
2023 Centennial Celebrations Attended at the Winchester Mystery House
From speaker series, to fancy brunches to seances, this is your go-to reference list of all of the events I attended in honor of the Winchester Mystery House 2023 centennial celebrations. Just in case you don’t want to weed through all of my Winchester Mystery House experiences to find these particular events. These posts are ordered from oldest to newest. There were a total of 11 centennial speaker series offered, of which, I attended all but one (Romance in the Victorian Era). In addition to those, I also attended their centennial brunch and the séance held on the date of Sarah’s passing. This wasn’t technically part of the centennial celebrations. However, I felt like it was the kick-off event to the following year of festivities. Thus, I have decided to include it.

Winchester Mystery House Beyond the Veil
Winchester Mystery House celebrated the centennial of Sarah Winchester’s death with a special event; Beyond the Veil with James Van Praagh.

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Jim Wolf
Join me on my experience at a centennial speaker series discussing the stained-glass windows of Winchester Mystery House with Jim Wolf!

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Brian Colman & Nicole Mullen
In March, I returned to the WMH for another Centennial Speaker Series featuring Brian Colman and Nicole Mullen about the Japonisme movement.

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Jim Carter
In April, I eagerly returned to the WMH for another Centennial Speaker Series featuring Jim Carter about the engine that saved San Jose.

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Robin Chapman
Robin Chapman arrived with great enthusiasm for the Valley of Heart’s Delight for May’s Centennial Speaker Series.

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: 100 Years of History & Mystery
June’s Centennial Speaker Series focused on celebrating 100 years of history and mystery of the Winchester Mystery House.

1920s Centennial Brunch at the Winchester Mystery House
To continue its centennial celebrations, the Winchester Mystery House hosted a 1920s brunch and my sister joined me for the festivities!

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Lisa Francesca
July’s Centennial Speaker Series with Lisa Francesca dove into the tools of the spiritualism movement used in San Jose.

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: The Many Houses of Sarah Winchester
Janan Boehme returned in August for the Centennial Speaker Series to discuss the many houses of Sarah Winchester.

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Dale Fiore
Explore Sarah’s final resting place in New Haven at Evergreen Cemetery with Dale Fiore for September’s Centennial Speaker Series.

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Elizabeth Kile
Elizabeth Kile brought the spooky for October’s Centennial Speaker Series, sharing the spirit of the story and the ghosts of San Jose.

Winchester Mystery House Centennial Speaker Series: Why WMH Looks the Way it Does
Janan Boehme returned in November for the final Centennial Speaker Series to discuss art for art’s sake or why WMH looks the way it does.
How the Centennial Celebrations Became Formative Hours for Me
I have always had a passion for history, which I attribute to my mother. She has always been a huge lover of history, especially of our country’s formation and our family’s immigration histories. However, when it came to formal education, my history grades were never really something to boast. I can only imagine one of my high school history teachers stumbling across this post – wondering how this can be the same girl who, in the middle of class, declared that she didn’t understand how gorillas were engaging in warfare.
Neither here nor there, these experiences over the year not only grew my love for San Jose’s more famous historic landmark, but also my interest in unearthing local history. It is so easy to be swept away in the larger scale of history. However, I have unearthed this beautiful cozy intimacy in learning about the history that happened right in your own backyard. We tend to take these things a little for granted, that they’re just there because they always have been, but there is so much to the story. And the beauty of hearing each of these speakers pass on their oral stories has been invigorating. I walked away from this whole year a changed woman with Ll Landa Villa injected in my veins and perspectives.
Future Celebrations at The Winchester Mansion
The Winchester Mystery House is ALWAYS hosting special events if you keep in the know. As luck would have it, staying in touch is extremely easy! Their advertising team is great about keeping both their Instagram account and email newsletter up-to-date with their latest offerings. You can find their email list sign up at the bottom of their main page. I strongly recommend following either of these to stay in the loop.

Interested in ALL of my Winchester Mystery House experiences? Just click here or on the image above to see any and all posts I’ve written about my various experiences at Sarah Winchester’s La Llanda Villa.














