Modern Mysteries

Old Winchester Mystery House photo found

By T.K. Randall
March 24, 2018

Image: Winchester Mystery House
Credit: The wub / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) One of San Jose's most popular tourist attractions, the enigmatic mansion has 161 rooms, 40 staircases ( some of which leading to nowhere ), 10,000 windows and 2,000 doors.

Constructed in 1884 and owned by Sarah Winchester - the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester - the building is said to be haunted by the ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles.Now one of the mansion's employees has discovered what is believed to be a never-before-seen photograph of the Winchester Mystery House back before all its extensions had been built.

Intriguingly, one of the two women in the image is thought to be Mrs Winchester herself. If confirmed, it would make this only the second known photograph of her on the Winchester estate.

Our historian made an exciting find in the History San Jose archives: a photograph of a Victorian farmhouse that looks quite a bit like the foundation of our 160-room mansion! There are many recognizable features in the design of this home that are uncannily similar to those of the front of the Winchester Mystery House. What makes this even more compelling are the two women in this picture: a younger woman on a horse and an older woman seated on the bench in the lower left of the photo. It's quite possible they are Mrs. Winchester on the bench and her favorite niece Marion on the horse - making this the 2nd known photo of Mrs. Winchester on her estate! Could that be Mrs. Winchester? Let us know your thoughts below!

A post shared by Winchester Mystery House (@winchestermysteryhouse) on Mar 19, 2018 at 10:00am PDT

Source: NBC Bay Area

Tags: Winchester Mystery House