Haunted Mansion of Long Branch: Emails (2010)

NAME/DATE	CONTENT
6/4/10 Cheryl Holly (Strate)	Hi Everyone! My name is Cheryl. I worked at the Mansion in 1982 or 83. It was the best minimum wage job I ever had! At the time, I was living in a rented house with a bunch of punks/skinheads and had a mohawk. Of course, there were those days you didn't want to be in the dark for 10-12 hours and it did get pretty hot in certain parts of the Mansion. The Cathedral always gave me the creeps and I didn't enjoy working in there. My favorite job was the "lab" with the headless body. I had two sheets of metal, one was on the floor and I held the other. When I hear a "victim" approaching I would slam the two pieces of metal together. Half the time I didn't have to say a word, the victim just ran by! On another occasion, I was a "floater", (which meant I could walk around the Mansion freely) and followed a long line of teenagers, holding onto each other's waists, singing "We ain't 'fraid of no ghosts". I came up behind the last person and just whispered near her ear "boo!". Well, she turned around and popped me, right in the nose!!! After the stars stopped I got on the intercom and called a code. All the lights came on and security pulled the girl into the office where I was already tending to my severely bleeding nose! My choices were: call the police and press charges or she was banned for "life" (whatever that meant). I chose to have her banned. Leaving the Mansion after a long shift and walking down the boardwalk was always interesting. Some people would recognize me because of my Mohawk and say "are you the girl who works in the Mansion?". I always denied it! LOL! If anyone out there has pics of a Mohawk-ed employee I would love to have a copy! There are very few pics of my younger days and I would love one. Thanks for making and maintaining the website! My memories of the Mansion are priceless! Cholly@ashlandmmc.com
5/21/10 Sandra Williams	Wow I could remember the fun that we would have every summer over at the Haunted Mansion. They would say, "bus trip to the Mansion" and I would go running to my mom and tell her the mansion trip is on!!! And on my very first trip to the mansion I had to be carried over the rat path that was covered with Plexiglas on the floor and rat tails sticking out across the path. Oh was I terrified but I loved it and went back in once I came out of the Mansion. I have a ticket stub in one of my scrap books from like the summer of 81, 82, 83. In my mind and my fond memories the mansion will always be open and still 100% functional. Thank you for the memory of the fun I once had as a teenager and very much alive in my mind.
4/27/10 Anni	Oh this brings back so many happy memories. I've been a long time fan of The Haunted Mansion, I use to go visit the Mansion every weekend about 10 times. I got to know the actors by their real names ~ LOL. I was so saddened though because of the fire back in 1987 ~ Long live the Mansion.
4/5/10 Denise Gilliam	I came across your site looking up my home town of Long Branch, NJ. What a blast from the past! I used to work at the front ticket booth at kids world, but I remember before there was a Kid's World, and it was just the pier and the mansion. That is where as a kid and teenager I spent most of my life. I cried when I saw the pictures of the arcade and Big Al's. The Chelsea pool and Shooters! I just can't believe that it is all gone. I left NJ when I was 18 and yet every time I come back to visit Long Branch, I can't believe the changes! Where are all of the big old mansions that faced the water that were empty in the winter, but full of life in the summer. Now you can't even see the beach behind all of the Pink and purple and yellow condos that they have thrown up. I went to the "Windmill" and you can't even see the beach from there anymore. It really is sad. We went from a tourist attraction town, to now that is where the tourist live! Thanks for your site and the trip down memory lane. I have always loved Long Branch and it was nice to see it again!