Should architects factor ghosts into their design process? That's what the Winchester Mystery House wants you to believe. One of the most iconic mansions in America, the Winchester Mystery House is also said to be the most haunted.

In the 138 years since construction started on this macabre mansion, the legends surrounding it have only grown. We're here to separate history from hoax. Let's start with the more famous version of the tale.

The Legend

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Sarah Winchester had everything a woman in the 19th century could wish for: a loving husband, a massive fortune, and a beautiful baby girl. Then, she didn't. Her daughter wasted away a month after her birth, followed by Sarah's father, mother, father-in-law, and husband.

The amount of loss was enough to drive anyone mad, which, according to legend, was exactly what happened to Sarah. She consulted a medium who told her that these deaths weren't a coincidence. Instead, she was being haunted.

See, the Winchester in Sarah's name is exactly the one you're thinking of; her husband was heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. All the money in the Winchester family vault was soaked in blood.

There was only one way to keep the ghosts at bay: confuse them. Like so many before her, Sarah went West. In San Jose, she purchased an eight-room farmhouse and began building.

For 38 years, the house was in a state of constant construction. Locals began to whisper about the reclusive widow with a compulsion for construction. It was a weird house after all; "maze of domes, turrets, cupolas and towers" filled with stairs leading to nowhere and doors that opened into sheer drops.

In 1923, one year after Sarah's death, her life's work opened as a tourist attraction. Rumors spiraled out of control. Sarah slept in a different room each night to keep the ghosts from finding her; she scattered unlucky thirteens throughout the house; she was utterly, unquestionably mad.

At least, that's how the legend goes.

The Truth

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In reality Sarah—who went by Sallie—was not the madwoman in the attic. Yes, she suffered tremendous loss, but not back-to-back, as you may believe. And, yes, her fortune was irrevocably tied to the Civil War and violent colonization, but she didn't lose sleep over it.

She was progressive from a young age, and insatiably curious. Architecture was an interest she shared with her husband long before she moved West. She was reclusive not because she was mad, but because she had suffered tremendous loss.

There is no evidence that Sallie held seances or even believed in ghosts. Her home is idiosyncratic not because she was trying to confuse the undead, but because she was experimenting. She was a hobbyist when women were not admitted to architecture schools.

The Winchester Mystery House, or, Llanada Villa, as Sallie called it grew from eight rooms to 160, with 2000 doors, 47 stairways, and 6 kitchens. She drew all the blueprints herself, working room by room without an overarching plan.

In many cases, there are logical explanations for some of the home's most famous oddities. The doors and stairs that lead to nowhere, for example? They were leftover from from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Structural damage and Sallie's declining health led to an end in construction.

The picture that emerges of Sallie is one of a brilliant and creative woman. One who spoke multiple languages and was admitted to Yale. One who was unfailingly kind, including every one of her employees as a beneficiary in her will, and anonymously donating thousands to tuberculosis research.

The House Today

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But don't let that stop you from enjoying her home in all its creepy glory. By all means, enjoy the ghost stories the tour guides tell you; just be sure to bear in mind the truth.  Be sure not to miss out on all the property has to offer. Explore the beautiful Victorian gardens, test your aim at the arcade, and enjoy brunch at cozy Café 13.

The Winchester Mystery House is open from 10AM-4PM on weekdays and 10AM-5PM on weekends. Group, school, and senior tours are available by reservation. You can also rent the Winchester Mystery House as an event space for holiday parties, birthdays, and even weddings!