK to the official Winchester House website.
