In the late 1980s, Cast Members from the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion began to create stories for the characters that inhabit the Mansion. In the years following, the “butlers” and “maids” would compile these stories into a special collection in a binder kept backstage. The stories gained enough popularity in the late '90s and early 2000s that they were often regarded as canon by the fan community, popularized on sites such as Wikipedia and the venerable DoomBuggies.com. I myself believed the stories to be canon as a young middle schooler in the early 2000s. In fact, some of the stories were downright freaky and creeped me out, namely the origin story for the man in the coffin (Jamie Padgett), and the villainous, almost Constance Hatchaway-like take on Madame Leota. Come to find out in later years, none of the stories have ever been canon - they're pure fanfiction - unofficial writings. And that's what's beautiful about it.
Being a resident of Southern California, I felt it only fair to adapt the original Ghost Gallery and write stories of my own for the Disneyland Haunted Mansion. While much of these origin stories for the Mansion's 999 supernatural residents are directly adapted (and often changed up considerably) from the original Ghost Gallery, you will find stories and plot twists of my own creation. Therefore, the following stories - which will be posted here throughout each week - are inspired by the stories compiled by the Cast Members at the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion. I take no credit for their writings or ideas. You can find the original Ghost Gallery in its entirety here:
DoomBuggies - Haunted Mansion Ghost Gallery
doombuggies.com
Thank you indeed.
Without further ado, here is my take on the Disneyland Haunted Mansion's Ghost Gallery... Read on, if you dare...
*NOTICE: IN MY VERSION OF THE GHOST GALLERY, CONSTANCE HATCHAWAY AND HER GROOMS DO NOT EXIST. I AM STILL ABIDING BY THE ORIGINAL BEATING HEART BRIDE STORYLINE. JUST A HEADS UP!
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Name: The Haunted Mansion
Birth: October 31, 1813
Death: N/A
Gracey Manor, or simply the “Mansion,” was built in 1813.
Ward Edwards, a wealthy riverboat tycoon placed the site of his future home on a hill overlooking the river from a dark corner of the Louisiana swampland. Despite rumors of the site being on an ancient Indian burial ground, construction commenced, famously plagued with freak accidents and strange happenings, including the accidental death of a construction worker. Edwards quietly buried the deceased in the home’s infrastructure, paying off the other workers to stay quiet. Soon after, all of his workers had fled the site, giving the greedy baron no other choice but to finish the bricklaying himself. He moved his family in on October 31, 1813.
Driven mad from sealing the deceased worker in the walls, Edwards built false doors and endless hallways throughout the sprawling manor, wishing to lead any vengeful spirits astray. Staircases led to nowhere - doors opened into walls - trapdoors dropped into chutes - secret panels led into dark, inescapable chambers. The house was completed, but no one had seen or heard from Edwards in years. His riverboat empire was eventually sold, and the Edwards family abandoned the house. Apparently Edwards went mad and sealed himself within a crypt, still alive.
In the years following, the abandoned homestead became a hideout for organized crime and pirates, as well as a brothel, and an army barracks during the American Civil War. The self-sealed crypt of Ward Edwards became the first in a number of tombs added to the Mansion’s fledgling boneyard. Those buried in the graveyard are only a small sample of the many that have died on the premises.
In 1871, the deed was passed to Colonel Ronald Stevens, a wealthy publisher, among the winnings from a riverboat card game. The Colonel began an extensive renovation on the Mansion, which proved just as unfortunate as its construction had been. When a stonemason named Fred was killed by a “great, big rock,” Colonel Stevens took over the stone cutting himself. He moved his family in on October 31, 1871. Shortly thereafter, the Colonel lost his mind. He spent his final days carving his name backwards on tombstones. He perished in a boiler explosion. The remaining bits of him were buried under each of the headstones inscribed “SNEVETS NOR.”
The Stevens Family sold the Mansion to the American Spiritualist Society, which used it as a retreat. The Society converted one of the rooms into a seance circle, which was used nightly to summon departed spirits from the netherworld. They had logged several hundred undead contacts by the time of their dissolution in 1913. The Mansion was then sold to George Gracey. Gracey had bought the Mansion for use as his family’s winter home. After his murder in the summer of 1929, his widow sold the Gracey Estate, except for the Mansion, which their son, Master Roland Gracey inherited.
