Family Plot

The Family Plot or Berm Graveyard is an area which appears in front of all of the Haunted Mansions where it is filled with tombstones marked with humorous epitaphs, often honouring imagineers.

Disneyland

The New Orleans Square Mansion has a small family plot appearing over the pun crypts on a berm. There used to be only eight tombstones, but they were removed during the first Haunted Mansion Holiday. Replicas of the tombstones were reinstalled in the October of 2016, along with five new epitaphs.

The Original Eight:

• "Master Gracey laid to rest. No mourning please, at his request. Farewell". A tribute to imagineer and special effects wizard Yale Gracey who created many of the effects for the Haunted Mansion. His tombstone has a fresh rose placed atop it each morning and the dirt over his grave always appears freshly laid.
• "In memory of our patriarch dear departed Grandpa Marc". A tribute to animator Marc Davis who made concept art for the Haunted Mansion.
• "At peaceful rest lies Brother Claude, planted here beneath this sod". A tribute to Claude Coats who was lead designer of the Haunted Mansion's architecture.
• "Requiescat Francis Xavier. No time off for good behavior. R.I.P.". A tribute to X Atencio who wrote the script for the Haunted Mansion, the lyrics for Grim Grinning Ghosts and provided the voice of the Coffin Occupant. He also contributed concept art.
• "Cousin Victor. He brewed a batch of bad elixir". A tribute to Haunted Mansion chief-architect, Vic Greene.
• "Here Lies Phineas Pock, laid to rest beneath this rock. R.I.P."
• "Rolo Rumkin. Lived and Died a Friendly Bumpkin." A tribute to concept artist Roland "Rolly" Crump who designed the Museum of the Weird.
• "Here Rests Wathel R. Bender. He Rode to Glory on a Fender. Peaceful Rest." A tribute to animator Wathel Rogers who assisted in building the animatronics in the Haunted Mansion.

The Updated Four:

• "R.I.P. Cam Irving. Probably Should’ve Thought of Swerving". A tribute to imagineer Kim Irvine who also provides the face of Madame Leota during Haunted Mansion Holiday.
• "In Final Rest, M. Dibjib. He Had to Eat That One Last Rib." and "Loyal Friend Esteban Pine. No Longer Has to Wait in Line". share a double tombstone. M. Dibjib is a tribute to imagineer Michael Dobrzycki and Esteban Pine is a tribute to Steve Pinedo.
• "Julia Shrub. Such a Good Sport When People Would Tease Her for Being So Short". A tribute to Disneyland landscaper Julie Bush.
• "Aqui Descansa Bradford Clemente. Demaisiado Beber de la Fuente". This tombstone's epitaph is written in Spanish and translates to "Here Rests Bradford Clemente. He drank too much from the fountain" along with the inscription of a grape hinting at what sort of fountain he died drinking from. The tombstone is a tribute to senior show designer Brad Clemens.

Walt Disney World

At Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion, there were originally twelve tribute headstones, but more have been added over time. Leota's headstone was added in 2002.

Leota's Tombstone

The Original Tombstones:

• "Master Gracey laid to rest. No mourning please, at his request. Farewell" In Walt Disney World's family plot his tombstone is given it's own isolated plot for guest's to take photos with. Here the ground by his grave is not freshly laid but instead coved with overgrown grass.
• "In memory of our patriarch dear departed Grandpa Marc".
• "At peaceful rest lies Brother Claude, planted here beneath this sod".
• "Dear Sweet Leota, beloved by all. In regions beyond now, but having a ball". A tribute to imagineer Leota Toombs who provided the face of Madame Leota and the voice and face of the Ghostess. Her tombstone has a mould of her face which occasionally opens its eyes and looks around.
• "Requiescat Francis Xavier. No time off for good behavior. R.I.P."
• "Here Rests Wathel R. Bender. He Rode to Glory on a Fender. Peaceful Rest" .
• "Here lies good old Fred, a great big rock fell on his head". A tribute to Fred Joerger, who fabricated much of the rockwork in Disney parks.
• "Rest in Peace Cousin Huet, we all know you didn't do it". Tribute to Cliff Huet, the interior designer of the Mansion.
• "Dear Departed Brother Dave. He chased a bear into a cave". Tribute to model maker Dave Burkhart.
• "Here lies a man named Martin, the lights went out on this old Spartan". Tribute to Bud Martin, who worked in lighting effects.
• "R.I.P. Good friend Gordon, now you've crossed the River Jordan". Tribute for Gordon Williams, sound effect designer for the Mansion.
• "In Memoriam Uncle Myall, Here you'll lie for quite a while". Tribute to Chuck Myall, WED art director and project designer.
• "R.I.P. Mister Sewell, victim of a dirty duel". Tribute to Bob Sewell, who was the head of WED model shop

