Gracey Manor

Madame Leota

Hatbox Ghost

Gracey Manor is a location in The Disney Club. It is an old white antebellum manor located on Esplanade Street in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana that is inhabited by nine hundred and ninety-nine "happy haunts" (but there's room for a thousand).

## History

The early years of the mansion are shrouded in mystery, though it was likely constructed either in the latter half of the 18th century or early half of the 19th. According to some stories, the mansion's original owner was a sea captain who lived in the manor with his bride. While the circumstances surrounding these two change on the telling if they ever were true residents at all, the stories always end with the two dying and becoming ghosts in the estate.

At some point, the mansion came into the ownership of a wealthy family (likely the eponimus Gracey family) whom had at-least 13 members. The family's patriarch was one, "Grandpa Marc" who died and was was buried in the family plot. It is believed (though disputed) that the master of the house was one Master Gracey, a handsome aristocrat in the family who harbored a dark-side. All the members of this family would face sudden and violent deaths leading to them being buried in the family-plot outside the manor.

A variety of different characters had mysterious connections to the Haunted Mansion's history throughout the 19th century. Most notable amongst these was a Romani clairvoyant named Madame Leota whom took her vardo to the estate. Leota's ghost haunted a séance chamber in the mansion where her spirit incarnated within a crystal ball. A figure related to the madame was one Little Leota, a presumed relative (most frequently identified as her daughter) whom posthumously became the mansion's, "Ghostess". Little Leota's male counterpart was a deformed murderer known as the Hatchet Man who would commit suicide in the manor's cupola and subsequently become the mansions, "Ghost Host".

At some point in time, these spirits would work to run the Haunted Mansion as a sort of retirement home for spirits. Guests of the manor were brought in from all over the world via the Ghost Relations Department. Notable agents for the manor came in the form of Ezra, Gus and Phineas AKA The Hitchhiking Ghosts, three spirits who haunted mortals until they returned to the manor to become residents. Madame Leota herself would work to materialize the spirits who came within the mansion's happy haunting grounds.

By the year 1877, the manor came under the ownership of one George Hightower, a wealthy man from Newport Beach, California. Between 1875 and 1877, George moved into the manor with his bride-to-be Constance Hatchaway, a woman from Money County, California. Unknown to George, Constance was a serial-killer whom targeted wealthy men to kill with an axe and keep the severed heads of within hatboxes as trophies. Constance's activity was accompanied by a mysterious man whom maintained some possession over the heads of Constance's victims.

Constance would stash away the mementos of her life of crime in the Haunted Mansion's attic, seemingly resulting in the attic being haunted by her four late-husband (if not others). Following her marriage to George, Constance murdered the aristocrat with an axe to the skull and inherited his estate. The hatbox man would also die via decapitation with his own head being stuffed within a hatbox (Constance's modus operandi) and him going on to become the, "Hatbox Ghost" whom haunted the mansion.

Constance herself lived comfortably into her old age and evaded the law. The Black Widow Bride ultimately died of unknown circumstances in 1927 at the age of 76. Constance's murderous spirit would inhabit the attic of the manor. The mansion would garner a reputation amongst locals as being haunted and as hosting hundreds of spirits within. Around the holiday seasons, the manor would host Jack Skellington and his residents of the realm Halloween Town who assisted the undead residents in celebrating the holiday seasons.

By 1935, the mansion came into the ownership of the Johnson family. The Johnsons were frequently terrorized by the many spirits within the manor. During the holiday seasons, the Johnsons were also terrorized by Jack Skellington and his pet ghost-dog, Zero. Around September 22, 1936, the Johnson family abandoned the mansion and reported on its haunting to the First International News, history's first internationally printed newspaper. The manor was later resold for a fraction of its original price due to the supernatural aura and stories surrounding the manor.

Following this event in the 20th-21st century, the Haunted Mansion came to hold 999 happy haunts from all over the world. Manor officials such as the Ghost Host would work to try and increase the numbers as much as possible as the manor always has room for a thousand. The manor's exterior would be taken care of by one Silas Crump, the estate's caretaker who was often accompanies by his pet dog. At some point, the manor became a sort of connection between Earth and, "The Spirit World", the domain of spirits which did not oblige the laws of the mortal world.

## Points of Interest

### Exterior

* Cemetery

The cemetery is an expansive burial-ground behind the Haunted Mansion. This cemetery was densely wooded and contained a small forest, hills, and mud-pits. Many of the tombs within the cemetery were likely brought in posthumously as it included the likes of an Ancient Egyptian tomb and tombstones dating back as far as 1506, centuries before New Orleans' founding.

* Crypts

The crypts were a pair of crypts located under the surface-level of the manor's grounds and which were accessed by a staircase adjacent to the family-plot. The names on the crypts were all macabre plays on words with the names including: Asher T. Ashes, Clare Voince, Dustin T. Dust, Hail N. Hardy, Hap A. Rition, I. Emma Spook, I. M. Ready, I. Trudy Dew, Love U. Trudy, Metta Fisiks, Paul Tergyst, Ray. N. Carnation, Rusty Gates, U. R. Gone, Be a Witch, C. U. Later, G. I. Missyou, Hal Lusinashun, I. L. Beback, I. M. Mortal, I. Trudy Departed, Levi Tation, Manny Festation, M. T. Tomb, Rustin Peece, Theo Later, and Wee G. Bord . There is also a door in these crypts which connects to the Haunted Mansion's secret entrance passageway.

