Sarah Winchester

Uncommon card · No. 81538

Sarah "Sallie" Lockwood Winchester (née Pardee; June 4, 1839 – September 5, 1922) was an American heiress, real estate investor, and philanthropist, who amassed great wealth after the death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester, and her mother-in-law, Jane Ellen Hope. Winchester has become known for the construction of Llanada Villa, a mansion home in San Jose, California. Despite popular rumor claiming the house was built to trap spirits and ghosts that she thought were following her, there is no evidence for these rumors. Six months after her death, the home was turned into a tourist attraction, now known as the Winchester Mystery House. Testimonies and records from those who knew her describe her as intelligent, kind, a savvy financial manager, and not superstitious, remaining sharp-witted even into old age. However, in the years since her death, she has been depicted in popular culture as guilt-ridden, mad with grief, and delirious in her later life.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Taber Photographic Co. (I.W. Taber?), Public domain