What's the story behind the Winchester fortune?
One of the most interesting parts of The Winchester is the story of the business's decline, which took place during the First World War, and which Susan and her husband had the misfortune to preside over. "You'd think that war would be good for gun companies," says Laura, "but in fact they went into huge debt to expand.
What happened to Sarah Winchester?
Probably she suffered in silence, finding solace in her rose garden. Perhaps the most famous Winchester is Sarah, who spent 38 years building the architecturally crazy " Mystery House " in San Jose, California, after being driven mad, according to legend, by the deaths of her child and husband.
Who invented the Winchester rifle and why?
Oliver Winchester, the inventor of the Winchester Repeating Rifle Laura's great, great grandfather Oliver invented the Winchester Repeating Rifle, which, as all students of American history know, is The Gun That Won the West. Its creation meant that the Winchesters—originally farming stock from outside Boston—became very, very rich.
What is the most famous Winchester House?
Perhaps the most famous Winchester is Sarah, who spent 38 years building the architecturally crazy " Mystery House " in San Jose, California, after being driven mad, according to legend, by the deaths of her child and husband.
How much did Sarah Winchester get when she died?
a $20 millionSuddenly, Sarah Winchester was in possession of a $20 million fortune (equivalent to about $500 million in the present day) as well as a 50 percent stake in the Winchester Arms company.
Who owns the Winchester mansion now?
Winchester Investments LLCIn February 1923, five months after Winchester's death, the house was opened to the public, with Mayme Brown serving as the first tour guide. Today the home is owned by Winchester Investments LLC, a privately held company representing the descendants of John and Mayme Brown.
How much money did the Winchester family have?
According to the Winchester Mystery House website, the home's eccentric owner, Sarah Winchester (of Winchester rifle fame), lost her infant daughter and husband but was left with a $20 million fortune. That's a lot of money now, but in the late 1800s, it may as well have been all the money in the world.
How much is the Winchester family worth today?
How much was Sarah Winchester worth in today's money? After her husband died, she inherited his $20 million estate (worth nearly half a billion dollars today, adjusting for inflation). She used this vast fortune to commission the infamous mansion that bears her dynasty's name.
How much did Sarah Winchester spend on her house?
$5,500,000Sarah Winchester spent a staggering $5,500,000 on her home, which would go down in history as the Winchester Mystery House. The mind-bending fact here is that the house was only valued at $5,000 after she died.
How much did Sarah Winchester buy her house for?
approximately $5 millionWinchester Mystery House and Death In 1886 Winchester bought a 40-acre plot of land in San Jose, California, which included an eight-room cottage. Over the next 20 years, at a cost of approximately $5 million, the cottage was rebuilt into a 160-room mansion, covering an area of 24,000 square feet.
Does the Winchester mansion still stand?
Winchester restored most of the damage inflicted by the earthquake. Most of the house still stands, and visitors can explore it today.
Did Sarah Winchester's niece live with her?
Marion Marriott, Sarah Winchester's niece who lived with her and acted as a secretary, was a real person.
Did Sarah Winchester have a son?
However, what we do know, is quite amazing. Sarah Winchester, or before she married into the family, Sarah Lockwood Pardee, married William Wirt Winchester, the second owner of the Winchester Rifle Company. Sarah and William lived in New Haven, Connecticut, where they had their first and only child, Annie.
Who is the manager of the Winchester mansion?
Walter MagnusonWalter Magnuson, General Manager of Winchester Mystery House, is responsible for overseeing one of Northern California's premiere attractions, a national and state historic landmark and one of America's most extraordinary homes.
How much does it cost to spend the night at the Winchester Mystery House?
Guests will be able to see the infamous rooms of Sarah's stately mansion, known around the world as the Winchester Mystery House®, and see the bizarre attributes that give the mysterious mansion its name. Prices: $41.99 adults, $34.99 seniors 65+, $19.99 children 5-12.
Was Winchester filmed in the real house?
Very little of the filming took place in the actual mansion. The mansion's design in reality is extremely cramped, making filming very difficult. As such, most of the mansion's interior needed to be re-created on soundstages.
Who is Susan's husband in the Winchester ad?
A Winchester ad touts the rifle's suitability against 'the wily woodchuck. It was a disaster, and Winchester Bennett, Susan's husband, seemed to crack under the pressure, checking into a psychiatric hospital. He would be the last family member at the helm of the firm.
What is the Winchester rifle?
The Winchester Rifle is "the gun that won the west" —and it made the Winchester family very wealthy. We take a tour of the family's summer compound and trace their complicated, fascinating history. Laura Trevelyan is very British. Her grandfather George was one of the most prominent British historians of the twentieth century.
Who is Vicky Ward?
Vicky Ward Vicky Ward is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Liar's Ball: The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World's Toughest Tycoons. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses.
Who is the most famous person who built the mystery house?
