Sarah Winchester: Beyond the Mystery

by Bennett Jacobstein, Fran Galt (Editor)

Sarah Winchester was a brilliant, creative and generous woman. She lost her only child, Annie, at six weeks old. Her beloved husband William, heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune, died at a young age from tuberculosis. Sarah never recovered from her two heartbreaking losses. Yet through all her pain she was focused on helping those in need.Sarah spent major parts of her adult life on two building projects. Both of them live on today, 97 years after her death.In San Jose, California, Sarah built an architectural marvel, a mansion in the American Queen Anne revival style reflecting great beauty and great innovation. The mansion has operated since 1923 as a tourist attraction known as the Winchester Mystery House. The house is a California Historical Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Throughout the years rumors have been associated with Sarah and her house. The rumors suggest that the grief-stricken widow sought comfort from a medium in Boston who told her she was being cursed by the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle. She should move west, the medium said, and build a house and never stop building. As long as construction continued, she was told, she would not die. The rooms would shelter the good spirits and the sound of hammers would drive away the bad spirits. These rumors led to Sarah being portrayed as eccentric and crazy.In West Haven, Connecticut, Sarah funded the building and operation of a hospital for patients with tuberculosis. The hospital, honoring her husband, was named the William Wirt Winchester Annex for Tuberculosis. Sarah was especially concerned with helping those of limited economic means. Over the years thousands of lives have been saved through the work of this hospital. Although the hospital no longer exists, the fund Sarah created continues to support the Winchester Chest Clinic, now part of the Yale New Haven Hospital.Sarah’s hospital remains virtually unknown, whereas Sarah’s mansion is toured by a steady stream of visitors from around the world. The mansion was the setting for the 2018 film Winchester, a paranormal thriller starring Academy-Award-winning actress Helen Mirren. The movie was advertised as “inspired by true events.” It is true that Sarah and the house both existed, but that is where the “true” events end. The rumors surrounding the house continue to be told. Historical research including newspaper and magazine articles, personal correspondence, and interviews with Sarah’s contemporaries reveals an alternative explanation of Sarah Winchester and her mansion.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2019

About the author

Bennett Jacobstein lives in San Jose, CA. He is a retired librarian and publisher of demographic materials. He currently works during the baseball season in the concessions stand at Municipal Stadium, home of Minor League Baseball’s Class A Advanced San Jose Giants. Every minor leaguer dreams of making it to the big leagues. Bennett had his dream fulfilled when he worked as a concessions stand substitute at three Oakland Athletics games during the 2013 season.

He enjoys both baseball and food but considers himself a much better eater than ball player. He had a two-year Little League career in which he went two seasons without getting a hit. His only RBI was when he got hit by the pitch with the bases loaded. When not batting or sitting on the bench, he would be found in right field praying that the ball didn’t get hit to him.

The three greatest days of his life were the day he married his wife Debbie, the day his daughter Aviva was born, and the day he first successfully replaced the nachos cheese bag in the dispenser at the San Jose Giants’ concessions stand.

Bennett published The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine in January 2015. It is available for sale on Amazon. All of the royalties from the sale of The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine are being donated to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Reviews

[Reina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, and straight to the point. A very interesting read.

Sarah Winchester was known to be an independent, kind, and generous woman. After enduring the loss of her daughter and her husband, she was able to move forward in life, despite her grief. She kept herself busy with the construction of her home in San Jose, and made very charitable donations to a number of causes. She loved spending time pouring over architectural novels as well as spending time in her garden.

The rumors of the Winchester House being haunted are false, according to the ones who knew her. A lot of the construction relating to the number 13 were merely media based, and such construction wasn’t added until after her death.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much preferred this book about Sarah Winchester as it was based on facts. Even the claim that she constantly built on the house to avoid the ghosts causing her death was untrue as it was proven that building did cease at different periods. Sarah was a shrewd and compassionate woman whose good deeds helped people years after her death. It was interesting in that some of the strange things about the house were done after her death. After reading this book I like to believe that her constant renovations on the house were an activity that she was interested in and she was quite generous in her wages to her workers. This payment of wages probably helped the community she lived in. It was also revealed when she learned of people in need, she tried to help them.

[Daryla Graham]

Don't believe everything you hear

I was interested in earah because of tales of her being quirky and I love old houses but what I found was an amazing woman that was truly a head of her time, it really bothers me that people didn't focus on all the wonderful things she did and still is doing today because she was also money smart. plus she was making her house handicap accessible 100 of years before we thought to do.

[Chloe Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

i could not put this book down, i loved how this author showed how Sarah was as a person and how she loved architecture. i also liked how he made clear of the rumor ghost stories and put those away and showed she was just a genuine person who loves building things and would do anything to keep her workers employed.

[Melissa Salsgiver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew nothing of Mrs. Winschester. I was introduced to her through a program about her "mystery house". Although the book was not what I expected, I am enriched by reading about this woman and her contributions. A part of history of which I was totally ignorant. Easy read and worth the time.

[Tracy Sandifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the facts, plain and simple. Which is what I wanted. But I wish they’d provided some of the sensationalist stories for fun and context. Everything was presented as though by a historian. Which Sarah probably deserved someone reporting the facts, but I wish it had been done with some flare!

[Peggy lakins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of good info

A very educated read tells the real story not the story the media made up. Short but relaxing looking for fast read this is the book for you.

[Kathleen Garber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had actually not heard the stories about Sarah Winchester or her buildings but my husband had. I guess the stories about her have been told for years but the truth about her is not spoken about as much.

The author tells the story of Sarah Winchester and the hospital and house she built, sharing what is most likely fact and what was fabricated for PR.

The book is very short, with large print so it's not going to take you too long to get through. The book also includes some black and white photos of her buildings and her family.

If you have heard the history and want to know which parts are really true, or you want to visit the house but can't make the trip, this book is a good way to find out more.