• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Trading Heroes

Trading Heroes

Forex Trading Education

  • Free Tutorials
  • Products
  • Resources
  • About
  • Login

Heroic List #82 Done: See the Winchester Mystery House

I've been wanting to see the crazy Winchester Mystery House ever since I saw it on a TV documentary. Did it live up to the hype? Find out here...

Home / Heroic Living / Heroic List #82 Done: See the Winchester Mystery House

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you probably saw my pictures from the San Francisco Bay Area last week. I had a great time and was able to take a much needed break from my 9 to 5 job. I was still following the markets however and did place a few trades.

More on that in another post…

One of my missions on the trip was to finally cross off one of my bucket list items…visit the Winchester Mystery House. Yes, it is a cheesy tourist attraction, but it is something that I have always wanted to see in person.

…and it is supposed to be haunted.

A Little History on the Winchester Mystery House

If you are not familiar with the Winchester Mystery House, it was built by Sarah Winchester, widow of William Winchester, of Winchester rifle fame. She started building the house in 1884 and it was continually being worked on until her death in 1922.

She got the money to do this from a $20 million inheritance and her inherited stake in the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, which provided her with an income of almost $1,000 per DAY! If you think that is a lot of money now, imagine back in the late 1800's.

As the story goes, after Sarah's husband and daughter died tragically, she was told by a medium that she must move out West from her home on the East Coast and build a home. However, if she wanted to live forever, work on the house could not be completed. It has also been said that she believed that continually working on the house kept the spirits of the people killed by the Winchester rifle, happy.

SEE ALSO: The Top 7 Manual Backtesting Software Solutions Compared

Of course, these are just stories. But looking at the house, there had to be some truth to a lot of it because what else would inspire someone to create a house that is so completely ridiculous.

Winchester Mystery House - Door To Nowhere 1
The famous “Door to Nowhere”. Look carefully at the open door on the second floor, it leads straight from a room to…the cement below.

Unfortunately, they did not allow us to take photos of the inside because of an exclusive movie contract or something, but I did get some great external shots since it was such a nice day. At the peak of construction, the house stood seven stories tall, but the higher floors (as well as other parts of the house) fell in the earthquakes of 1909 and 1989.

IMG_0606
See any ghosts in this picture? Neither do I.

Is it Worth Seeing?

Although it does look like a Disney-style haunted house and the gift shop is way too big for its own good, I would highly recommend checking it out. There are tons of pictures on the internet showing the interior of the house, but they do not do it justice. This is something that you need to see in person to truly appreciate.

SEE ALSO: This one thing is your secret trading weapon

IMG_0588
This is only one corner of the gift shop.

The head-on collision between money, good taste, superstition and an utter lack of planning is absolutely mad. There is beautiful wallpaper and amazing Tiffany window panes amidst stairs that lead to nowhere and half finished rooms.

IMG_0605
The number 13 was Sarah's favorite number and the current owners thought it would be fun to create the “13 bush”. It is a little hard to see in this picture…you have to be there.

As for the stories of the house being haunted, I didn't get any weird feelings walking through the house. But all alone at night, it might be a different story. However, numerous paranormal experiences have been reported. Maybe the spirits had the day off when I was there.

Craziness aside, the property is very well run and the guides do a great job of pointing out all of the areas of interest on the 4.5 acre estate. There is an aviary, stable and many other interesting things to see besides the dysfunctional house, so I would recommend getting the Grand Estate Tour for only $5 more.

If this is something that you want to add to your bucket list, be sure to bookmark the Winchester Mystery House Website and drop in when you are in the San Jose area.

The reason I blog about these experiences is because I want my trading to create more of these unique life experiences. What have you crossed off your bucket list lately? Tell us about it below and if you have some pictures, feel free to leave a link!

If you don't have a bucket list or haven't crossed off anything lately, I challenge you to get off your ass and think of something you would love to do that you haven't done before. It doesn't have to cost money…it could be something as simple as skinny dipping in the ocean.

Have fun!

You Might Also Enjoy

5 Best Ways to Earn Extra Money
5 Unexpected Lessons That I Learned From Working at a Hedge Fund
Travel Hacking Guide for Traders: Travel the World for Cheap

Category: Heroic Living Tag: Heroic List, Travel Experiences

About Hugh Kimura

Hi, I'm Hugh. I'm an independent trader, educator and international speaker. I help traders develop their trading psychology and trading strategies. Learn more about me here.

Top

 

Share This Article


First posted: June 29, 2012
Last updated: November 26, 2018

Footer

Company

  • Support
  • About Trading Heroes
  • Trading Courses and Education
  • Recommended Resources
  • T-Shirts & Trading Gear
  • Charities We Support

Tutorials & Guides

  • Free Forex Trading Course for Beginners
  • Best of Trading Heroes
  • Forex Trading Blog
  • Best Trading Books
  • Forex Trading Strategies
  • What is Forex?
  • Podcast

Community

  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Dtube
  • Odysee
  • Flote
  • Minds
  • Private Trading Community
  • Contact
Trading involves substantial risk and there is always the potential for loss. All content on this website is for educational and informational purposes only and is not trading, investment, or medical advice. You should be aware of the risks associated with trading and seek advice from an independent certified financial adviser if you have any doubts. Some links on this page might be affiliate links, where we get a small commission if you purchase through the link. It doesn't cost you anything extra and we only recommend products that we absolutely love. This site uses cookies and using this site means that you agree to the use of cookies.

 

CFTC Rules 4.41 - Hypothetical or Simulated performance results have certain limitations. Unlike an actual performance record, simulated results do not represent actual trading. Also, because the trades have not actually been executed, the results may have under-or-over compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated trading programs, in general, are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profit or losses similar to those shown. Testimonials appearing may not be representative of other clients or customers and is not a guarantee of future performance or success.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2007–2021 TrueLiving Media LLC | Terms | Privacy | Risk
How to choose a trading system guide

Get the FREE Guide to Picking the Best Trading Strategy For YOU

x