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The Haunted Librarian

~ Researching, investigating, and writing about the paranormal.

The Haunted Librarian

Category Archives: Architecture

Winchester Mystery House Offers Free Virtual Tours

22 Sunday Mar 2020

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Antiques, Architecture, Famous Locations, Famous People, History, Residences, Road Trip, Roadside Attractions, Roadtrip, Winchester Mystery House

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sarah winchester

The Winchester Mystery House (WMH) is presently closed for tours while we isolate for COVID-19; however, you can watch a 41-minute tour of the property. The video is entertaining with lots of historical perspective and facts woven into the story.

Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester (1840-1922) was a wealthy woman known for continually renovating her home in San Jose, California. Back East, Sarah was known as the “Belle of New Haven” and was a desirable—and wealthy—woman in New Haven, Connecticut. On 1862, she married William Wirt Winchester (1837-1881), the only son of Oliver Winchester, owner of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Tragedy befell the young couple. Four years into marriage, the couple welcomed Annie Pardee Winchester into the world on June 15, 1866. Forty days later, on July 25, Annie succumbed from marasmus. The couple would not have any more children.

Sarah and William’s marriage struggled. Sarah’s father-in-law Oliver died, leaving William to handle the entire business. Within a year after Oliver’s death, William died from TB at the age of 44. Sarah inherited $20 million dollars in cash, plus 3,000 shares in the business. Her daily income was $1,000, which would be roughly $26,000 per day. Sarah was a very wealthy woman.

Sarah sought to live near Pardee family members, choosing to move to California. The young widow, presumably age 41, purchased an 8-room farmhouse that sat on 161 acres in California. Sarah worked every day hiring contractors, employees, and gardeners to fashion one of the largest and most mysterious homes in America.

The Winchester Mystery House documentary does a decent job guiding virtual tourists around the property. An interesting fact: Sarah stood 4 feet 10 inches tall. Therefore, some of the strange or odd building features are built for a woman of her size.

Sarah had the financial ability to indulge in extravagances. She loved to garden; therefore, it seems reasonable that she would have 2 conservatories: One to the North and the other to the South.

She had 6 kitchens. However, a couple were used for her large staff. Between 41-43 people worked and lived on the property. It is said that Sarah paid her employees well above minimum wages.

The video exaggerates a few items. The series could have gone into the more plausible theories about Sarah’s fascination on renovating the house. For instance, there isn’t any historical record of Sarah being a member of an occult group or visiting a psychic who supposedly told her to build a house across the country to confuse the spirits of people killed by the Winchester guns. These are merely anecdotes.

The question people want answered is: Why? Why did she keep on building? We will never know. Nor will we know if the “Séance Room” (as it is called in the documentary) was actually used for seances. Only one person—Sarah—had access to the room. She sat alone in the room. Sure, the room is designed a bit odd, that doesn’t mean that she held seances there. In fact, it shows she wouldn’t. Instead, I proffer that the room was more for meditation and prayer.

What we do know is that she liked to build rooms and used the most expensive materials available. Her favorite stained-glass pattern was the Spider’s Web, possibly purchased through Tiffany’s. And, boy, there are a lot of stained-glass windows in the house.

Twenty-two years into the project, and the house was 7 stories high. After the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake, several top floors became unstable and were compromised. Today, the house has 4 stories.

The site offers pre-sale tickets for when the property re-opens on April 7. Take a look, https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/. It was very satisfying.

“Murder House” Lawsuit Continues

23 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in American Horror Story, Architecture, Famous Locations, Famous People, Historic Places, Real Estate, Uncategorized

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Ernst von Schwarz, Judson C. Rives Mansion, Pier Angela Oakenfold, Rosenheim Mansion

Slide1

The historic Alfred Rosenheim Mansion, circa 1908, was the location for season 1 of American Horror Story (AHS). The house served as a backdrop to the horror/ghost series. The first season averaged 2.8 million viewers. Eight seasons later, the franchise does not seem to be slowing down—nor does the popularity of the Rosenheim Mansion.

AHS re-titled the first season to American Horror Story: Murder House (2011). This change aligned with future seasons. The “Murder House” was an empty mansion located in Los Angeles. With a history steeped in L.A. grandeur and Hollywood mystique, the home was a perfect choice for the production.

