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Liberty Square opened in 1971 as one of the original lands of the Magic Kingdom. This land hasn’t changed much, except that it no longer sits along the Rivers of America — because that waterway is gone. To make everything look authentic, Imagineers studied historic structures from New England, New York, Virginia, and elsewhere. Storefronts are said to be based on those in Colonial Williamsburg, without being direct copies. The Diamond Horseshoe, the last building in Liberty Square before the start of Frontierland, is said to be based on old St. Louis, Missouri, but if it was inspired by a specific building, it hasn’s been identified. In this article, Yesterland looks at the inspirations — and supposed inspirations — for some Liberty Square landmarks.
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Magic Kingdom: Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square |
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Photo by Michael Stokes, 2020, under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Supposed Inspiration: Harry Packer Mansion in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania |
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Friends of Albany History / public domain Supposed Inspiration: Kenwood Estate (the Joel Rathbone Mansion), Albany, New York |
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Depending on which source you choose to believe, the Haunted Mansion at Liberty Square is primarily based on the Harry Packer Mansion in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania (built 1874, now operating as an inn) — or it’s primarily based on the Kenwood Estate (the Joel Rathbone Mansion) in Albany, New York (built 1841, demolished 1867). On its website, the Harry Packer Mansion Inn proudly boasts that it “rises like something out of a Gothic fairytale. Its dramatic architecture — so hauntingly beautiful that Disney Imagineers used it as the model for the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World — casts a striking silhouette over the Victorian village below.” That’s a good sales pitch, but there’s really not much resemblance. The architectural style is completely different. At first glance, the drawing of the Kenwood Estate appears to be perfect match due to the placement of the tower in relation to the two wings. But a closer look reveals the differences outnumber the similarities. Although it’s possible the Imagineers came across a drawing of the long-demolished Kenwwod Estate, the resemblance is probably just coincidental. Most likely, neither was the direct inspiration. The fictional mansion needed to hold an entrance lobby and two stretching rooms in an L shape. The Imagineers used the architectural vocabulary of the Hudson River Dutch Gothic style of the mid-19th century. This meant staggered structural heights, steep gables, asymmetrical jutting wings, appropriate decorative elements, clustered chimneys, and a tower. The actual ride takes place in a hidden show building. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Magic Kingdom: Sleepy Hollow in Liberty Square |
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Photo from Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Inspiration: Sunnyside, the home of Washington Irving, Tarrytown, New York |
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Washington Irving (1783–1859) wrote “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1819) and “Rip Van Winkle” (1820) while living England, but his home from 1836 until his death was Sunnyside, on the banks of the Hudson River. This estate is just four miles south of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where Irving is buried. Sleepy Hollow is featured in Disney’s anthology film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). Sunnyside has been preserved as a historic site. It offers public guided tours. Magic Kingdom Park has its own Sleepy Hollow, but this one is a quick-service eatery, not a cemetery. Its design, while not a replica, was strongly influenced by Sunnyside and its stepped gables. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2020 Magic Kingdom: Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square |
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Photos by Werner Weiss, 2015 (left) and 2025 (right) Supposed Inspiration: Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 One possible inspiration: Carpenters’ Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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There are online and print publications that claim the Hall of Presidents at Liberty Square is based on Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Both are Georgian style buildings with symmetrical façades and central towers, but the proportions, towers, and architectural massing are not similar. A few blocks from Independence Hall, another building matches more closely. Carpenters’ Hall, the meeting place of the First Continental Congress in 1774, has proportions similar to the Hall of Presidents. It even has a similar pediment (triangular peak above the entrance). The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom does not identify a particular inspiration for the Hall of Presidents. It appears to be an amalgam of historic meeting halls from early America. The year 1787 on the pediment is when the U.S. Constitution was signed. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 Magic Kingdom: Exit from Hall of Presidents toward Columbia Harbor House |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 Inspiration: Capitol building at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia |
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The exit from the Hall of Presidents might look familiar if you’ve been to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. That part of the building is modeled after the Capitol building at America’s largest living history museum. In the 18th century, it housed the Virginia General Assembly, Governor’s Council, and the House of Burgesses. The original stood from 1705 to 1747, burned down, was rebuilt, and burned down again in 1832. It was rebuilt between 1931 and 1934, based on the 1705 design, when the historically significant town was restored. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 Magic Kingdom: Liberty Bell in Liberty Square |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 Inspiration: Liberty Bell in Liberty Bell Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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One has a crack. One doesn’t. Both bear the message, “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.” The famous original is in the Liberty Bell Center near Independence Hall in Philadelphia. You might have heard that the Liberty Bell in Liberty Square is one of 50 full-size, 2,080-pound replicas cast for the 1976 American Bicentennial, with one bell given to each of the 50 states. According to this story, Pennsylvania agreed to donate their replica to the Magic Kingdom because that state has the original Liberty Bell. It’s a good story — but it’s not true. There were replicas of the Liberty Bell cast for each state, but the year was 1950, not 1976. The U.S. Treasury Department commissioned them for its “Save Your Independence” U.S. Savings Bond drive. In addition to the 48 states at the time, the drive included U.S. territories. No foundry in the United States could do the work, so the contract went to Paccard Bell Foundry in Annecy, France. According to that foundry’s website, it cast 57 replicas in 1950. Paccard continued to sell replicas using the same molds. Anyone with enough money could order their own Liberty Bell. The owner of Mount Vernon Memorial Park, a cemetery in Fair Oaks, California, did just that in 1975. The following year, he loaned it to Disney for the Bicentennial. The one-year loan was extended to June 1989. With the Liberty Bell having become an integral part of liberty Square, Disney ordered its own replica from the same foundry. That replica was dedicated on July 4, 1989, and is still in the park today. Do you want your own Liberty Bell? Paccard can still make a full-size or reduced-size replica for you. |
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© 2026 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated August 21, 2026 |
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, Curator of Yesterland, August 14, 2026
