Voting Station

Sarah Winchester

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Heiress

The Resume

    (circa 1837-September 5, 1922)
    Born in Connecticut
    Birth name was Sarah Lockwood Pardee
    Married to rifle heir William Wirt Winchester
    Builder of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California

Why she might be annoying:

    A medium reportedly told her that she was cursed by the spirits of all the people killed by the Winchester rifle.
    The medium also told her to build a house for the spirits and warned that if construction ever ceased, she would die.
    Work on the house continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 38 years (1884-1922).
    She constantly wore a veil and would reportedly fire any worker who accidentally saw her face.
    The house features doors that open into walls, staircases leading to nowhere and windows that look out onto walls.
    She was obsessed with the number 13: the house has 13 bathrooms, several windows have 13 panes of glass, an imported chandelier was altered to hold 13 candles, etc.
    The Mystery House is a popular site for séances and paranormal investigations.

Why she might not be annoying:

    Her daughter died in infancy (1866) and her husband died 15 years later.
    The Mystery House was built with several then-rare conveniences, including forced-air heating, push-button gas lights and three elevators.
    She designed the house with a floating foundation, which helped it ride out earthquakes in 1906 and 1989.
    She donated $2 million to the Winchester Fund for the treatment of tuberculosis.
    The Mystery House became a popular California landmark and was named a National Historic Monument.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 52 Votes: 51.92% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 16 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 28 Votes: 64.29% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 25 Votes: 48.00% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 29 Votes: 62.07% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 33 Votes: 54.55% Annoying