Sunday, March 16, 2014

Winchester House opened to overnight guests


Years ago, one of my first visits with my mother after 30 years was to the haunted Winchester House in California. As the legend goes, the heiress to the Winchester fortune felt cursed by the spirits of those who'd been killed by Winchester rifles and moved to San Jose, California where she used what was left of her fortune to build guest rooms for all of the ghosts. Construction never ceased, going on 24 hours a day until the day she died. No one really knows if the ghosts were appeased or what happened to her after she passed on to the other side.

I'm not sure mom ever quite understood the story behind the house, or why we were there. But in any case, it's now been opened up for overnight guests and serving booze on the premises. It won't be like a hotel, but guests can make arrangements to get the full "Winchester House" experience. Hmm. Time to see when I've got a free date on the calendar. It would certainly make for an interesting writer's retreat.

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