San Jose highlight
Winchester Mystery House
A Victorian mansion built over 38 years by Sarah Winchester and still containing approximately 160 rooms, with construction that continued until her death in 1922.
In 1884, Sarah Pardee Winchester, heir to a rifle manufacturing fortune, began building a home on land she purchased in the hills above San Jose. She lived in the house for 38 years, continually expanding and renovating it until her death in 1922, so that the Victorian-era mansion grew to encompass approximately 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. The house was never truly finished, and construction proceeded on multiple fronts: rooms that were built were later torn down and rebuilt elsewhere, hallways dead-ended in walls, and staircases climbed into ceilings.
The Winchester Mystery House attracts visitors from around the world, who come to tour the elaborate architecture, the stained glass windows, the unusual design choices and the stories attached to each room. Over 20,000 people visit annually to see the craftsmanship of the period: hand-tooled woodwork, inlaid floors, ornamental plasterwork and fixtures that reflect the tastes of the Gilded Age. The house is operated as a museum and historical site that preserves a unique chapter of California history.
The Winchester Mystery House is a place that draws families and groups together to explore, learn and make memories. Planning for those years when family and tradition matter most is what life insurance protects. A term policy that covers your household's financial obligations during the years your income is most essential—whether that's 20 years or 30 years—ensures that plans and traditions continue even if circumstances change.