The Other Tombstones:

• "First lady of the opera, Our haunting Harriet. Searched for a tune, But never could carry it". A tribute to model maker and scenery designer Harriet Burns. Her tombstone also features the design of a viking helmet on it alluding to her being the female Opera Ghost found in the Graveyard, which would be put into proper spinoff use in Muppets Haunted Mansion.
• "He died in the fall, It's a fact not withstanding, But the judges admired His form on the landing". A tribute to Colin Campbell who illustrated the Story and Song of the Haunted Mansion book.

The Crypt:

• "Farewell forever, Mister Frees, your voice will carry on the breeze". A tribute to voice actor Paul Frees who voiced the Ghost Host.

• "Drink a toast to our friend Ken, raise your glass and don't say 'when'". A tribute to Ken Anderson, the unsung hero of the Haunted Mansion.
• "While Brother Roland here reposes his soul's above, or one supposes". A more direct tribute to Rolland "Rolly" Crump.
• "A train made a stain of absent minded Uncle Blaine. Rest in Peace". A tribute to Blaine Gibson who sculpted many of the animatronic ghosts for the Haunted Mansion.

Tokyo Disneyland

At Tokyo Disneyland's mansion, all of the epitaphs are reused from original tombstones but several of the names have been switched.

• "Mister West, laid to rest, no mourning please at his request". A tribute to Mike West, the epitaph is reused from that of Master Gracey's tombstone. There is also a chain connecting the tombstone to the tombstone of his dead dog Digger.
• "Requiescat Chauncey Xavier, no time off for good behaviour". The epitaph is reused from the tombstone of Francis Xavier.
• "At Peaceful Rest lies Brother Dodd, planted here beneath this sod". The epitaph is reused from Brother Claude's tombstone.
• "Good Friend Borden, Now you've crossed the River Jordan". Epitaph is reused from that of Gordon.
• "In memory of our patriarch dear departed Grandpa Marc".
• "Here lies good old Fred, a great big rock fell on his head".
• "Dear Departed Brother Dave. He Chased a Bear into a Cave".

Muppets Haunted Mansion

The special's version of the family plot is somewhat merged with the larger graveyard with the Caretaker and his dog maintaining the grounds while trying to keep quiet to avoid awakening the spirits.

The Caretaker's song "Rest in Peace" highlights several ghosts from the Family Plot and sings their epitaphs while adding a new member.

• Good Old Fred
• Brother Claude
• Harriet
• Cousin Maude
• Cousin Huet
• Mary - "Wrote mysteries with masterful quill, not knowing the ink of words could kill"

The background of the scene includes a number of other tombstones both old and new.

• Grandpa Marc
• Master Gracey
• Francis Xavier
• "Dearly Departed Nicholette, here is where she is set"
• "Here Lies Frankie, A Dead Ringer", presumably a tribute to Muppet performer Frank Oz.
• "Departed R. Grave, Home at Last"
• "Here Lies Kirk, His body went poof when he fell from the roof" - Tribute to Kirk Thatcher, the film's director
• "Here Lies N. Lively, Not Anymore" - Tribute to Imagineer Kevin Lively, an Imagineer show writer who worked on the film.

Trivia

• Disney World's family plot has a shovel sticking out of the ground which is covered in a vine.
• The family affiliated with being buried in this plot is often semi-officially identified as being the Gracey Family.
• The Family Plot was the inspiration for Boot Hill in Phantom Manor.