Sarah was next.Ĭoons had a peculiar solution. He explained that the spirits of those people and animals who had died at the hands of a Winchester rifle, “the gun that won the West,” were avenging their deaths by claiming the lives of her husband, child, and father-in-law. Allegedly, she travelled to Boston to consult with psychic medium Adam Coons (also reported as “Coombs”), who confirmed the wealthy widow’s fears that the Winchester family was cursed. But do the facts end here? Sarah, now alone and vulnerable, was reputedly convinced her family members were victims of a curse. Sarah slipped into a deep depression following the deaths of her family members. Her husband bequeathed to her fifty percent of the Winchester Company and the substantial income of $1,000 per day, tax free as it was then. As the last Winchester, Sarah became an independently wealthy woman. Her husband, like her child, died of tuberculosis and Sarah became a major benefactor to pulmonary research, donating $2 million during her lifetime to this cause. Oliver died in 1880 and was quickly followed by William, who died in 1881. The couple only had one child, Annie, who died in infancy of tuberculosis. In 1862, during the height of the American Civil War, Sarah married William Winchester, the sole child of Oliver Winchester, owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. If it's haunted.Sarah Lockwood Pardee was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1839. I feel a sweetness in the house, not a horror. "If it is haunted, I feel it is haunted by something very benign," she told Vanity Fair. It could be that San Jose sun, or it could be the loving way the house has been restored, but I think he's right: The presence in the Winchester Mystery House, spiritual or otherwise, is benign.Īnd star Mirren, who visited the house for filming last year, agrees. "They're taking care of the house, they're looking after it. ("Doesn't bother me," Tanner said nonchalantly. And he's heard the famous wheelbarrow ghost - a deceased handyman who traverses the cavernous and downright spooky basement - and his footsteps. But he has heard keys jingling and doors opening and closing. Tanner has never seen a ghost, he tells us. The doorways to nowhere, the recurrence of the number 13, the meandering staircases - Sarah was petite and arthritic, meaning she needed squat, shallow-inclined steps, so each staircase takes an insane number of steps to go anywhere - the sense of having no idea where you are at any given moment, is definitely creepy. The overwhelmingly feeling that you get while walking Winchester's numerous corridors and pathways is an unnerving one. How much did she spend on the house? Almost $100 million. How many seances did she have? One a night, every night, between the hours of midnight and two. How much piping in the sprinkler system? 7.5 miles. Number of staff working for Sarah? About 50, 18 house servants, 13 carpenters, 8-10 gardeners. Our guide Tanner was chipper and upbeat, walking us through the house with his insane breadth of knowledge. That's definitely the feeling you get walking through the numerous corridors and walkways of the house. Jason Clarke and Helen Mirren in 'Winchester'.
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