Located a mere 20 minutes away from Maple Tree Inn is one of Silicon Valley’s most famous & historic attractions, The Winchester Mystery House. The incredible mansion was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, an heiress to a massive fortune from her husband’s family (The Winchesters) who manufactured and marketed the famous Winchester Repeating Rifle.
Sarah’s life changed drastically after the tragic deaths of her daughter Annie in 1866 and her husband William in 1881; leaving her with an inheritance of 20 million dollars as well a 50% of the Winchester Arms stock. The royalties Sarah collected from the stock earned her approximately $1,000 a day for the rest of her life making her one of the wealthiest women in the world.
After a three year world tour, Sarah resettled in the San Francisco Bay area in 1884 and eventually moved to the Santa Clara Valley to purchase an eight room farmhouse and 160 acres of farmland. None truly knows why Mrs. Winchester dedicated the rest of her life to building her labyrinth-like mansion. It is suggested that she was suffering from depression and needed a hobby. It is also said that a spirit medium told Sarah that she would be haunted by the deaths caused by her family’s rifles unless she built nonstop – perhaps to confuse the ghosts or perhaps for their satisfaction. With the help of 20 carpenters who worked around the clock for 38 years, Mrs. Winchester built the farmhouse into a 7 story 500-600 room house, which was reduced to 4 stories after damage from the 1906 earthquake.
Winchester – The Movie
CBS Films is currently working on a full length feature film that will tell Sarah Winchester’s tragic life story as well as her obsession with being haunted by souls killed by the Winchester Repeating Rifle. Helen Mirren will star as “Sarah Winchester” in this chilling psychological thriller scheduled to be released on February 23, 2018.
Visiting the Winchester Mystery House
Visitors to the area don’t have to wait until February 23rd to catch a glimpse of this incredible historic mansion, stay at Maple Tree Inn and receive two adult tickets to the Winchester Mystery House when you purchase our Winchester Mystery House Vacation Package.
