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Things to do in San Jose
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Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is
probably one of the most interesting stories and mansions in the
world. At once time, sitting on 162 acres of landscape in San
Jose, California, this incredible, and many believe, haunted,
house was being constructed upon for 38 continuous years,
continuously for 24 hours a day, every day. Sarah Winchester,
wife and widow of the Winchester repeating rifle magnate,
William Wirt Winchester; had envisioned her deceased husband
saying that as long as she continued building the house, she
would live. The reason he died, he said, was that their home in
Connecticut had been finished and so was he. Construction began
in 1884, and ended immediately upon Sarah's death in 1922. The
cost was a staggering $5.5 million that if paid today would be
equivalent to $70 million. It is famous throughout this country
and many places in the world, because of its size and complete
lack of master plans. Sarah believed the house to be haunted by
the ghosts of those people that had been killed by the
Winchester and the continued construction would keep them at bay
and appease their grizzly spirits. After her daughter died in
1866, her husband passed on in 1881, and hoping to find some
relief from her grief, she went to a medium on the advice of a
psychic. The story goes that the medium, called the Boston
Medium, said that a curse was on the family of Winchester since
their rifles had been involved in the killings of many people.
She said that thousands had died this way and their spirits were
looking for revenge. Considered by many to disputable, the
medium told Sarah that she would have to go west, leaving their
home in New Haven, Connecticut; and build a house where Sarah
and the spirits could live. The medium went on to say that by
building constantly, she would live forever, but, if she
stopped, then Sarah would die. The magazine, Modern Mechanix,
June issue for 1937, had a story in it that told of the terrible
loss of Sarah's baby daughter, Annie, and her husband William,
that caused her to enter into a coma, with attending doctors
fearing for her life. When she was recovered, a friend suggested
Sarah go to a medium. A séance ensued, and she got a message
from her husband that said; "Sarah dear, if our house had not
been finished, I would still be with you. I urge you now to
build a home, but never let it be finished, for then you will
live..". Another story tells that after the deaths of her
beloved family, she went to a medium, who told her that she must
constantly build a house, or the spirits that killed her family
would also kill her. That is when she moved west to San Jose and
started working on the house with twists, dead ends and turns
that went nowhere, so that these spirits could get lost and
never be able to find Sarah. She had inherited over $20 million
from her husband's estate, and half interest in the Winchester
Repeating Arms Company, that would give her about a $1000 a day;
with only that income from 1913 onward, being taxable. Today
that amount would be roughly $21,000; thereby giving her a great
amount of money to spend building the house. Before the terrible
earthquake of 1906, the house rose 7 stories, but it went down
to 4. The mansion is constructed mainly of redwood framing, with
a foundation that floats, giving it the flexibility to withstand
the earthquakes of 1906 and the Loma Prieta one in 1989. Over
160 rooms, with 10,000 window panes, 47 fireplaces, two
basements, 40 bedrooms, two ballrooms with one finished and the
other in the process, 17 chimneys with two more visible, and
three elevators have been discovered in the house. It now sits
on 4.5 acres which is just enough to hold all the buildings and
house, has silver and gold chandeliers, hand inlaid parquet trim
and flooring, and a plethora of colors. Doors, hallways and
stairways lead to nowhere, and over 20,000 gallons of paint were
used to decorate it. Because of its huge dimensions, it would be
necessary to start repainting the house again, after every inch
of it was painted the first time. Modern conveniences were
included in the house that put it ahead of its time, with
push-button gas lights, steam and forced-air heating, indoor
toilets and plumbing, hot shower and three elevators, with one
that is the only horizontal hydraulic elevator piston in the
country. The spirits are said to have influenced Sarah in the
way the house was being built, and this included the number 13,
and spider web motifs. One very expensive chandelier that had
been purchased contained 12 candle holders, but had one added to
make it 13, with all the wall clothes hooks containing 13 hooks,
and a beautiful spider web-patterned stained glass window that
had 13 different colored stones. A topiary tree has been shaped
into the number 13, and each Friday the 13th, the bell that is
on the estate rings 13 times at 1:00 PM, or 1300 in Meridian
time. There are many tours given in the house with special ones
in the evening on Fridays the 13th and Halloween. One
thing that makes this entire story somewhat stranger than it is,
is the fact that Sarah kept her husband's interests in the rifle
manufacturer and the money that poured in daily; and neither her
husband, nor anyone in his family ever really created the
weapons, they just were the owners.