Alfred Rosenheim was an architect who relocated to L.A. He built the home located a t 1120 Westchester Place in 1908 for his family. The homes along this road were collectively known as Millionaire Row. They resided there for 10 years, selling to A.J. McQuatters, a mining mogul searching for a winter home.

By 1932, the Sisters of Social Service came into possession of the home. It was turned into a convent. The nuns purchased the adjacent property at 1130 Westchester Place, known as the Judson C. Rives Mansion in 1946. The nuns added a chapel in 1954.

The 10,440 square foot home boasts 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. It has 6 fireplaces and authentic Tiffany stained glass windows and lamps throughout. The enormous home fell into disarray, and by 2015 ownership changed to Greta von Steinbauer. Although the home has historic and landmark designation, it may be rented out; therefore, Ms. Steinbauer earned substantial rental income from production companies. This, apparently, was a selling feature. Shortly after the 2015 sale, the property was briefly listed on Airbnb for rentals. The property has since been removed.

Prior to the premiere of AHS, the home was on the market for $4.5 million. After the record-breaking first season, the price soared to $17 million. The price dropped significantly to $7.8 million. Actress Pier Angela Oakenfold and her partner, Cardiologist Dr. Ernst von Schwarz, purchased the home for $3.2 million. After closing and moving in, the couple suddenly realized that the home was part of the popular tourist tours highlighting various infamous locations and people associated with Hollywood. Ironically, the couple claimed that they “Googled” the property and never saw the AHS association.

Predictably, the filed a lawsuit on February 7, 2018, claiming the house is haunted by 2 ghosts (never reported or written about prior to purchasing) and the nuisance of trespassers. The Court heard summary judgment arguments last October. It is unknown whether the parties reached a settlement or the case continues. Since there has not been any publicity, it is fair to assume the case continues.

This is not the first time a house has become more famous than the production it appeared in. Consider the Brady Bunch House. Hopefully, this historic home will shed the haunted label and become the glamorous Rosenheim intended.

Grave Gardening: Preserving Rural Cemeteries

26 Thursday Apr 2018

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Architecture, Cemeteries, Haunt Jaunts, Uncategorized

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Cradle Graves, garden cemeteries, rural cemeteries, The Woodlands

CradleGrave

Grave Gardening: Preserving Rural Cemeteries

Starting in 1831, “rural” or “garden” cemeteries emerged as a de facto public green space where families could visit their dead, tend to their graves, and mingle with the community. These cemeteries were popular weekend destinations. During this time, gravesites were more elaborate than today’s simple, flat grave marker. “Cradle graves” dotted the cemetery landscape. Read about them in my latest blog on Haunt Jaunts: https://www.hauntjaunts.net/grave-gardening-conserving-americas-garden-cemeteries/.

 

Haunted Plank from the Amityville House Makes Travel Channel Debut

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Architecture, Curiosities, Famous Locations, Haunted Houses, Hoaxes, Museums, Paranormal, Reality TV, Travel Channel, Uncategorized

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amityville horror, mysteries at the museum, paranormal paparazzi, Travel Channel, traveling museum of the paranormal & occult

Amityville

Haunted Plank from the Amityville House Makes Travel Channel Debut

Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum returned last month with new episodes. The February 9th episode titled “Amityville Haunting, Ghost Army, and Fugitive Golfer” highlighted a piece of wood from the infamous Amityville Horror house. The demonic possession story was a hoax (see previous 2014 article at https://thehauntedlibrarian.com/2014/03/19/amityville-horror-hoax/); however, it doesn’t mean that this piece of wood doesn’t give off bad vibes. It means there may be another story, based on facts, that should be considered.

Interest in Amityville has not ebbed since the 1977 publication of the book, The Amityville Horror. The movie franchise alone has grossed over $170 million dollars. Add TV adaptations and books, and that’s one healthy moneymaker. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the book’s publication. Expect more media coverage.

TheAmityvilleHorrorCover

Given the interest in Amityville, the house makes the requisite rounds on paranormal shows. This is not the first, probably not the last either, time that Travel Channel has showcased the Amityville house. Paranormal Paparazzi (2012) incorporated the house in 3 segments in 2 episodes. One was particularly insightful. Kathy Lutz’s son and George’s step-son Christopher Quaratino claimed that George practiced black witchcraft in the home, causing the paranormal activity to spike. Needless to say, expect more books and versions to emerge.

