A Certain Slant

Mrs. Winchester stood 4'10" tall, or about the height of the small closet door in
this picture. The doors vary in height because a staircase runs above them.
Drawing a line from the top of one door to the other reveals that the hidden staircase
is remarkably steep.

Door Prize

The rarely used front entrance. According to legend, Theodore Roosevelt was denied
entrance through these doors. In truth, his carriage passed in front of the house on
May 11, 1903, but did not stop.

Hall Monitor

This hallways leads to servants quarters on the third floor. Most of this
floor is not open to tours, and is slowly collapsing due to age and unrepaired
quake damage from 1906.

Safety First

The sprinkler system is probably the least attractive change made since
Mrs. Winchester's death, but it does have the distinction of being more than 7
miles long.

Plaster Caster

In addition to new construction, Mrs. Winchester remodeled constantly.
The plaster was stripped from these walls before her death. The narrow blue door
above is a 'secret' exit from the famous seance room.

Triple Tuesday

The large skylights made this room, the North Conservatory,
perfect for Mrs. Winchester's plants. The floorboards are
actually removable panels covering a zinc floor. Plants
were watered directly on the floor, which also contains
drains to remove overflow. Mrs. Winchester wrote
her name on the title page of this book on gardening.

Solar Flare

Many rooms in the house seem to be designed solely to attract
heat , like this sun porch. The heat may have helped to relieve
Mrs. Winchester's arthritis. Through the double doors is her
main bedroom.

Shaft!

This elevator shaft cuts through the center of the mansion,
from the basement to the the third floor.

Call Me

Although she is often thought of as reclusive, Mrs. Winchester was not as isolated
as she might seem. This box contained one of the mansion's telephones, and the
number was listed. It was 15.

Floor to Ceiling Stairs

These stairs lead to a ceiling. While the popular explanation is
that these stairs were meant to confuse angry spirits, it may be
that the second floor was altered after their construction.

Ballroom Blitz

Many unfinished rooms are located in completed areas of the mansion,

such as this room with a view of the main ballroom.

Crate and Barrel

Mrs. Winchester owned more than 100 acres of orchards,

and the fruit was shipped in crates bearing the Winchester name.

Rough Draft

Stairs converted to EZ risers. It is claimed that the outline of the original
stairs remains. Although this is debatable, they do allow for comparison
with normal stairs.

Form Fitting

View from the fourth floor balcony. This courtyard is also visible from the room

where Mrs. Winchester died. The crescent-shaped hedge supposedly had a
spiritual significance. The shape of the hedge was created by using a wooden frame.

Power On

When electricity was installed in 1919, there was no local power supplier.
Instead, electricity was generated using calcium carbide gas. This is some of
the machinery that was used to power the mansion

Bird Is The Word

Mrs. Winchester had pets. In addition to a dog (named Zip),
she also kept birds. This gravel-floored room served as the
aviary, and featured a fountain.

Against A Wall

Mrs. Winchester had no training in architecture. This may
explain some of the oddities in the mansion, such as this door
that opens to reveal a wall.

True Original

The mansion began as a small farmhouse purchased from a local doctor. These are
believed to be the original back porch steps, and are located near the center of the

mansion.

Head Room

Heads from the old wax museum. Guides are not supposed to point this room
out to guests, but it is visible through a window at certain times of day.
I always showed it to kids, who tend to get restless by this point in the tour.

Front and Back

Known as the "most expensive window", this piece would refract sunlight

into rainbow patterns. That is, if it weren't installed in an interior wall.
A view of the back of the window. This side of the window is in a locked off
area. The "most expensive window" is on hinges and is actually more like a

door than a window.

Window Treatment

A view of the mansion from the foreman's house. Although the foreman and his family
were Mrs. Winchester's closest neighbors, she provided homes for many of the workers.

Body Shop

The foreman's house is used to store bodies from the old wax museum, which is
thankfully no longer a feature of the Mystery House. After Mrs. Winchester's death,
the mansion was something of a tourist trap.

Yellow Ribbons

The wallpaper in the foreman's house seems plain when compared to Mrs.
Winchester's ornate walls, but it does offer a tantalizing glimpse into the home
life of the man who built the Winchester house.

Hanging Paper

Inside, the foreman's house is in a state of disrepair. It is no longer safe for visitors,
as it has begun to slide from its foundation.

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