![]() 13 at 6 p.m.Ĭoincidentally, two other San Joseans of some renown died around the same time as Winchester: artist Andrew P. 10 at 1 p.m., and virtually for the Santa Clara Public Library on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m., the San Mateo County Historical Museum on Sept. She will be talking about the book at Books Inc. The only mention of her now famous home “on the Los Gatos rd., west of San Jose” was as her place of death.įor the centennial, an updated edition of Ignoffo’s book is being released, with a new preface and final chapter and 29 additional photos. 8, 1922, focused on her philanthropy both here and in her native Connecticut. The short notice about Winchester’s death at age 82 published in the San Jose Evening News on Sept. Her 2010 biography of Sarah Winchester, “Captive of the Labyrinth,” dispelled a lot of the myths and provided new insights into the reclusive figure, including her unheralded charitable giving. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)īut one person who has done more than anyone to set straight the historical record is historian Mary Jo Ignoffo. Mary Jo Ignoffo signs her Sarah Winchester biography, “Captive of theLabyrinth,” following a reading at the historic Fallon House in downtownSan Jose on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. ![]() It’s fair to say the movie had more jump scares than historical facts. The house also was used for the filming of “Winchester,” the 2018 supernatural thriller starring Oscar-winner Helen Mirren as Sarah Winchester and “Succession” star Sarah Snook as her niece. The Winchester Mystery House has been recreated as a model on display at Mineta San Jose International Airport and one made of Lego bricks at Legoland Discovery Center at the Great Mall in Milpitas. “The centennial is an opportunity to not only celebrate the world-famous house, but to honor Sarah’s incredible legacy.” “We are so proud to have been given the opportunity to be the caretakers of Sarah Winchester’s home for the past 100 years,” Magnuson said. New tours have leaned into the ghostly side of things, but current General Manager Walter Magnuson also has overseen the restoration of several rooms that highlight the mansion’s Victorian architecture. But some of that mythology sprang up about the wealthy widow during her lifetime, partly because of her reclusiveness. Over the Winchester Mystery House’s 99-year history, its proprietors have been largely responsible for popularizing the myths around Sarah Winchester - her alleged obsession with the number 13, her desire to confuse the ghostly victims of the Winchester rifle through continuous building, her interest in spiritualism. (Photo courtesy of the Winchester Mystery House) 5 to mark the 100th anniversary of her death. The Winchester Mystery House is getting a jump on that centennial with multiple events, starting with a celebration of Winchester’s life on Sept. Sarah Winchester is seen here in an undated photo in front of her San Jose estate, which would open as a tourist attraction on June 30, 1923. (Tickets for that one are $250 each, and for that price, there better be some ghosts). After dark, a special event will feature medium James Van Praagh leading groups through the estate in an attempt to connect with its former owner and any spirits that may still reside there. Tour guests - go to for tickets - will receive a commemorative card and are encouraged to leave flowers, cards and other mementos - but nothing with a flame - in the front gardens that day. Winchester with a celebration of life on Monday, kicking off a string of events leading up to its own centennial. The sprawling tourist attraction, which opened in 1923 just months after her death, is commemorating Mrs. While she had a large impact on the valley and the Peninsula - Southern Pacific purchased from her 140 acres of land to create Los Altos - her most visible legacy is the 160-room mansion she owned in San Jose, called Llanda Villa in her day and known now as the Winchester Mystery House. ![]() ![]() And she has continued to fascinate us, some might say haunt us, in the century since. Sarah Winchester - heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune and owner of the Santa Clara Valley’s most interesting home - died Sept. ![]()
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