When asked if the Winchester House was haunted, my tour guide Rachel quickly replied no. However, others disagree.
Sarah Winchester was the first to report spirits in the house. In fact, she spoke to them nightly, ringing a bell at midnight to summon them. A second bell run at 2:00 a.m. told them it was time to leave. However, it seems that someone might need to ring a bell around the place again.
The unusual goings-on reported in the Winchester House include organ music in the Blue Room where Sarah died, a couple lingering in the corner of a bedroom, cold spots in Sarah's bedroom, and apparitions of Sarah. Perhaps one of the oddest is the smell of chicken soup coming from a long-unused kitchen.
Since Sarah Winchester's death, several psychics have reported feeling cold spots and seeing red balls of light that fade and explode. Psychic Jeanne Borgen visited in 1975 and reportedly took on Sarah Winchester's appearance for a short time. Authors Richard Winer and Nancy Osborn spent the night there in 1979 while researching a book and were awakened by footsteps and piano music.
Staff members have also reported seeing apparitions, hearing whispering sounds, seeing lights going on and off and security alarms being triggered from inside the house.
Besides their normal tours, Winchester Mystery House offers special flashlights tours every Friday the thirteenth and at Halloween and Christmas.