Decades later in 1969, a paranormal investigation team received permission from the groundskeeper to explore the inside of Gracey Manor, which by now had been abandoned for several years. A twenty-four hour investigation concluded in outrageous, near-nonsensical claims - talking marble busts, waltzing ghosts, breathing doors - the team uncovered just about everything they could about the house’s tragic history, from the greed of Ward Edwards to the unfortunate end of Roland Gracey. Even more outrageous, the investigators concluded that the Mansion had taken on a mind of its own, opening its doors to ghosts from all over the world, inviting them to retire amid the country club-like atmosphere - famous ghosts, infamous ghosts, ghosts trying to make a name for themselves, ghosts afraid to live by themselves - all were welcome. Gracey Manor had literally become a Haunted Mansion.
Name: Mary Abigail Patecleaver Gracey & George Buford Gracey
Birth: September 30, 1859 (Mary), February 7, 1851 (George)
Death: Unknown (Mary), August 9, 1929 (George)
The Gracey story begins - as most often do - once upon a time, in a faraway land. Mary Abigail Patecleaver was born on September 30, 1859. The Patecleaver Family was despised in their native Romanian village. Not only was the family poor and notoriously filthy, it was rumored that Mary’s mother had once had a romantic affair with a vampire, namely Count Dracula. Of course, such rumors were pure fantasy…
Mary had a sheltered and stifling childhood from which she longed to escape. She was tirelessly mocked for her family name. Her father had no choice but to provide his daughter with a private education from home. Eventually, Mary halted her studies to help the family make ends meet, often taking odd jobs for organized crime and peculiar barons in sinister castles. With what little money she managed to save for herself, Mary would venture to the nearest major city and enjoy the nightlife. Just as she reached her teens, however, both her parents perished mysteriously. Mary was saddled with the upbringing of her infant brother Asa. As the years dragged on, Mary became resentful of Asa. She finally threatened to kill him, so he ran away to the United States and joined the circus. Asa Patecleaver would later become the Mansion’s handyman.
Now free of responsibility, Mary set out to see the world and meet new people. Arriving in New York City, she first met a young entrepreneur by the name of George Buford Gracey. Though he was a lackluster lover, he somehow managed to sweep Mary off her feet. To her dismay, she soon found herself with child, and was obliged to marry George.
While her husband went off on what she assumed to be “exciting” business trips, Mary Gracey stayed home with their young child, Roland. The moment he was old enough, she sent him off to the finest boarding school in the country so she might once more set out to see the world. Unfortunately, George began conducting his business from home, once again foiling Mary’s plans for freedom.
Years later, as Roland Gracey reached adulthood, George confessed to an affair with a “Miss Patterson” in Boston. The affair had produced a child, Daniel (Daniel would later go on to become the Mansion’s liveryman). This gave Mary a “golden opportunity.” That night, George was discovered with an ax run through his skull.
At the trial, Mary’s counsel pleaded for mercy on the grounds that she was now a widow. Witnesses testified that the murder was justified because George had been “a very dull man who told pointless, long winded stories.” Mary Abigail Patecleaver-Gracey was acquitted for “lack of evidence,” and emerged smelling like a rose. She sold the Gracey Estate, leaving the family’s winter home in New Orleans to Roland, and returned to Europe, never to be seen or heard from again.
Name: Roland Gracey
Birth: October 13, 1890
Death: February 29, 1943
*Yes, Mansion fans, I'm aware this portrait is NOT Master Gracey, nor the Master of the house. However, in my storyline, this is him - creative liberties!
Born into wealth, Roland Gracey went to the finest schools - both Harvard and Yale, remarkably. As a boy, Roland didn’t know much of his father, George, as George was always off on some business - and Roland was always away at school. Roland moved into the Mansion when George was murdered by Mary, the Gracey matriarch. The former winter home of the Gracey Family was Roland’s prized inheritance.
Obsessed with getting to know his father even after death, Roland sought out the assistance of the occult. While seeking out mediums at carnivals, Roland met his first wife, Sally Slater, a French tight-rope walker at a circus. That same year, he met Madame Leota at the "Carnival of Souls" freak show in Salem, Massachusetts. Leota was older and unmarried. Her true devotion was communication with the dead. Roland promised her a life of luxury - whatever she yearned for would be hers in return for her services. Entranced by the eager and handsome young man, Leota agreed. The two shook in blood. Bringing Leota back to the Mansion, the odd pair began holding seances and performing rituals to speak with the dead and summon ghosts to the house.
