Sarah Winchester Built the Winchester Mystery House in the 1880s, and the “Mystery” Still Sells
Sarah Winchester moved from the East to California and bought a ranch in the sunny Santa Clara Valley. After losing her child, husband, and much of her family, she began the journey that led to the creation of the Winchester Mystery House.
The farmhouse Sarah bought was modest at first. Drawing on her lifelong interest in woodworking and design, she managed the renovations herself and gradually transformed it into the sprawling Winchester Mystery House over many stages.
Sarah quickly transformed Llanada Villa into an ornate Victorian maze of new rooms, lavish global decor, stained glass, and symbolic details, and by the mid 1890s, her constant additions had already sparked the first rumors about the house.