The Ghosts of Disneyland

Halloween is right around the corner, and this is the season for exploring haunted houses, listening for whispers in the dark, and telling ghost stories. Even the Happiest Place on Earth has its fair share of ghostly legends, and we’re not just talking about the Haunted Mansion.

The Main Street Firehouse

Above the Firehouse in Town Square, to the right of City Hall, Walt Disney built a personal apartment to oversee the building of Disneyland, and for personal use when he was in town. To let guests and Cast Members know that he was in the Park, Walt would light a lamp in the Firehouse window.

There are several legends surrounding this lamp after Walt’s death. Most involve a Cast Member turning the lamp off, only to return and find it inexplicably lit again. Sometimes They say the lamp will have been turned off multiple times, only to relight every time the Cast Member’s back is turned. Eventually, Cast Members got the picture: the light is now left burning, a symbol of Walt’s eternal presence in Disneyland.

The Rivers of America

In the 1970s, two brothers hid on Tom Sawyer Island past park closing. To get off the island, and to avoid Cast Members that may still be walking the park, they decided to swim across the Rivers of America. The older brother swam across, towing his younger brother behind. For unknown reasons, he could not make it the entire way across, and drowned in the river. The younger brother managed to survive, and was found by cast members - it took until the next morning to find the body of the older brother.

To this day, Cast Members have mentioned feeling an eerie presence, seeing unexplained ripples in the water, and even an apparition around the Rivers of America - perhaps the ghost of the drowned older brother.

The Lady in White

Stories have been told of several shops on Main Street, USA being haunted. Cast Members and guests have reported seeing a woman dressed in a white 19th century dress walking the street after dark. Could she be a woman who died on the property before Disneyland was built?

The Matterhorn

The Matterhorn has a bloody history  - at least two deaths have been reported on the ride, not to mention several injuries. 

One Disney legend tells of a woman named Dolly who died on the Matterhorn, thrown from her bobsled because her seatbelt was unbuckled. 

They say this woman haunts the tracks of the Matterhorn, sometimes manifesting as a ghostly figure. Cast Members have reported feeling eyes on them, cold spots, and hearing whispers while walking the tracks at night.

The Weeping Boy

The Haunted Mansion has 999 happy haunts, and possibly 1 unhappy one: according to some, a Disneyland guest once wanted to spread her son’s ashes in the Haunted Mansion ride, but was not given permission by the park. Undeterred, she spread the ashes in the ride anyway.

Since that night, the ghost of a small boy is often seen at the exit of the Haunted Mansion - crying.

The Monorail Man

During grad night in the 1960s, a young man tried to sneak into the park via the Monorail. A Cast Member spotted him, and the young man took off running down the tracks. Unfortunately, he was struck and killed by an oncoming Monorail train.

Rumors have circulated that the young man can be seen at night, running along the monorail tracks, only to vanish without a trace.

Mr. One Way

One ghost in Disneyland has earned a nickname. “Mr. One Way” is frequently seen on Space Mountain, described by many as a large man with red hair and a red face. According to rumor, it is the ghost of a man who died on the ride in the 1970s. He is usually reported taking a seat next to single riders, only to disappear by the end of the ride. 

You don't have to ride the Haunted Mansion for ghoulish experiences - it turns out, there may be happy (or not-so-happy) haunts all over the park.