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Children's Discovery Museum
The Children's Discovery
Museum opened in 1990, and has had over 5 million visitors since
then. Every year, new interactive displays are unveiled that
react to the diverse educational needs of the children, and to
that end, a new wing was added in 1997, enlarging the museum's
space by twenty percent. Now it is 52,000 square feet, and
purple, designed by Mexico City architect Ricardo Legorreta,
created for the enhancement, enlightenment and delight of
children living in San Jose. The range of community themes
include creative displays that entice self-directed journeys
into the realm of education, with programs that focus on the
needs, skills and interactions between children. The mission of
the museum is basically to serve the needs of children, their
families and the schools acting as a medium of discovery and
learning, in regards to their future roles, helping them to
realize their full potential. It is also a center for creative
expression and play that helps attain its mission, helping the
children to become a part of the community and to be able to
contribute to that community, as well as the rest of the nation
and the world. This process allows the instructors at the center
to gain an insight into the mysterious world of children as they
observe their reactions to various stimuli in the children's
eyes.
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History Park
History Park is located in
Kelley Park of San Jose, California, and contains 22 original
and reproduced landmarks, houses and businesses that showcase
the Santa Clara Valley's past. A cafe and trolley help you
explore the 14 acres that take you back to the times gone by
when the charm and atmosphere of that era was prevalent.
Starting at the museum store in the Pacific Hotel, that sits in
the middle of the park, you can get a map that shows all the
pertinent information of the park. It gives a list of the
buildings that can be visited, as well as a guided tour sign up
sheet. The Pacific Hotel has an expansive gallery, and the
museum contains books by local writers and many interesting
items for sale. The cafe is located in O'Brien's Candy Store,
and is a great place for lunch and delicious treats. There are
online exhibits as well, with Lou's Village, Dairy Hill, Label
Legacy, Cannery Life and the neighborhoods of San Jose. Current
displays here include; Everyday San Jose: Paintings by Wayne
Jiang, This is San Jose Calling and Home Front: Santa Clara
Valley's World War II Experience. There are many rotating
exhibits, as well as Partnership exhibits and collections. The
San Jose History oversees the biggest regional history
collection of the state, geographically defined as Santa Clara
Valley and virtually as Silicon Valley. In 1893, at the Chicago
World's Fair, George Westinghouse gave a 6 year old boy named
Douglas Perham a burned up light bulb and told him to get as
many as he could and save them for historical value. That
particular bulb, and over 20,000 more relics and documents make
up the biggest electronic historical collection in the nation
and is called the Perham Collection. Douglas became an engineer,
working with some of the best pioneers in the world, like Dr.
Lee De Forest who created the first electronic amplifier, the
triode, or as he called it the "Audion". This creation has
become involved in almost every electronic device today, like
the television, radio, long distance communication and
computers. The Perham collection was shown at the Foothill
College for many years, until it outgrew its space, with more
items being added. It took History San Jose four years to get
the collection for its museum, and a contract was signed in
2003, bringing the marvelous collection to the center. With
volunteers from both organizations helping to move the huge
collection, it took a full month to move all of it, and three
more to open the boxes and find out what wonderful treasures lay
within. A glimpse of the magnificent collection was given at an
Oscar Party press release event, and many people are waiting for
the time when the inventory, cleaning, cataloging and digital
recording is done so that all the items may be enjoyed and
viewed. The research library is open by appointment that allows
visitors to gain access to the history of the city, the county
and Silicon Valley. It is made up of many donated records from
private individuals, organizations and businesses that were in
these areas, as well as a huge photographic collection.
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