Safe and Sound

Mrs. Winchester's safe, which is inside a vault in the main ballroom.

The vault and safe were heavy enough to require their own foundation.

Inside were mementoes of her husband and daughter.

Work in Progress

The carpenter's toolshed. All of the buildings on the estate have the same attention to
detail as the mansion itself.

Once and Future

Similar photos of the same house. Around 1900, one or more of Mrs. Winchester's
workers began to take photos of the mansion.

A Lion in the Road

Mrs. Winchester salvaged many of the decorative items that

were part of the areas damaged in the 1906 earthquake,

among them was this fearsome lion's head.

Behind Door Number One

Inside the famous 'Seance Room.' The door on the left exits
to a hallway, but the door on the right leads to a kitchen...
eight feet below.

Heat Me

This shaft runs from a first floorkitchen to the roof, cooling the kitchen and heating
one of Mrs. Winchester's offices.

Tower Record

Prior to the 1906 earthquake, there was a seven-story tower on the northeast
corner of the mansion. Today, all that remains is the railing seen above.

Cover Up

Leftover Lincrusta-Walton wallcovering. It was made by soaking
pressed wood in linseed oil. It cost nearly $2 per foot, but was
long lasting. Many of the walls in the mansion are covered with it
today.

Cupboards Were Bare

This cabinet is only a half-inch deep, and I have no idea why. It's unlikely that
anything is hidden inside it since the wall it's installed in would only allow for
a few more inches of storage room.

At The Car Wash

Some features of the estate look surprisingly modern, like this water faucet on a swivel
in the private car wash. Mrs. Winchester owned two cars, a Pierce-Arrow and a Renault.

That's the Spirit

Officially, there is only one ghost in the mansion. A phantom worker has been
reported by several guests and tour guides over the years. He stands at the end
of this basement corridor with a wheelbarrow.

The Remains

Thrifty is probably the wrong way to describe Mrs. Winchester, but she wasn't wasteful.
Following the collapse of her 7-story tower in the 1906 quake, she saved the pieces.

Bare Minimum

The unfinished south wing of the mansion was probably intended for guest
quarters, and now houses left over construction materials. The floors
cannot bear much weight, and the rooms are closed to tours.