Greg Newkirk, director of the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult, appeared on the Mysteries at the Museum episode discussing the plank. Greg and Dana Matthews co-founded the website Week in Weird, www.weekinweird.com, in 2007. Both Greg and Dana contribute articles, and postings are weekly. The articles are thought-provoking and quirky, while remaining true to the blog format: concise. The site has advertisements, a source of revenue; however, they don’t disrupt the reading of the articles. They’ve segued their site into 3 entities: Week in Weird (@WeekinWeird), Planet Weird (@WeirdHQ), and The Traveling Museum of the Paranormal & Occult (@theparamuseum). In 2013, they created the traveling museum to take their stories and artifacts on the road. They’ve collected artifacts from past paranormal investigations and allow the public to handle them. The museum is the modern-day version of curiosity cabinets which featured oddities and bizarre items and peaked in interest during the Victorian era. Visit http://paramuseum.com/ for 2017 dates and more information.

While it is easy to fall back on popular tales, the paranormal world has so much more to be explored. The Amityville plank is a reminder that the original story was made-up and exaggerated for profit. Instead of focusing on the heinous murders and concocting reasons for a demonic possession, readers should question whether George exploited the murders while practicing black magic. He didn’t move into a haunted house; however, he may have created the negative energy by dabbling in something beyond his comprehension.

Historic—and Possibly Haunted—Garden District Mansion for Sale

13 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Architecture, Breaking the News, Famous Locations, Ghost Hunting, Ghost Stories, Ghost Tours, Haunted Houses, In the News, New Orleans, Real Estate, The Haunted Librarian, Uncategorized

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Garden District New Orleans, harris-maginnis home, haunted houses for sale, magnolia mansion

magnolia-mansion
NOLA--ForSale

Historic—and Possibly Haunted—Garden District Mansion for Sale

Located in the Garden District in New Orleans, the former Harris-Maginnis Mansion has hit the real estate market. Again. Currently operating as a bed and breakfast (B&B), the home can revert back to a private home and can be yours for the discounted price of $4.9 million.

Designed by the famous architect James H. Calrow in 1857, the house was built for the cotton broker Alexander Harris. Harris and his child bride, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Thompson, moved into the sprawling home in 1858. On July 19, 1896, Harris died from yellow fever. The young widow remarried and sold the home in 1879.

The next owners were John Henry Maginnis and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Tweed. [Note: Both women were called “Lizzie.”] Maginnis was a cotton baron. While vacationing at another residence, Maginnis was struck and killed by lightning on July 4, 1889—only 10 years after purchasing the home. Tweed held onto the property and willed it to her only daughter, Josephine, in 1921. Josephine and her husband split their time between New York City and Europe; therefore, Josephine gifted the 13,000 square foot home to the New Orleans chapter of the American Red Cross in 1939.

The American Red Cross used the home as a headquarters from 1939-1954. Dr. Clyde E. Crassons purchased the building and converted it back into a private residence.

The home has changed hands several times. Mr. and Mrs. Schreiber remodeled the home and converted it into a bed and breakfast. Hollie Vest, a Tina Turner impersonator, purchased the home in 2001.

Even more noteworthy is that the home has been listed for sale a lot. Like, a lot. It was listed in 2012 for $2.85 million. It sold in 2013 for $1.6 million. And now it is for sale again. Originally listed for $5.475 million, the sale price has been reduced to $4.9 million. The new owners can leave the home as an operating B&B or convert it back into a private home. I would not be surprised if the beautiful home reverts back. That seems to be the trend with historic properties.

Now known as the Magnolia Mansion, the home is not marketed as haunted. However, the B&B Website does provide some interesting stories and photographs of possible hauntings. Activity seemed to commence during the renovations. Another Website proffers that the ghosts are friendly. One tucks guests into bed at night while another child “plays” in the hallways. I don’t know if the home is haunted. I would love to investigate, though. Who knows? Maybe the next time I’m in the Crescent City!

