What do we know about the Winchester house?

In 1884, Sarah Winchester began building a large mansion in Santa Clara County, California. Under Sarah's direction, the house rose to be seven stories high and filled with mysterious features, including stairs that lead to nowhere and windows that look into other interior rooms. The house is more than just oddly designed, however: Many people believe that it is haunted. What made the heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune, an independent woman in many ways ahead of her time, create such an unusual house?.