Darlings, on this dreary Monday morning almost exactly between autumn and winter, why don’t we take a trip back in time to summer in the late 1960’s and peek at the newly instated grandeur of Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion? Inspired in part by the labyrinthine and bizarre Winchester Mystery House, the Haunted Mansion first opened its doors in August 1969, fourteen years after the park’s grand opening. This delightful little video from Disney History Institute provides some early footage and promotional material for the mansion while delving into the mysterious history of the Hatbox Ghost, one of the 999 spirits rumored to claim residence in the mansion, which disappeared during the early days of the attraction. Enjoy!
(via boing boing)
Related Posts:
– Call in the Spirits, Wherever They’re At: Haunted Mansion Hair and Makeup
– Happy Birthday, Thurl Ravenscroft!
– Check Out Anytime You Like: The Macabre History of Hotel Cecil
Categories: History (Haunted and Otherwise)
Dancing Skeletons and Troublesome Heads: Joyously Macabre Films of the 1890s 
In a Smile of Peculiar Meaning: Edgar Allan Poe’s “Berenice” 
It Is the Hour of Departure: Turn-of-the-Century Ghost Rides 
20th Century Glamour Ghoul: Honoring Maila Nurmi’s Vampira 
The Year of Halloween 
I think the hatbox ghost would be lonely today because nobody knows what a hatbox is. And nobody would be scared of a box ghost.
That was cool and interesting. What a thrill it would be to definitively answer such a question.