A New Room Or A New Attraction?
Maybe I’m cynical, but the news that a new room being found at the Winchester Mystery House right before Halloween seems a bit suspicious. Especially when there is a movie deal in the works.
It seems a bit all too coincidental to me that the room was found now. Then to take what was in it and do what they did is a bit surprising. But more on that later.
If you aren’t familiar with the story, the mansion was home to Sarah Winchester, heir to the family’s fortune, made from the rifles of the same name. Sarah, during a seance, was told by a medium purportedly channeling her dead husband, that she was being haunted by ghosts of men killed by their rifles.
To combat this, Sarah began continuous construction of an elaborate mansion, filled with staircases to nowhere, twisting halls, rooms, and other traps for her paranormal tormentors. The count is now at 161 rooms, all designed to confuse spirits and keep Sarah safe.
But the news is all about the new room dubbed “Sarah’s Attic,” that has been recently “found”. The story is that the attic has been closed off for some time, and recently it was opened and while exploring it, someone found a sealed off room. The stories that the newly found room was closed up in response to the 1906 earthquake. Sarah got trapped in the room and took it not as a geological event, but as a message from angry spirits. The entire attic was sealed up in 1922 following her death.
But now the room has been opened up and its contents put down and are on display.
The Irony Unfolds
The Winchester Mystery House is supposedly haunted by people killed by Winchester rifles. That being said, the irony that items from the attic being brought down to be included in a shooting gallery cannot elude me. If the home really is haunted by angry ghosts killed by Winchester rifles, is a shooting gallery really a good idea?
Would I Go See The Winchester Mystery House?
It may get criticized for being a bit commercialized now, but I have to admit, a tour would be fun to do if I was in the area. They also hold special events like candlelight tours, which I can see as being a whole lot of fun. So despite them running it as a bit of a sideshow, yes, I’d still see it. If you are in the San Jose area, you might want to as well.
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/