* Family Plot

The family-plot or berm cemetery was a private graveyard on the side of the mansion facing the New Orleans Square entrance. The plot itself was located overtop of the crypts and was used to hold the tombs of the family which previously owned the mansion; most often identified as, "The Gracey family".

* Gardens

The gardens were located near the gate entrance to the Haunted Mansion which faced New Orleans Square. In the gardens were a variety of statues, griffins, a marble bust depicting Michelangelo's The David, and mechanical pillars of unknown origin.

* Mausoleum

The Mausoleum is a large flooded crypt on the side of the mansion which is opposite to New Orleans Square. The mausoleum has two known entrances with one being inside of the cemetery and the other being in New Orleans, outside the mansion's grounds.

* Pet Cemetery

The Pet Cemetery was a pair of burial-grounds in the front of the mansion which were used by a variety of unknown parties to bury animals. A less occupied plot for the Pet Cemetery was located to the side of the mansion, having most notable contained a crypt dedicated to one, "Penny the Elephant".

### First Floor

* Foyer

The foyer was a chamber at the front of the house resembling a funeral-parlor.

* The Grand Hall

The Grand Hall was a large ballroom located on the first floor but which had a ceiling going up to the second. The hall has a pair of large doors exiting into the outside of the mansion along with several windows on the second floor. Within the ballroom was a grand chandelier, dancing floor, large fireplace, portraits depicting a pair of gentlemen, and a pipe-organ.

* Portrait Corridor

The portrait corridor was a winding hallway decorated with marble-busts, the statue of a one-eyed cat and portraits of *The Flying Dutchman*, Sir Edward "The Black Prince" of Woodstock, Medusa, Master Gracey and a were-cat. Many of these portraits were parallel to a variety of windows overlooking the manor's glade.

* Portrait Gallery

The Portrait Gallery - or as it is better known, "The Stretching Room" - is an octagonal chamber connecting to the foyer and located directly underneath of the cupola. A portrait gallery, the chamber contained four portraits depicting some of the manor's residents as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal states. Said portraits depicted the likes of the tightrope-walker Sally Slater, the official Alexander Nitrokoff, an aged Constance Hatchaway, and four men who suffocated in quicksand. The chamber was illuminated with eight metal gargoyles which held candles and two standing by each painting.

* Secret Entrance

The secret-entrance was a passage connecting the portrait corridor with the crypts in the manor's front.

* Stairway

The stairway was a chamber connecting to the portrait corridor which largely deteriorated into a dark limbo as a result of the mansion's connections to the spirit world.

* Veranda

The first floor of the Haunted Mansion had a veranda wrapping around the circumference of the manor.

### Second Floor

* Alcove

The alcove was a room accessed from the ballroom via the stairway opposite to the balcony. This room served as a small library but was usually shut off from view of mortal guests.

* Balcony

The second floor of the manor had an expansive balcony going around much if not all of the mansion's exterior.

* Conservatory

The conservatory was a greenhouse located on the second floor and which presumably overlooked the cemetery given how it is not visible from the front of the manor. The conservatory was used to hold an ebony black coffin that contained an undead prisoner of the manor.

* Corridor of Doors

The corridor of doors was a twisting series of hallways decorated with a distinctive purple/black wallpaper which depicted eyes and faces watching those within. The corridors were filled with a variety of rooms of unknown origin but which seemingly housed individual spirits in the manor. Decorating the corridor were photographs of corpse-faces, a portrait of the Ghost Host, a cross-stitch reading, "Tomb Sweet Tomb", and a black grandfather clock with 13 hours and a demonic appearance.

* Grand Hall Balcony

This was a second-floor balcony which overlooked the Grand Hall of the Mansion. The walkway connected to Madame Leota's chamber and the entrance to the manor's attic.

* Endless Hallway

The endless hallway was a seemingly infinite hall with red wallpaper that connected to a countless number of rooms in the manor with an undead ending. The landing for this hallway was near the corridor of doors and contained a suit of armor and arm-chair resembling an anthropomorphic face.

* Séance Chamber

The Séance Chamber was a dark room used by Madame Leota to conduct her spells. The chamber contained many objects used by Madame Leota for her occult rituals.

### Attic & Cupola

* Balcony

The balcony was a small balcony in a state of disrepair which overlooked the cemetery.

* Cupola

The cupola is a hexagonal structure with six windows and a weathervane in the likeness of a sailing-ship. The cupola was used by the Hatchet Man to commit suicide, leaving his skeletal corpse in the room when he became the Ghost Host.

* Storage Room

The majority of the attic-space was taken up by the storage room. This room was used by Constance Hatchaway as her dwelling and to stash away the mementos of her life of crime.

* Hatbox Ghost's room

This chamber seemingly was used to house the Hatbox Ghost and was adjacent to the balcony but not part of the storage room.

## Notes

The mansion's name comes from the name comes from the Eddie Murphy movie adaptation to give it a more official name (though rest assured, that is the ***only*** connection made to that film).