Sarah Winchester's Legacy

When I was in my early twenties, I visited my sister in central California. Like any tourist, I was interested in historical sites as well as “curiosities”. Vineyards and quaint towns quickly filled our itinerary as we planned our tour of the region between Sacramento and San Simeon. One stop on our list was the Winchester Mansion in San Jose. My interest was piqued when my sister told the tragic story of Sarah Winchester, widow of William Winchester, of Winchester Repeating Arms Company- the first assault weapon of its time.

Sarah married William 1862 and settled in New Haven, Connecticut. Tragedy touched Sarah’s life for the first time when her infant daughter, Annie, succumbed to marasmus, a form of malnutrition.  Fifteen years later, tuberculosis claimed the life of her husband.   The bereaved (and extremely wealthy) Sarah sought solace and guidance from a renowned psychic. According to the psychic, the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles had exacted their revenge on the Winchester family by causing illnesses that wasted the body- and Sarah would be next- unless she did something

Desperate to appease the spirits, whose numbers grew each day, Sarah moved to California and began constructing an ever expanding labyrinth of a home. Laboring around the clock, 365 days a year, carpenters built stairwells that led to ceilings, doors that opened to eight foot drops, and windows that opened to walls. With assistance from her psychic friends, Sarah would consult with the spirits to design each day’s project. Construction on the mansion continued until Sarah died in 1922, at the age of eighty-three.

As the tour guide led us through the halls of the mansion, we encountered one dead end after another. I began to wonder how the servants navigated through the halls and kept track of which bedroom to prepare for Sarah, who changed her location in the house quite frequently. But I also felt a deep sadness for Sarah, who had spent her life in isolation because someone took advantage of her fears and insecurities- making a tidy profit in return.

Thirty years later, visions of a trip that had long faded from memory have crept into my consciousness as I listened to discussions regarding the Second Amendment, assault weapons and high capacity magazine cartridges. Sitting in my home a few miles northwest of Sarah Winchester’s hometown of New Haven, in a town that could be any town- a town that has become every town  through tragedy- I  have watched lobbyists and gun manufacturers pour their wealth and energy into creating an exhausting media  maze of misinformation. Like the psychics who took advantage of Sarah Winchester, their goal is to confuse the issue and quiet the souls that cannot rest in the face of violence. Like the psychics, the economic welfare of these lobbyists, manufacturers, and retailers is dependent on our believing in a dystopian future, one in which assault weapons are crucial to our survival. Like Sarah, their financial resources appear inexhaustible.

 Today, the images of the the Winchester Mansion as a whimsical architectural anomaly that was enjoyed on a warm summer day have been forever altered.  To me- the mother of two teenage children who attended Sandy Hook Elementary School- Sarah’s mansion is now  a physical representation of the insanity that ensues when we are willing to sacrifice our present rather than face our personal and legislative demons.