Disneyland is generally thought to be one of the few places on Earth where happiness has managed to be manufactured and packaged in a way that people can enjoy and share with their families for a price. But just as any location where happy memories are had, several people over the years have requested their ashes be spread at one of the most haunted spots in the happiest place on Earth. Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion is host to a macabre history of human ashes being spread there and ghosts suddenly appearing unscheduled and unrelated to the animatronic haunts.
At the end of the ride an eerie figure beckons visitors to join them in their final moments. And the mood is eerie enough to frighten some visitors away. But still others are instead compelled by it, wishing to have their eternal remains spread there so they can spend eternity in the mysterious mansion.
Sure, rumors have been spread of the incidents surrounding the park since it was first created. What better twist to a story about a haunted theme park attraction than learning it really is haunted? But the first signs started trickling out within only a few years. Maintenance workers would notice an accumulation of dust in the ride’s attractions far higher than anywhere else. Thinking it might be something to do with the special effects of the establishment they vigorously searched for the source. But what they found was that it only accumulated on days when guests were passing through. And more dust was appearing here than anywhere else in the park. Furthermore it had a strange thick soot-like appearance. And then they started finding other things distributed amid the dust. One of the most startling was the rumored discovery of a human jawbone by a janitor there. The police were contacted and executives of the theme park were alerted to a startling possibility. Many attendees may have been secretly spreading the ashes of their loved ones as they rode the rides there. A macabre twist to be sure, but was it true?
It can be confirmed that on several incidents people have requested permission to have ashes scattered there. It’s also presumable that many of the bereaved, upon hearing the dying wishes of the departed would not be allowed by the company, decided to do it anyway. And while the scattering of ashes has been confirmed on several other rides, including the Pirates of the Carribean attraction in 2007.
But the strangeness of the story doesn’t simply end there. In addition to the rumors of remains being spread at the haunted mansion, dozens of park employees have suggested there are actual haunts riding the trams throughout eternity as per their final wishes. Unconfirmed elements to the legend suggest several employees even have gone so far as to say they refuse to work at the Haunted Mansion unless they are accompanied by someone else. And how would the guests know if what they were seeing were a real haunt or simply part of the special effects? The location is one of the safest places for a ghost to appear if it doesn’t want to betray his or her existence to the public.
