Caretaker

**The Caretaker**, real-name **Silas Crump** is a character from the *Haunted Mansion*.

## History

Silas Crump was a man in New Orleans, Louisiana during the 20th century along with his dog. Silas worked as caretaker to an estate in New Orleans Square known as the Haunted Mansion which possessed a large cemetery where he was frequently terrorized by the house's ghostly inhabitants. Silas has seemingly held this position for many years (possibly going into the 21st century), and worked as caretaker well into his old age.

### Alternate versions

#### Magic Kingdom/Tokyo Disneyland

In these versions of the attraction, Silas was caretaker of the Dutch-Gothic Gracey Manor in a sleepy village located in upstate New York.

#### Ghost Gallery

In this non-canonical origin for Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, the Caretaker was a man named **Dick O'Dell** who was born in upstate New York in 1931. He was a mixed-race Romani/white man born to immigrants whom died during a carnival ride accident. Dick spent most of his life working in the carnival until 1971 when it came to Walt Disney World in Florida.

Gracey Manor had been transported from New York to Walt Disney World as an attraction and Dick was employed by Disney to serve as the attraction's caretaker. Dick was given his own room in the mansion (although he could never find it) and was also given his dog, "Bony" which was descended from the late Master Gracey's pet Hellhound, itself descended from a prison dog used by the Caribbean town of Puerto Dorado.

#### Haunted Mansion (comics)

In these comics the caretaker has the name **Horace Fusslebottom** and works as groundskeeper to the manor's cemetery due to his late-wife haunting the grounds.

## Appearances and allusions

### Haunted Mansion

The Caretaker briefly appears at the beginning of the Haunted Mansion's third-act, scared at the gates of the manor's cemetery alongside his dog.

### In other media

#### Film

##### Haunted Mansion (2003)

The Caretaker and his dog briefly appear as ghosts in the mansion's cemetery.

#### Printed materials

##### Disney Kingdoms

The Caretaker briefly appears in this comic after protagonist Danny Crowe falls from Constance's domain in the attic only for him to be instantly scared off by ghosts.

## Connections

### Adventure Isle

A photograph of the mansion along with the story of the Johnson family can be found on a newspaper by First International News in the League of Adventurers' Camp Discovery on Adventure Isle.

### Tales from Adventureland

The character Nicodemus Crump who runs South Seas Traders shares his surname with Silas in this non-canonical books.

## Trivia

* The surname Crump is a tribute to imagineer Rolly Crump who created the Museum of the Weird.
* The caretaker shared his face moulds with a safari member from the original Trapped Safari of the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise. This member of the party was replaced in 2021 with the JNC skipper Felix Pechman XIII.
* The Caretaker's dog is sometimes given the name of, "Bony" or, "Bones".
* In Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Caretaker is replaced by Jack Skellington with Zero while in Phantom Manor he is replaced by the Phantom and Goliath.

## References

1. ↑ http://doombuggies.com/history7.html
2. ↑ http://www.mainstgazette.com/2012/07/province-of-massachusetts-bay.html