Sarah

Sarah Pardee Winchester grew up in New Haven, Connecticutwhere she married William W. Winchester, son of the entrepreneur who foundedthe Winchester rifle company, which became the largest gun company in theworld. At its peak, many members of theWinchester family started dying: Sarahs sister-in-law, her only child, herfather-in-law, and finally, her husband. Because of the succession, Sarah foundherself heir to the Winchester fortune.And because her lifespan exactly coincided with the popularity ofSpiritualism, Sarah went to a medium in Boston who told her that evil spirits,killed by Winchester rifles, were murdering her family in revenge. Given advice to thwart them, she moved toSan Jose, California becoming an early feminist and creating a new life forherself: one of eccentricity, romance, and intrigue, while overcoming powerfulforces against her. Because of herbeliefs, she truly felt that evil spirits surrounded her. Her fame drew a Victorian version ofpaparazzi, one of which nearly killed her. She battled behind the scenes withTheodore Roosevelt and local hypocrites; and was buried alive in the 1906 SanAndreas Earthquake. Even with all of this, she remained kind-hearted and sane. Her home remains today as one of the largest Victorian mansions ever built.