Ten points if you can recall who said that opening line, and another if you recall the role and what movie it’s from. I’ll reveal the answer further down the page.
Well, this last Wednesday night was plenty frightening, especially in St. Louis! The omens portended something evil, and if you’re a Cardinal’s fan, that’s just what happened. Under the light of a blood red moon (as seen in this image from the SF Gate web pages thanks to a great lunar eclipse), the fabled “Curse of The Bambino” went down in flames. Okay, so it the flames were extinguished by a flood of champagne. And good stuff, too! From what I saw of the labels on various bottles being waved around the visiting clubhouse after the game, it looked suspiciously like Piper Sonoma Brut. I’ve served a few bottles of the same on train trips over the years without complaints. Never washed anyone down with it, however…
All that having been said, the Red Sox did play like a team possessed, and well deserve the victorious adulation of their fans nationwide. Nice to see that the Oakland A’s did their part by having Johnny Damon, Keith Foulke, Mark Bellhorn and manager Terry Francona all available so that Boston could sign them up and have them in the right place at the right time! Too bad the magic couldn’t have lifted the curse that hangs over the Oakland Coliseum. Even the Raiders could use some of that right now.
So? Going to any Halloween parties this weekend? Hope you had time to plan an interesting costume and or décor. Me? I’ll be home with the cat (watching a DVD or two of an appropriate nature) waiting for the usual handful of monsters to come ring the doorbell. Hopefully, an iTunes mix will keep them entertained, complete with appropriate tracks from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and Disneyland’s ” Haunted Mansion” to name a few.
If you’ve been around here a while, you might recall last year that I shared a tale of another place with it’s own connections to the spirit world. This time, we’re heading back in time to the same era and with some similar notions. So, “Look alive…” and read on for this glimpse into the past of the Golden West.
But if I was to venture out into the night in search of spirits out for the night, there probably is not a better choice than one across the Bay, in the middle of what was once fertile farmland. Yes, once the Prune capital of the world. Today it’s not far from the center of the Silicon Valley, with an artery of the Interstate highway system on one side, domed movie theaters on another, a mobile home park on another and a major shopping and residential development just across the street for which the place is named.
A ghostly view from above, the subject of today’s tale, looking northwest.
Now it’s no secret that fame and fortune was a seductive thing to many people who came west in the second half of the 19th Century. And if you made the trip, likely you came prepared for many eventualities. Self-defense was one possibility that those folks had in mind and for many of them, the weapon of choice was simple. A Winchester Repeating Rifle. Thanks to modern production practices of the day, it was an efficient tool. Not only could it be called upon for defense, but also served well to put food on the table for many folks.
Now rifle and other properties brought prosperity to many of the Winchester family members. One of those was William Wirt Winchester. On September 30, 1862, he married Sarah Pardee. Their first – and only – child, Annie Pardee Winchester, was born on July 15, 1866, and tragically died of a rare ailment only nine days later. Sarah was greatly affected by this emotional loss and was not considered to have recovered for more than a decade afterwards.
Sarah Winchester, out for the day…
The loss of their only child was rekindled in March of 1881 when William passed away from tuberculosis. Grief stricken, she sought the assistance of a spiritualist medium to reconnect her with the departed family. At that time, spiritualism was the latest infatuation of the upper echelons of Eastern society. With financial support to provide these mediums a connection to their clients, it was an expensive and eccentric hobby to say the least.
Sarah was extremely well off financially for her time. She had inherited twenty million dollars from William. It is also believed that her income from the family businesses provided her with somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000 a day -and that was all in 1880’s dollars! During a visit to one of these mediums, as the tales are told, she was brought into contact with her husband from the “other” side. She is informed that the entire family has been cursed by the souls of everyone killed by a Winchester produced gun. Further, the spirit of William tells her that, the only way in which she can escape this curse is to sell her house in New Haven, Connecticut and head west towards the setting sun. He will guide her to the location for a new home, where she must build for the rest of her days. If construction ever stops, she will die as another victim of the ” Winchester” curse!
