The 13 Tombstones at The Haunted Mansion

Jeff Heimbuch tells the tales of the tombstones

- by Jeff Heimbuch, February 18, 2011

As my family and girlfriend will attest, my all-time favorite Disney World attraction is The Haunted Mansion. No matter what we do, where we're going, or what time we get there, it's the very first ride I go on. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

We get off the bus, we drop off our stuff in our room, and then we high-tail it to Liberty Square so I can satisfy my urge to party with the 999 happy haunts.

The Haunted Mansion Interactive Queue

Needless to say, I was (and still am) a bit worried when Disney announced they would be adding interactivity to the queue. Granted, these interactive queues have worked well in other areas of the park. The new Winnie the Pooh queue is tons of fun for kids and adults, and the games at Soarin' definitely make the wait time pass faster.

But then I heard where the new queue would go: in the graveyard!

Adding interactive elements to newer rides is fine. But tearing up a classic attraction and removing memorable, quirky Imagineer tributes doesn't sit too well with me.

The Tales Behind the Tombstones

Reading the tombstones near the entrance of The Haunted Mansion has always been a favorite activity of mine, especially when I'm able to explain to others what the inscriptions mean. I hope Disney doesn't abandon them altogether and integrates them respectfully into the new queue.

Since my column about the stories behind the names on the Main Street, U.S.A. store windows got such a good response, I've decided to present the stories behind the names on the 13 tombstones outside The Haunted Mansion.

Just like the windows, each tombstone is an 'insider' tribute to an Imagineer who helped make The Haunted Mansion the ghastly place that it is today.

Wathel Rogers

HERE RESTS - WATHEL R. BENDER - HE RODE TO - GLORY ON - A FENDER - PEACEFUL - REST

Wathel Rogers worked as an animator on many Disney classic animated films like Pinocchio, Bambi, Alice In Wonderland, and Sleeping Beauty. In his spare time, he created model railroads and toys which caught the eye of Walt Disney.

As a result, Wathel helped Walt create 'Project Little Man', the first of Disney's many audio-animatronics. Wathel became known as 'Mr. Audio-Animatronics' and helped the company create some of its iconic figures, including Abraham Lincoln and the 'walking' Benjamin Franklin who stars in The American Adventure at EPCOT.

Fred Joerger

HERE LIES - GOOD OLD - FRED - A GREAT BIG ROCK - FELL ON HIS HEAD - R.I.P.

Fred Joerger was a set designer and model builder best-known for the rock formations he created from plaster. Fred crafted miniature models of Disney theme park attractions prior to their full-scale construction. He was also responsible for giving many attractions the Disney 'look', and he designed all of the rockwork you see at Disney World.

Cliff Huet

REST IN PEACE - COUSIN HUET - WE ALL KNOW - YOU DIDN'T DO IT

Cliff Huet was a lead interior designer for The Haunted Mansion and an architect for WED.

Francies Xavier

REQUIESCAT - FRANCIES XAVIER - NO TIME OFF - FOR GOOD - BEHAVIOR - RIP

X. Atencio (the X is for Xavier) joined Disney in 1938 and worked on many of Walt's animated features before transferring to WED in 1964 to help with such famous attractions as Pirates of the Carribbean, Adventure Thru Inner Space, and the Haunted Mansion.

He also co-wrote the catchy tune 'Grim Grinning Ghosts', which I have been known to hum from time to time! Atencio's voice can be heard pleading for release from within the coffin in the Mansion's conservatory.

Leota Tombs

DEAR SWEET LEOTA - BELOVED BY ALL - IN REGIONS BEYOND NOW, - HAVING A BALL

The newest tombstone to the Mansion cemetery is also one of the coolest. This stone moves up and down, and its pleasing face opens its eyes to look over the crowd entering into the Mansion - a wonderfully eerie touch!

Madame Leota is named after Leota Tombs, a WED artist. Leota's head was used to test the Mansion's seance room crystal ball, but the Imagineers liked it so much they kept it for the final version. This tombstone, and the character in the seance room, are both named in her honor.

Dave Burkhart

DEAR DEPARTED - BROTHER - DAVE - HE CHASED A - BEAR INTO - A CAVE

Dave Burkhart was a model maker with Disney. After the Mansion, he worked as a field art producer and show designer on the Swiss Family Treehouse and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

In 1974 Dave became Superintendent of Decoration at Disneyland in charge of making the 'show aspects' of the park look good every day. He kept advancing in the company until his assignment in 1984 to the Tokyo Disneyland Project. There, he created the Show Quality Assurance Program to help Japanese management learn how to keep maintenance on par with the rest of the Disney Parks.

After leaving Disney in 1996, Dave worked for Universal Studios as the Creative Director for their theme park in Japan.

Bill Martin

HERE LIES - A MAN NAMED - MARTIN - THE LIGHTS WENT - OUT ON THIS OLD - SPARTAN

After leaving 20th Century Fox, Bill Martin helped design and build Disneyland. Every Saturday, he'd walk the park with Walt to see how they could improve it. Bill also contributed to the creation of all dark ride track development.

