Sacramento, CA
Winchester Mystery House Memories
At eighteen years old I took a job as a clerk at the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, Ca.
Previously, I had worked for several movie theatres including a brief period of time at the neighboring
Century Theatres (but that’s another story). There were several unexplainable events that occurred during
my time spent there that I personally experienced or had shared experiences with others. During my first week
there I was asked to attend a tour along with another new employee. We were there to tag along and learn a
little more about the history and how the tours work. It was part of my job description to give historical
information as a gift shop clerk. We were instructed to let anyone who strayed from the line to get back in it
and not let anyone leave the tour. Our group wound its way though the maze of the home, including the very
amusing sight of watching a bunch of people shove their way into the stairway to nowhere; we made our way
to the dead end room where the nails are still sticking half way into the wall. The builders abruptly stopped
building when Mrs. Winchester died. As the tour guide continued to tell old stories and share some of the
mysteries of the home, I noticed a man standing in an area that was left under construction and the area did
not look safe. I pointed this out to my co-worker and he suggested I tell him to move to a safer area. I started
walking up to this gentleman and he was nodding and smiling at me. He also looked at the tour guide and
responded to her quirky information. He was a very attractive blonde man with an old style moustache and
was wearing a white shirt and jeans. As I looked down to see where he was standing, I noticed he had a tool
belt on and as I started to tell him where he was standing was unsafe, I noticed that there was a velvet rope
going through his legs and that he didn’t really have any legs below that. As he continued to smile at me he
faded away. I went to tell my supervisor as soon as I could. I thought for sure she would believe me because
she and her mother (her mother had worked there for over thirteen years) had witnessed several unexplainable
events. As I sat in the office explaining what I had seen, my boss became very upset and said she had to leave
and didn’t want to hear anymore. She abruptly left the office with me sitting there feeling crazy and fearing
for my job. I passed the next few days in a state of paranoia, but soon my boss asked me to come back into
the office again. She sat me down and began to apologize for running out on me, but said I freaked her out.
She explained that 2 weeks earlier the Winchester House painters (father and son) were in the house early in
the morning before opening for business. They followed a man down the hallway that led to the dead end
room. They called to him and asked who he was working for because they noticed the tool belt and thought
he had been hired to repair something. The man with the tool belt did not respond. He turned and looked at
the painters and walked into the very same room I had mentioned seeing him in. The painters expected to find
him in that room, but when they entered, they found no one. I still go back to visit and go on the free garden
tour. A few years after I left, a picture of a group of former staff members from Mrs. Winchester’s day was
placed in the Keyhole Building in the garden. He is in that photo and this photo can be seen there today if
you go and visit. Also, just over a year ago I was watching a cable show about haunted locations and saw
one of the painters describing the event he had experienced and I was so excited to see that story being
shared. So I am now offering up my part of this story for you to enjoy. A few other things happened while
working at the house including smelling ‘ghost toast’ coming from a kitchen that hadn’t been used in over 75
years, hearing and finding heavy metal puzzle pieces slowly drop to the floor when there was only a few
people present, all standing together, and the very same co-worker who was with me on that original tour and
a non-believer saw his first ghost there and confessed to me he had seen a young woman with all black eyes
staring back at him in a mirror while he was dusting. He ran a mile and a half through the house and got out in
less than five minutes! I almost forgot to mention the numerous times that doors shut on me on their own
accord, including the slamming of the door to the séance room. Now that was creepy!
Sites of Interest:
Sarah Winchester
Winchester Mystery House Stories
Winchester Ammunition
Cody Firearms Museum - Winchester Collection
Winchester Mystery House Journaling
Winchester Mystery House Blog
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