It truly must have been a great and convincing performance by the medium, because that is exactly what Sarah does. She travels across the country, coming to the Santa Clara Valley. Here on a spot, no doubt chosen by the spirit of William, she begins construction in 1884 on a twenty-four hour-a-day basis. With her fortune, she has difficulties in finding workers to build her home. Without a master plan, construction continues for over 38 years.
In 1906, the mansion reached a height of 7 stories with the tower.
On September 4, 1922, Sarah Pardee Winchester passes away of natural causes. Little of her fortune remains, having been spent on a rambling Victorian mansion. It is a fascinating structure with many interesting features.
For example, it is not uncommon to turn a corner and find a door that opens onto a brick wall. Or a stairway that goes up, only to end in the ceiling or sub-floor.
“Where do these stairs go? They go up!”
The number “13” plays a role as well. Many stairways have 13 treads. There are windows with 13 panes of glass, and even a greenhouse with 13 cupolas.
There was never an overall plan for the house. Instead, Sarah is said to have simply directed new construction each day. Many times construction from the previous day was torn out and was replaced with something all together different. Some rooms were closed off, never again to be entered. The finished product is best described as chaotic. Blind chimneys never to see a fire, windows connected to doors, steep drops to the ground below. One stairway makes an amusing switch back inside it’s own space as seen below.
Note the off-center windows in the stairway!
One particularly odd stairway had 42 steps and roses all of nine feet in height. Each step was only two inches higher than the one below.
A popular theory holds that the seemingly random design of the mansion was to confuse, taunt or otherwise exert control over any spirit that would seek to haunt Sarah Winchester.
When the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake occurred, Sarah was still in full construction on the house. It had reached seven stories, complete with a grand tower, offering magnificent views of the Santa Clara Valley. According to one report, at that time, she had taken to sleeping in a different room in the house every night – again as a spiritual defense. The earthquake severely damaged the upper three floors and caused the fall of many towers and cupolas throughout the mansion. According to this particular report, Sarah was trapped in her chosen bedroom for the previous night. It took the servants so long to find her that she supposedly decided to sleep in the same bedroom every night afterwards.
One of the bedrooms furnished to give guests a taste of the house as it may have appeared during the lifetime of Sarah Winchester.
After her death, the mansion was eventually sold to a group of investors who had plans to open it as a tourist attraction. It took almost six weeks to empty the house of it’s furnishings because no plan existed and no one really knew how many rooms the house had or just where everything was located.
I lived in the Santa Clara Valley in the late Sixties. While I recall driving by the mansion on several occasions, a tour of the house was something I didn’t make until the late Seventies. And that took place on a perfect day for a tour, October 31. Michele and I, along with another couple enjoyed an afternoon exploring the mansion. While I can’t say it was haunted, it definitely could have been. Much of the house was without furniture, and it was a place that had the “not-lived-in” feeling to it.
Now, many people (including employees) believe that the house is indeed haunted, and by one spirit in particular – that of Sarah Pardee Winchester. These folks report occurrences of cold spots, ghostly footsteps, and an overall sense of being watched.
It’s not hard to see how Disneyland’s “Haunted Mansion” could have looked just like this fabled home if those early Imagineers had gone for more of a Victorian influence in their designs.
Now if you would like to see for yourself, the Winchester Mystery House is open for tours on a regular basis. Friday the 13 th and Halloween offer special flashlight tours for the more adventurous. Check the Winchester Mystery House web pages for all of the details. Whether you are a fan of haunted houses or just Victorian architecture, this is well worth a visit.
All of the photos showing the Winchester Mystery House were provided by the courtesy of the Winchester Mystery House and are available for your enjoyment on their web pages as well.
Now, about that movie quote above? “Wanna see something really scary?”
That comes from the Ambulance Driver, as played by Dan Akroyd in the closing moments of “Twilight Zone: The Movie” from 1983. Not from “Ghostbusters”…
Well, once again, there is an event coming up next weekend here in Livermore. However, this one isn’t at Cindy Russell’s store. (She’s hard at work on a trio of great stories for the next few weeks!) Would you believe that Livermore is going to host the California Independent Film Festival? Complete with some of my personal favorites! And I didn’t even find out about this until late Thursday afternoon as I’m putting this column to bed… So with a minor delay, I’m sharing a bit of this with you here!
