This is why almost all the wood in the home is covered. Winchester preferred the wood however, she disliked the look of it and ordered that a faux grain and stain be applied. The house is predominantly made of redwood, as Mrs.
Following the 1906 earthquake, carpenters may have been brought in initially to repair damage. Legend has it that carpenters were hired and worked on the house day and night until it rose to seven stories. In 1886, she purchased an unfinished farmhouse in the Santa Clara Valley and began building her mansion.Įschewing architects, Winchester directed the additions herself, augmenting the building in a haphazard fashion. However, others maintain that she believed she must move West, and continuously build a house, the sounds of whose construction would keep at bay the spirits of those who had fallen to her late husband's firearms. She may have simply sought a change of setting, and something to keep her occupied during her lengthy depression. She left New Haven and headed for California. She also received nearly 50% ownership of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, giving her an income of roughly $1,000 per day, equivalent to $28,000 a day in 2021.
Background Īfter her husband's death from tuberculosis in 1881, Sarah Winchester inherited more than US$20.5 million (equivalent to $576 million in 2021). In Sarah Winchester's later years, the toilet had a window for a nurse to check on her.