And the Winner Is …

13 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Architecture, Contests, Horror Movies, Hotels & Motels, In the News

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Tags

contest, grand heritage hotel group, Hedge Maze, mairim dallaryan standing, Stanley Hotel, The Shining

Stanley Hotel Hedge Maze Winning Design

Winning design for the hedge maze at the Stanley Hotel.

And the Winner Is…

The Stanley Hotel gets a hedge maze. New York architect Mairim Dallaryan Standing’s hedge maze design was selected over 300+ entries. The hedge maze will be installed this spring to coincide with the annual Stanley Film Festival, April 30-May 3.

A hedge maze was a prominent feature in the 1980 movie The Shining. However, one never existed at the Stanley Hotel, inspiration for the fictional Overlook Hotel. Tourists repeatedly inquired on the location of the fictional hedge.

After 20 years of requests, the Grand Heritage Hotel Group announced the contest last November. Entries totaled 329 from 40 states and 32 countries. A 7-member panel selected the winner last week. The contest was a huge hit!

Standing wins 2 airline tickets, accommodations, and 2 all-access passes for the film festival. Book your tickets and experience the thrill of a large-scale maze.

Zaffis May Purchase Former Funeral Home for Museum

09 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Architecture, Breaking the News, Funeral Homes, In the News, Museums, Reality TV

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berkshire eagle, haunted collector, john zaffis, mcbride funeral home, scott stafford

John Zaffis outside former McBride Funeral Home

John Zaffis outside former McBride Funeral Home (Scott Stafford)

Zaffis May Purchase Former Funeral Home for Museum

Last year at Scarefest, John Zaffis told me that he might purchase a former funeral home and relocate his museum of all things haunted. Seems Zaffis may have identified the perfect location: the former McBride Funeral Home. Zaffis claims the building has the proper “creepy edge” required to draw in visitors.

According to an article in The Berkshire Eagle Newspaper (Adams, Massachusetts), Zaffis toured the vacant building with an architect and the town building inspector. But don’t plan a visit anytime soon. If Zaffis does make an offer, it will be several months before the museum would be operational.

Offered at $79,000, the funeral home consists of two separate buildings connected by a common entryway. Both buildings feature a large meeting room on the first floor. An apartment is on the second floor of one building. Zoning has already been changed from residential to commercial. Zaffis doesn’t anticipate a large-scale renovation. In fact, he states that the buildings are almost ideal for what he has envisioned.

Zaffis’ plans include utilizing one meeting room for paranormal lectures. The other large meeting room would house 20 of his largest items with a rotating exhibit of smaller pieces. He would stay in the apartment while in town. The additional upstairs space would be used for storage.

Zaffis started the Paranormal and Demonology Research Society of New England in 1998. He starred in the paranormal hit TV show The Haunted Collector. In addition, Zaffis appears at paranormal conferences throughout the year.

Zaffis spotted the abandoned funeral home and felt it was creepy enough to house a paranormal collection. If realized, the museum would be open on Fridays and Saturdays by appointment only. Zaffis’ collection is extensive and large. A collection fit for a funeral home!

The Stanley Hotel Hedge Maze Winner Announced Tomorrow

02 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Architecture, Books, Breaking the News, Horror Movies, In the News, Movies

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Hedge Maze, Stanley Hotel, The Shining

The Shining (1980) movie poster

The Shining (1980) movie poster

The Stanley Hotel Hedge Maze Winner Announced Tomorrow

In celebration of 20 years of ownership of the Stanley Hotel, Stephen King’s inspiration for his spine chilling novel The Shining, the Grand Heritage Hotel Group held a contest: design a hedge maze. Tomorrow at 5:30 MST the winner will be announced.

A hedge maze was a key feature in The Shining (1980) movie directed by Stanley Kubrick. However, a hedge maze did not exist at the hotel. The movie was not filmed at the hotel but instead in England. Hedge mazes are incredibly popular. This maze will be constructed with 1,600-2,000 Alpine Currant bushes. It will be installed on the front lawn and will remain a permanent fixture on the grounds.

The contest generated nearly 400 entries from 40 odd countries. Originally set to unveil the winner today, the panel had to postpone the vote due to inclement weather. Stay tuned for an announcement.

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Archer Paranormal Investigations

Archer Paranormal Investigations

The Haunted Librarian

Gainesville, Florida

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