The Most Expensive Window

This room, named for its most prominent feature, sits at the top of the main staircase. Starting here, the tour begins to explore the portion of the mansion that Mrs. Winchester sealed off after the 1906 earthquake. Nearly two-thirds of the five and a half million dollars spent on the mansion went into constructing this section, and the Mrs. Winchester that lived and worked in these rooms always struck me as a very different woman than the one that built the back portion of the house.

Since this stop highlights 'the most expensive window,' the script uses the opportunity to discuss the source and scope of Mrs. Winchester's wealth. The figures offered, $20 million plus 3,000 shares of stock in the Winchester company, are commonly accepted, but San Jose historian Ralph Rambo also stated that he could never find an original source for these numbers.

Bonus info: In addition to the freight elevator at the top of the stairs, this stop also features a telephone room. Mrs. Winchester was listed in local directories as a fruit grower (apricots and prunes were raised on her land), and her phone number was 'Main 15.'

Next up, you'll visit one of Mrs. Winchester's many guest rooms.