Over time, Roland, Sally and Leota turned “Gracey Manor” into their personal Xanadu. The Mansion was to hold a collection of everything: imported artwork of the Renaissance, medieval armor, Grecian busts and statues, Egyptian artifacts, living beasts of the jungle, savanna and sea - lions and tigers and bears (oh my) - cursed artifacts of the occult and the supernatural… Lush fountains and vibrant gardens criss-crossed the private pleasure grounds. It was paradise on earth. Roland and Sally as husband and wife held the most elaborate, over-the-top parties in the world, at least once or thrice per weekend. What would start as an elegant meal by candlelight would always end in a night of sin and debauchery. The aging Leota, still in a blood oath with Gracey, would attend each party - and seduce more than her fair share of visitors to their untimely dooms... The bodies of Leota's many victims would fill the Mansion's growing graveyard...
Sally grew increasingly jealous of Madame Leota and sought for Roland to disown her. Roland, however, would hear none of it. Sally’s protests were silenced and the parties ended when a freak “accident” took Sally’s life in the jaws of a waiting alligator.
Roland resolved to the bottle for comfort in the wake of her death. In this period, his fascination with the occult only grew, collecting sinister art and decor, from an Egypitan mummy to a possessed piano. Gracey Manor had become a “museum of the weird” as the locals called it. Though the parties had since ended, Gracey and Leota continued their nightly communications with the dead. He squandered the rest of his fortune into these pursuits. Desperate for money, he married a second cousin, Emily Hutch, to entitle himself to further riches. Wealth aside, it was love at first sight. Gracey began to live again. The wedding, an extravagant affair on the Mansion grounds, was nothing short of spectacular - the perfect day. Those in attendance were assured to return home with a lifetime of “happy memories.”
Only 16, Emily was playful before the ceremony, and a game of hide & seek ended in her “accidental” suffocation inside an attic trunk. Emily never made it to the ceremony. When hours passed, suspicious arose. Gracey wept. Countless guests and servants searched for the missing bride, but to no avail. Madame Leota was responsible for Emily’s demise - she had locked the trunk through dark magic.
Alone now on the water’s edge, Gracey was startled by the arrival of Leota in a wedding gown. She revealed a number of ghastly truths, including Emily and Sally's murder. Per their agreement from years before, Leota demanded Roland’s hand in marriage. Enraged, Gracey snapped into a violent fit. Leota tried justifying her unrequited love for him, but it was too late. While the exact events of February 29, 1943 remain shrouded in mystery, not a single guest or servant of the Manor survived Gracey's murderous rampage. Leota certainly perished. Her body was never found - but her head was - placed in a crystal ball. Emily’s body was never found, but her heart still beats for Master Gracey…
In the final moments of his life, it is said that Master Roland Gracey went mad and took his own life - he jumped into the river. When his body was recovered, his once youthful face had aged horrifically from the cold water, and continued to age postmortem until all that was left was exposed bone with bulging eyes. Since his death, no one has successfully lived inside the Mansion for more than a few months, but the stories of the Gracey Family live on.
Gracey was buried in the graveyard at the side of the house. The few who attended the funeral did not mourn his loss. Mysteriously, a “woman in black” has continued to visit Gracey’s tomb every morning since his death, bringing with her a single rose. It is claimed that this woman is the remorseful spirit of Sally or Emily, though there are those who believe it to be Madame Leota, forever taunting her would-be groom.
Name: Madame Leota
Birth: October 31, 1881
Death: February 29, 1943
Madame Leota (last name unknown) was born in the Louisiana bayou country to a kidnapped gypsy and a voodoo priest. Educated entirely (and only) in the occult, Leota matured learning that mankind was simply cattle - all could be influenced under the right circumstances. She was a bitter child and was known to fly into fits of rage at the least provocation. Despite her bad temper, Leota was most dangerous when calm and able to think things through… Sly, cunning, and evil - disliked by the gypsies and swamp folk alike.
In adulthood, Leota moved to the French Quarter of New Orleans and began hosting palm readings and seances. Although mostly exaggerated through special effects, her power was genuine. A brief stint at the “Carnival of Souls,” a traveling freak show, introduced Leota to Roland Gracey. In him, she saw an opportunity - his offer of anything she’d ever desire in return for her gifts, was just too good. She moved into the Mansion and easily took control over Gracey’s life.