In 1971, Bill was named Vice President of Design at WED. He was also responsible for the design of the Utilidors that run beneath that park and for the design of various watercraft, including the Admiral Joe Fowler and Richard F. Irvine riverboats that take guests to the Magic Kingdom.

Gordon Williams

RIP - GOOD FRIEND - GORDON - NOW YOU'VE - CROSSED THE - RIVER JORDON

Gordon Williams was an authority on audio-animatronics and an accomplished audio designer. He was behind almost all of the sound effects in The Haunted Mansion.

Chuck Myall

IN MEMORIUM - UNCLE MYALL - HERE YOU'LL LIE - FOR QUITE A WHILE

Chuck Myall was one of the master planners of Disney World as well as an art director and project designer for WED. His projects included Sleeping Beauty Castle, the monorail, and Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland.

Bob Sewell

RIP - MISTER SEWELL - THE VICTIM - OF A DIRTY - DUEL - PEACEFUL REST

Bob Sewell joined WED after Disneyland opened in 1955. Sewell was in charge of show installations at the park, and he was head of the Model Shop at WED for most of his years at Disney until his retirement in 1981.

Marc Davis

IN MEMORY OF - OUR PATRIARCH - DEAR DEPARTED - GRANDPA - MARC

Marc Davis is one of Disney's legendary 'Nine Old Men'. He was one of the most creative forces in theme park design history. His concept art is well-known by many Disney fans, and were the origin of many audio-animatronic scenes found in both Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion.

Claude Coats

AT PEACEFUL - REST LIES - BROTHER - CLAUDE - PLANTED HERE - BENEATH THIS - SOD

Claude Coats was originally a background artist for Walt's animated films. Later, as a show designer, he helped bring Disneyland (and Walt Disney World) to life. He was largely responsible for designing The Haunted Mansion's interior environments.

Yale Gracey

MASTER GRACEY - LAID - TO REST - NO MOURNING - PLEASE - AT HIS - REQUEST - FAREWELL

Yale Gracey and Rolly Crump spent a year in a warehouse together doing nothing but coming up with special effects and gags for The Haunted Mansion.

While Rolly ultimately left the project, Gracey stayed on until the end, and was responsible for nearly all of Mansion's special effects. Yale was the 'master' of effects which earned him the title 'Master Gracey'.

Though there was never an official story behind the Mansion, this grave leads guests to believe that Master Gracey was the master of the house, and in turn, the Ghost Host that takes you on the tour. Disney never officially acknowledged the rumor, but it led to the character of Master Gracey in the The Haunted Mansion movie.

If you look closely, you'll see that the dirt around Master Gracey's grave is different than the dirt in front of the other graves. It looks as if he was just recently 'laid to rest!' Often, to pay their respects, Cast Members will place a red rose on the dirt as well.

The Haunted Mansion Crypts

Those are the 13 official tombstones of The Haunted Mansion. However, for a brief two-week period, there was another stone in the graveyard. It was put there to honor John Sullivan when he retired as President of the Magic Kingdom. What did it say? For me, at least, that's still a mystery...

In addition to the tombstones honoring the Imagineers, Disney also placed three crypts by the exit. The purpose of these crypts was to pass on clever puns, some of which are quire funny if you take the time to read them on your way out of the Mansion.

The first crypt contains the following dearly departed: C.U. Later, Dustn T. Dust, Asher Y Ashes, MT Tomb, Hail N. Hardy, I.M. Ready, Love U. Trudy, I. Trudy Deui, Rusty Gates, Pearl E. Gates, and Rustin Peese.

The second crypt, which bears the inscription 'In Spiritual Repose', contains the bodies of I Ial Lushinashun, Bea Witch, Hap A Rition, Manny Festation, Metta Fisiks, Clare Voince, Wee. G. Bored, I. Emma Spook, and Paul Tergyst.

The final crypt pays homage to the French literary folktale of Bluebeard. It contains his loving wives, and it reads:

Blue Beard 1440
Here lieth his loving wives:
Penelope - died 1434
Abigail - 1435
Anastasia - 1436
Prudence - 1437
Pheobe - 1438
Eugenia - 1439
Lucretia -
Seven winsome wives
Some fat, some thin
Six of them were faithful
But the seventh did him in

The Importance of Imagineer Tributes

I hope Disney recognizes that The Haunted Mansion tombstones are a vital part of its legacy. Though it's easy to overlook them or take them for granted, they add to the ghoulish delight and charm of the attraction, and they pay tribute to the Imagineers who created The Haunted Mansion.

Fingers crossed that they will be back soon!

So far, we've covered the Main Street Windows and The Haunted Mansion tombstones, but that only scratches the surface of the many Imagineer tributes hidden throughout the park. In upcoming weeks, I'll point more tributes so you can look for them youself the next time you're at Disney World.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter for updates!

Don't stop there! Check out more The 626...