At the present time, Livermore has only one movie theater. Called the “Vine”, it’s not what you would think of as a vintage movie palace. It’s definitely not the Paramount, or even one of its lesser relations. Still, it has been renovated a bit in the last year. So having it as the center stage for this film festival being held in this town makes some sense. I can admit to having seen a film here once upon a time. I just can’t recall what it was. In the years since, the theater was split in to two screens, and not very successfully. Usually, if I’m going to watch a first run film, it’s off to the local multiplex down the freeway. Better selection of titles than the “Vine”. A recent lone exception to that was “Seabiscuit” which I did see here during the renovations.
So, while this theater is the center stage, the other venues around the Livermore valley are appropriately themed to coincide with the “Vine”. It seems that many of the local wineries are opening their doors to act as locations for the showing of a number of independent films. Sounds good to me! Enjoy some of the local product while taking in one of the 65 indie films being shown during the festival. Check the web pages for all of the listings of what is being shown, where and when.
Now for this year’s event, there are a couple of highlights worth noting. First is the kickoff for the Festival. Thursday, November 4 there will be a showing of “Comic Book: The Movie” – complete with a pre-screening Q&A session with director, Mark Hamill and his co-stars, Donna D’Errico and Debi Derryberry. Tickets are available for the showing for only $25.
Talk about a small world… Another good friend, Mike Quinn, has made occasional appearances, thanks to his Star Wars work, at various fan events around the country. That included the Star Wars Weekends at WDW this year as well as a New Jersey event where he spent time chatting with Mark Hamill about “Comic Book: The Movie”.
So, as I haven’t seen the film yet, this sounds like a great opportunity to correct this over-sight on my part! And it’s just down the street, so how can I not? That and the fact that my past includes collecting comics… And throw in the Jim Hill review of the film, so I guess I should mark my already busy calendar for that night.
But the fun of this Film Festival doesn’t end that night. The following two nights, Tony Curtis is being honored by these folks with the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award. On Friday, the 5 th, there will be a showing of the Billy Wilder classic, “Some Like It Hot”, again with Tony doing a Q & A session before the film. Too bad they couldn’t have shown “40 Pounds of Trouble”. Tony Curtis and vintage Disneyland? That would almost be too much…
Then on Saturday night, the award will be presented at another event with hosts Marty Ingels and Shirley Jones, and guests Robert Goulet, Colleen Miller, Gloria DeHaven and Michael Callan.
But if you’re in the Bay Area and are looking for something to enjoy, I don’t think you can go wrong with either the Festival or those special events!
Check the web pages for details and to reserve your tickets today. From the looks of things, they are limited and it should be a popular (read sold-out) time out here in the Livermore Valley.
Now as much as I wish I could attend the last two, that busy calendar won’t allow. Actually, I’m helping out with a private railroad car excursion then. But there are a couple of other events I am headed south to assist with. The first is out in Joshua Tree in the Southern California High Desert. They’re having a “Dinner In The Diner” event aboard a 1927 railroad dining car at the Joshua Tree & Southern Railroad Museum. A fine time for an evening and space is still available. That’s Saturday, November 13.
Roger in the role of Docent aboard the ” Castle Peak” dining car.
Also in the area is the “Day Out With Thomas” at the Orange Empire Railway Museum, in Perris. Yes, the little blue tank engine will be pulling trains and Sir Topham Hat is also going to be greeting guests. On Sunday, the 14 th, I’ll be on hand as a Docent aboard a former Union Pacific Pullman car. And not to forget, this is the place where Ward Kimball’s Grizzly Flats Railroad equipment is on display! Worth a visit just for that any time.
Both Museum events help support the ongoing railway preservation projects. Both the JTSRR and OERM are non-profit historical and educational organizations, and can use all the support you can offer.
So if you’re in the mood, these diversions might have something for everyone… And who knows what next week will bring to this space? I sure don’t have a clue!
Thanks again to everyone for your support of the American Red Cross. It’s great to know that your help makes their efforts go that much further when folks in trouble need assistance.
And if you’re in a generous and or appreciative mood, drop me a buck or two using the Paypal Donation Box or the Amazon Honor System links from my bio page here! I’m putting it to good use, honest!