Haunted Mansion backstory

It has come to my realization that there is some 'splaining to do about the Haunted Mansion's past. Behold the abridged version:


A sea captain named Captain Gore built a house for his beautiful young bride, Priscilla. Soon after the mansion was finished, however, Gore had to sail away on business and had to leave Priscilla behind. His instructions to her were that she was not to go into the attic and look in the trunks that were up there. Priscilla agreed to that, and Gore kissed her and sailed away into the New Orleans sunset, promising to return when he could.

Priscilla waited and waited for her husband and grew heartsick for him. One day, she became very bored and went into the attic to explore in spite of Gore's warning. After looking in the trunks, Priscilla found that Gore was, among other things, a bloodthirsty pirate. Gasp. Priscilla never had time to think about this, though, because someone came up behind her and killed her. It was Captain Gore returned from the sea, who did not take kindly to someone snooping about in his personal items. Little did he know, in the dim light, that the person he had just killed was his wife.

Upon discovering this, Gore decided to kill himself, as well. He rushed downstairs and hung himself from the rafters in the entrance hall, where they say, if you look above you at certain moments, when the light is just right and your Ghost Host feels like it, he will reveal his hanging earthly remains to you.

His wife, Priscilla, still waits in the attic for her husband to return, her heart beating on and on, a constant drum. Time seems to have forgotten what passed between them on that unfortunate night when identities were mistaken. But 'tis certain... Captain Gore has not.



And there you have it. My retelling of the gruesome tale behind the original attraction. Now the Mansion's tale has been changed: there is still a bride in the attic, but she is not Captain Gore's. Her name is Constance and she has a different story of her own.

Gore is still a part of the Mansion (the weather vane atop the building is a ship) and of course, he still hangs from the ceiling after the opening spiel. And if you happen to look to your right as you leave the first hallway and go into Madame Leota's seance room, you can see a small portait of Gore with a noose around his neck on the wall.

- Wisher