Tuesday

In The Bedroom

Mrs. Winchester died in this room, and it's called the 'deadroom' when
guests aren't around. None of the furniture pictured is original.

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I want to thank you for starting this blog. My brother and I have held a strange and persistent fascination with the Winchester Mystery House for years now, and I've often wondered just what was happening beyond those safety ropes. Is it true that a careless, curious tourist could find herself dangerously lost in the labyrinthine twists of the House? And what of the expansive basement underneath it?

1:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I too would love to thank you for this blog. I live in the Bay Area and used to take the tour as often as I could.

If you don't mind, I have a quick question for you: What was getting a tour guide job like? I had always wanted to apply, but I assumed that the turnover was incredibly low as all the guides I know say they would never quit.

1:28 AM  
Blogger The Kitola said...

I've always been mildly intrigued with the house, but it's become more abundant as of late. I recently saw a brand new, world premire, musical titled "The Haunting of Winchester"...and it's about the house! Hopefully, it'll make it past San Jose Rep. theater.

7:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for sharing these images and your commentary. The Winchester house is fascinating. I'll check back often to see new photos and, of course, would love to see more pix of the stuff that's off-limits to guests!

7:37 AM  
Blogger Stephen said...

Wow, thank you all for taking the time to comment. To answer your questions:

1. What's going on behind the ropes? It's true that finding your way around the house is difficult. When I was training to be a guide, we had quizzes that consisted of finding the shortest route from one room to another. It was pretty difficult until you'd done it a few times.

A person going behind the safety ropes probably wouldn't get hopelessly lost, though. Most of the time, the ropes are in place to protect the more fragile areas of the house, or to help corral the really large tour groups. If you got separated from your tour group, you probably wouldn't be able to find them, but you would be able to find an emergency exit.

2. What was getting a job as a tour guide like? It wasn't that difficult. While there are a few guides that are 'guides for life,' most of the guides are doing it as a summer job. Usually around Memorial Day there is a big hiring push, and that's the best time to apply.

I would encourage you to go ahead and give it a shot. One secret to getting an interview: dress nice and be really friendly when you hand in the application. They ask the people at the desk their opinion of each applicant.

8:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey,

i live way out in japan, but bought a box of old photographs at a flea market that included a set souvenier cards from the mystery house. apparently the family did an american tour, and visited california. you can see them here:

http://consumptive.org/winchester/winchesterenvelope.html

maybe you have seen them before?

9:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I followed the link from boing boing. I grew up in Santa Cruz and only got to visit the house once, but of course knew about it for years. Santa Cruz only has the "Mystery Spot and the Boardwalk." The postcards mentioned in a prior post are wonderful as well. Great info and photos, look forward to more...

11:22 AM  

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