Probably she suffered in silence, finding solace in her rose garden. Sarah Winchester. Perhaps the most famous Winchester is Sarah, who spent 38 years building the architecturally crazy " Mystery House " in San Jose, California, after being driven mad, according to legend, by the deaths of her child and husband.
Who planted the rose garden in The Winchester?
We walk past a pretty walled-off rose garden planted by Laura's great grandmother, Susan Bennett. One of the most interesting parts of The Winchester is the story of the business's decline, which took place during the First World War, and which Susan and her husband had the misfortune to preside over.
Why was the Big House knocked down?
Now the Big House is gone, knocked down in the 1960s so that Laura's grandmother and her four siblings could build their own houses. However, much of the estate remains intact, as do many of the family's idiosyncratic traditions.
How much did Sarah Winchester inherit?
Her inheritance included $20 million ($536.3 million in 2020) as well as a 50% holding in the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, ...
What is the Winchester Mystery House known for?
Since her death, the sprawling Winchester Mystery House has become a popular tourist attraction, known for its staircases that lead to nowhere, along with its many winding corridors and doors that lead to walls or sudden drops.
How many children did Sarah Winchester have?
Sarah and William had one daughter, Annie Pardee Winchester, who was born on June 15, 1866 and died on July 25, 1866 of marasmus. In the span of one year, she lost her mother, her father-in-law, and finally her husband William, who died of tuberculosis .
What is the haunting of Winchester about?
The Haunting of Winchester is a musical about her by Craig Bohmler and Mary Bracken Phillips that takes place in the Winchester Mystery House. It was commissioned by the San Jose Repertory Theatre for its 25th anniversary season, and premiered in September–October 2005.
Who was Annie Pardee Winchester?
(née Burns), in Summer 1839 in New Haven, Connecticut. On September 30, 1862, in New Haven, Sarah married William Wirt Winchester, the only son of Oliver Winchester, the owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Sarah and William had one daughter, Annie Pardee Winchester, who was born on June 15, 1866 and died on July 25, 1866 of marasmus.
What episode of Criminal is Sarah Winchester on?
The podcast Criminal covered Sarah Winchester's endless building of the Winchester mansion on their episode "The Widow and the Winchester.".
Overview
Sarah Lockwood Winchester (née Pardee; 1839 – September 5, 1922) was an American heiress who amassed great wealth after the death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester, and her mother in law, Jane Ellen Hope. Her inheritance included $20 million ($561.6 million in 2021) as well as a 50% holding in the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, which made her one of the wealthiest …
Early life
She was born the daughter of Leonard Pardee and his wife Sarah W. (née Burns), in Summer 1839 in New Haven, Connecticut. On September 30, 1862, in New Haven, Sarah married William Wirt Winchester, the only son of Oliver Winchester, the owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Sarah and William had one daughter, Annie Pardee Winchester, who was born on June 15, 1866 and died on July 25, 1866 of marasmus.
Other properties
In 1888 Winchester purchased 140 acres of land, the majority of what is now downtown Los Altos, California, to use as a ranch. She also purchased a farmhouse, now known as the Winchester-Merriman House, for her sister and brother-in-law. The house is listed on the Historic Resources Inventory of the Los Altos Historical Commission.
Death
She died at Llanada Villa on September 5, 1922, at 10:45pm of heart failure. A service was held in Palo Alto, California, and her remains lay at Alta Mesa Cemetery until they were transferred, along with those of her sister, to New Haven, Connecticut. She was buried next to her husband and their infant child in Evergreen Cemetery. She left a will written in thirteen sections, which she signed thirteen times. The belongings in Winchester Mystery House were left to her niece, Marian I. Mar…
Legacy
• The Santa Clara-Los Gatos Boulevard in front of the house was later renamed Winchester Boulevard, after the house. Today, the house is open to the public every day except Christmas Day. Tours are conducted of both the house and the grounds on those days.
• The Haunting of Winchester is a musical about her by Craig Bohmler and Mary Bracken Phillips that takes place in the Winchester Mystery House. It was commissioned by the San Jose Repertory Theatre for its 2…
Footnotes
1. ^ Wagner, Richard Allan. "The Truth About Sarah Winchester, the Belle of New Haven". The Truth About Sarah Winchester. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
2. ^ Ignoffo, Mary Jo. "Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune." Columbia, Mo. : Univ. of Missouri Press, 2010. See p. 112.
Sources
• New York Times; June 12, 1911, Monday; Winchester's Widow Dying. [1]
• New York Times; May 31, 1970, Sunday; San Jose, California. "A stairway that leads nowhere, a window that opens to reveal only a wall, a doorway that leads to nothing. These are parts of a disjointed, 160-room Victorian mansion that Mrs. Sarah Winchester built on the northern outskirts of San Jose after the sudden loss of both her husband, the son of Oliver Fisher Winchester, the rifle magnate, and her daughte…
External links
• Official website of Winchester Mystery House
• The Truth About Sarah Winchester
• Findagrave.com entry for Sarah Winchester