By Caroline Clemmons
Sarah Pardee Lockwood Winchester, the fascinating woman who
built Winchester House. Sara was born to Sarah and Leonard Pardee in 1839 in
New Haven Connecticut. On September 30, 862, Sarah married William Wirt
Winchester. William was the son of Oliver Winchester, owner of the Winchester
Repeating Arms Company. Sarah was called Sallie.
She and William had one daughter, Annie, in 1866. Annie had
marasmus and lived only a month. William and Sarah enjoyed traveling, and found
the California coast a pleasant place. Sadly, William died of tuberculosis in
1881. She lost her mother and her father in law near the same time.
Sarah was a woman of independence, drive, and courage. She purchased a small, two-story farmhouse and
ranch, called Llanada Villa. The property would later become known as
Winchester House. She, like many wealthy women of the era, sought medums.
About three years after William’s death, Sarah developed
rheumatoid arthrititis. Her doctor suggested a warmer and drier climate might
improve her health. She had happy memories of traveling to San Francisco with
husband in the 1870s. In 1886-1888 (depending on source), a San Francisco agent
of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company took Sarah on a tour of the Santa
Clara Valley to look for a home.
She bought a forty-five acre ranch near San Jose, which
contained an eight-room, two-story farmhouse. At the time, she purchased many
properties, including 140 acres, the majority of which is now downtown Los
Altos. The property reminded her of Llanada Alavesa in the Basque area, so she
named it Llanada Villa. She invited her three remaining sisters to move with her.
She gave the farm house to her sister and brother in law. This is the house
that became known as Winchester House.
Sarah also owned a houseboat, which was moored near Winchester
House. Many people called it Sarah’s Ark and say she was afraid of a great
flood. There is no documented evidence of this, as many people of her social
set at owned houseboats at the time.This is the sort of myth circulating about
this fascinating woman--but I'll address that in a future post.
In 1890, Saran’s niece, Daisy Merriman, came to live with her.
Daisy became Sarah’s administrative assistant, looking after her business
correspondence and banking. They were active in charities. In 1903, Sarah paid
for Daisy’s wedding to Frederick Marriott III. That same year, Sarah purchased
several homes and properties in Atherton. She offered one of the homes to Daisy
and Frederick, which they accepted. She soon purchased a home for the couple
that was nearer the train station. She continued speculating in real estate.
Sara Winchester died at Llanada Villa on September 5, 1922. The
home she designed is world renowned for the many design curiosities and
innovations as well as for the paranormal
Sarah incorporated the 8-room farmhouse into the 500 room
Winchester House. Eventually. Building was underway when the 1906 earthquake
struck. The home was severely damaged. Work on the house was not continuous,
but you might say it continued as she got to them.
Sarah died on September 5, 1922. She was buried at the Alta Mesa
Cemetery. Her remains and those of her sister were later removed to place her
beside the remains of her husband and infant daughter in Evergreen Cemetery in
New Haven, Connecticut.
Which brings me to Winchester House, now known as Winchester Mystery House. I'll cover the house next month. When my husband and I toured Winchester House, we bought into the tour guide’s spiel. The information may or may not be true. First, the house is amazing! I don’t mean palatial, although it had been restored and was very nice for a Victorian/Edwardian home. At one time it contained 500 rooms and was seven stories. The home is in the National Trust and has hosted over twelve million tour visitors yearly. It has a reputation as one of the most haunted homes in America. Hero and I did not encounter any ghosts on our visit—at least, as far as we know.
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