When Sally Slater, Gracey’s first wife, tried to get rid of Leota, the Madame hypnotized her into performing her since retired tight-rope act at a party, ending in her death. Leota later convinced Gracey to marry Emily Hutch, a second cousin, only in the hopes of receiving the Hutch Family's wealth. This backfired, however, when Gracey fell in love with the young girl. Jealous, Leota locked Emily in a trunk, ending her life.
Leota had always planned to use the Mansion as a portal to the netherworld, an entrance to the world of the living for more powerful spirits and creatures. Gracey refused to permit this - in the resulting argument, as Leota wore a wedding gown to forcefully wed Gracey, she revealed herself the guilty party in the murders of Sally and Emily. Enraged, Gracey snapped into a violent fit. He ended up blindly murdering the servants and wedding guests, much to Leota’s delight. Having finally had enough of the massacre, Leota cast a spell to imprison Gracey in her crystal ball. But by then, Gracey had already drowned himself in the river. With his death, the spell went awry and backfired, killing Leota and trapping her head inside her own crystal ball.
Today, Leota still commands some small forces of the occult and the supernatural; but not as she was before.
Birth: August 3, 1896
Death: June 14, 1937
Sarah “Sally” Slater, who would one day become the first “Mistress Gracey,” was born in France to wealthy parents. They moved to the United States when Sally was 15. She grew up spoiled, having been given everything her heart had desired. This however changed when she was denied her heart’s truest desire - her first love, a circus performer named Alex. She thought she had won his heart in their brief liaison, but alas, the circus left town and a jilted Sally was crushed.
Eventually, she chased after the circus. Finally, she caught up to them in Mobile, Alabama, only to learn that her love had been killed in a freak accident involving a lion. Heartbroken, Sally joined the circus in his honor, and thus became a talented acrobat and tight-rope walker. It was during one of her performances that Roland Gracey fell in love with her. She was taken with the young man and, after a brief courtship, agreed to marry him. After all, her one true love had perished - Roland would do just fine.
After three months of marriage, Master Gracey brought Madame Leota into the household. Despite the three residents hosting wild parties and collecting wealth and antiquities to their heart’s desire, the goings on between Roland and Leota, and the disconcerting arrival of Leota's daughter - a girl of dubious parentage - Sally grew jealous, if not concerned. She was frequently neglected by her new husband in favor of Leota. Sally slipped further and further from reality and into a deep depression. One summer night, the typical “Gracey party” was well underway. Leota urged Sally to perform her old tight-rope act over the river near the Mansion. Yearning for the attention, Sally agreed. As the excited party goers gathered to watch, the rope began to unravel beneath Sally’s feet. Only halfway across, the rope snapped, the crowd gasped, and Sally Slater fell - eaten by an alligator.
Name: Emily Hutch
Birth: March 17, 1927
Death: February 29, 1943
The second Mistress Gracey, Emily Hutch, was born to the wealthy Hutch Family of Rhode Island. An only child, Emily was destined to inherit the family fortune. To her parent’s dismay, she was a daydreamer, endlessly playful, and was known to disappear for hours on end, contemplating flowers or patterns on wallpaper. Despite their best efforts, her parents never managed to get across the gravity of Emily’s financial and social situation.
When Mr. and Mrs. Hutch were suddenly killed by a runaway carriage, the entire Hutch estate fell on Emily’s young shoulders. At the funeral, she met Master Roland Gracey who had recently lost his first wife. Her handsome second cousin was prepared to offer her consolation and guidance. An impressionable girl of 16, she fell in love with Roland and his boyish charm. When he proposed marriage, the unwitting Emily accepted.
The wedding was to be a beautiful affair on the Mansion's grounds. A jealous Madame Leota, however, had entirely different plans. Still young, Emily playfully suggested a game of hide and seek with her new groom before the ceremony (bad luck, naturally). In her wedding gown, she found herself in the attic. Hearing Roland call to her, she hid in a large trunk. The trunk was small and horribly stuffy. Just as she prepared to open the lid and escape, she heard the sound of shifting metal. Madame Leota had locked the trunk through dark magic, and the young bride suffocated.
Emily’s body was never found.
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And that's it for today! Tune in next time for more chilling, thrilling tales from the Haunted Mansion.
