Today was the best history lesson ever.

Today was a pretty relaxed day. Everyone woke up peacefully without being waked up by some men working on the roof. We relaxed a little talking about the World War II and the war going on now, the way different people from different countries think differently than we do. It was so interesting, sharing each other’s opinions and knowledge.

Off we went to San Jose to see one of America’s haunted house; the Winchester Mystery House. That house was formerly owned by the late Sarah Winchester who was the wife of William Wirt Winchester, the second president of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Before they moved, Mrs. Winchester was happily married to her husband living in New Haven, CT. When their infant daughter Annie died a week later after her death in 1866, caused Mrs. Winchester to become severely depressed. Fifteen years later followed her husband’s death in 1881.

Two people she loved in her entire life have died and she nearly went crazy. Since her husband was the second president of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, she believed that the spirit of the people that died because of his rifle had come to haunt her and take everything away from her. So in order to move away or run away from the spirits was to move to San Jose California. She was told to build a house and never stop building, if she stopped building, she would die. She believed what she was told and did as she was told.

As the result of her husband’s death, she was left with $20 million and she also received fifty percent ownership of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of approximately $1 thousand per day. With this money she received, she started building her now famous house.

The house lay on 4.5 acre. Before the 1906 earthquake, its highest point was the seventh floor but when the tower fell off, it became four floors. There are 160 rooms, including the 40 bedrooms and two ballrooms. The house has 47 fireplaces and 10,000 window panes, 17 chimneys, two basements and three elevators. It was huge and there was one door that went right outside and it was on the second floor – the door to nowhere. It was so hilarious. The house had beautiful windows and old Victorian rooms. After she died most of the furniture was given to her favorite niece and others; she sold it, so most of the house was empty.

Outside is my favorite part of the Winchester property. It is so green and has fresh flowers. Today was very interesting and probably my favorite day out of all the days of the past week. It keeps on getting better and better. It felt unbelievable that I was in the world’s largest house with over a hundred rooms, it was like a maze. If we went in ourselves without a tour guide, oh boy, we would be lost for sure. It had those weird hidden rooms, glass windows everywhere, keeping an eye on something. I wonder how Mrs. Winchester lived in that house, did she know where she was going? There were also doors in the floor. What was it for? And the mediation room, if you close the door behind you – it’s like you are stuck in that room but really you are not. There’s an ordinary door that seems like a closet but it’s a secret passage. How creepy. Also there are some abandoned rooms which I think was a waste which had daisy flowers windows. It was so gorgeous, but after the earthquake with the tower fell and destroyed the room, Mrs. Winchester had that room locked up. She believed it was a spiritual warning. Since Mrs. Winchester’s favourite number was thirteen, the thirteenth bathroom had thirteen windows and also there were sink barriers that had thirteen holes which was creepy.

I cannot wait tomorrow for Chinatown and the cable cars! Yay!