A New Opportunity

My wife and I recently made the move from North Carolina—where we have lived for the past eleven years—to where we grew up in West Michigan. It felt like it was time.

Upon arriving, I decided that working in a formal education setting (I’d been a high school teacher the past eleven years) wasn’t where God wanted me anymore. Instead, I joined up with Youth for Christ, where I will be going into a local middle school to bring kids hope, peace, and hopefully teach some of them about Jesus along the way.

I have such a passion for kids: it’s why I went into teaching in the first place. But educational ethics limited the conversations I was able to have with kids, to impart on them the peace and love that only God can give. And my heart has been broken by the number of kids without peace or hope in today’s age, the kids who find themselves isolated, which was only perpetuated by the pandemic.

To do this, I will be going into a local middle school and simply be present. I’ll be spending time with kids, getting to know their names and their stories, hanging out with them at athletic events and social places after school. Once a week, we will hold a Club meeting, where all are welcome—regardless of who they are—where we will feed them, play games, hang out, and talk about important issues of the day. Our hope is to eventually gain enough trust that we can then begin talking about God and share the gospel. I will also be mentoring kids one-on-one, collaborating with local churches and ministries, and bringing kids to YFC camp in the summer time.

As a part of Youth for Christ, I am considered a missionary. As a result, I need to raise all my own funding to begin the process of working and establishing a ministry site at the local middle school I’ll be serving in. My job right now is to acquire $4,582 in monthly commitments, which will help to sustain the ministry, as well as $3,892 in one-time start up costs. I have been hard at work from June to the end of August, and up to this point have raised 44% of my annual budget. I am in need of your help.

You obviously have visited my site because you are interested in my hobby of writing about Disney. Would you consider supporting me in this way too, as someone who is excited and passionate about this next step in finding my calling?

Giving is simple:

-Visit www.WMYFC.org and click on “Give.”
-Choose “Give Online,” and then “Give to a Team Member.”
-Choose my name (Andrew Kiste) from the drop down menu to ensure that the gift is earmarked for my ministry
-Input how often you would like to give, the giving amount and your bank account or card information. All giving is secure.

If you would like to learn more about this, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email and we can set up a time to chat on Zoom (or in person if you’re local to West Michigan). You can reach me at akiste@wmyfc.org.

Thank you for your consideration! Together we can reach lost kids and bring kids hope in West Michigan!

~Andrew

Breaking Wind and Flowing Fluids

Sounds like the names of a grand home sitting atop a western bluff or straddling a creek that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, huh? While that was certainly my intention, this blog’s title references something a little more crude and common: using the restroom.

We all know that Disney’s Imagineers are excellent at applying thematic elements to everything in the parks and resorts to give even the most mundane buildings a sense of purpose and placement. Restrooms at the Disney theme parks have their own special following online, with dozens of blog posts, social media accounts, and even podcast episodes devoted to the best, the cleanest, and the most thematically sound restrooms. In fact, some restrooms in the parks must be visited as attractions in themselves, such as Tangled’s Rapunzel restrooms in the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland and the Outer Rim restrooms of Star War’s: Galaxy’s Edge in both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland Park. Others have themed exteriors that fit into the story of the land, but seem to possess no exemplary features inside, such as Gonzo’s Royal Flush restrooms in Grand Avenue at Hollywood Studios.

Disney’s California Adventure has its own themed restroom, located in Hollywood Land. As one walks from the park’s central hub towards Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout!, guests pass a set of restrooms located on their right. The structure seems out of place, a short tan building, which is appeared to be made out of terra cotta tiles and glass windows, geometric in nature and planters framing a small fountain which flows from the facade of the building into a small pool below. The incongruous edifice is bookended by two towering, peach-colored soundstages that seem to fit the expectation for what a Hollywood-themed land at a Disney park would look like.

In fact, the first time I saw the building I was very confused. I snapped a photo as I walked by, determined to conduct research upon returning home to identify what the restroom building was supposed to look like and why it was located in Hollywood Land. After all, nothing created or placed by Imagineers is done without proper consideration.

It turns out that this set of restrooms is actually modeled after The Samuel and Harriet Freeman House perched in Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills, designed by American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Originally designed and constructed for the Freeman family in 1924, the home served as an opportunity for the artistic, political and social pursuits of the wealthy couple who often entertained popular musicians and Hollywood celebrities in the early twentieth century. The home was designed in Wright’s popular Mayan Modernist style so often seen in his buildings throughout California.

Imagineers included elements from some of his other structures when they designed the restrooms, including the Ennis House, the Storer House, and the Millard House, all of greater Los Angeles. Thus, while at first glance, these restrooms seem out of place amongst the soundstages and obvious Hollywood landmarks, these restrooms based upon the Samuel and Harriet Freeman House are right at home in this area of Disney’s California Adventure.

A Reference to French History Hidden in Plain Sight

A visit to Walt Disney World can often feel like a treasure hunt for me. While most attribute their fun at the parks and resorts to the rides, attractions, activities, or food, I get a secret satisfaction from noticing details—large or small—to other Disney or pop culture characters, celebrities, films, or IPs (MuppetVision’s “A Net Full of Jello,” anyone?). As a historian, I also love seeing some of the accurate historical details that the park’s Imagineers have included to bring accuracy and believability to the resort’s locations.


Recently while randomly scrolling through Instagram, I stumbled across a photograph of Le Vieux Moulin de Vernon, an old water mill located along the Seine approximately 77 kilometers northwest of Paris. Originally built in the 1500s, this small house sits atop two stone pillars that once held up a bridge connecting the towns of Vernonnet and Vernon. A water wheel likely hung beneath the house at one time, used to provide power to grinding mill stones inside the structure.

When Imagineers designed the Magic Kingdom, Fantasyland was meant to represent medieval Europe, with many of the attraction facades decorated like tournament tents from the 1400s or 1500s while Cinderella Castle towered overhead. A transitionary portal was needed for the division between Fantasyland and Liberty Square, and Imagineers decided to design the overhead structure to look like Le Vieux Moulin.

One will notice that both the original structure and the Disney reproduction are styled in the same stick-constructed manner, with a pair of dormers capping the “wooden” shingles. The Magic Kingdom structure is even perched upon a pair of columns, much like its French counterpart, allowing guests to pass beneath from one part of the park to another.

This design decision is not just aesthetic, however. Imagineers utilized the interior of this space as a seating area for the adjacent Columbia Harbour House quick service restaurant, offering one of the quietest and neatest dining views in all of the Magic Kingdom.

Many pass beneath this medieval overpass without a second thought, merely assuming it is just meant to blend in with the rest of Fantasyland and Liberty Square. However, the next time you’re wandering the park, you can remember and point out to your friends and family the real story of this otherwise unassuming structure!

FIRST EVER BOOK SIGNING: Portage, MI July 6

Have I “arrived”?

I’m not only a published author, but I am also having a book signing event. This is craziness.

On July 6, at Don’s Card Hut in Portage, Michigan, from 1-2 PM, I will be taking photos and signing books for anyone who wants to purchase a copy of one of my four published books, such as volumes 1-3 of A Historical Tour of Walt Disney World and Walt Disney and the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair: Great Moments.

I would love to see anyone who can make it to show up and visit! Visit my events page at www.KisteTheHistorian.com/events for more information!

An Opportunity to Invest

Would you like to partner with me to make book 2 of Walt Disney and the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair a reality?

In an effort to ensure that the story of the Ford Magic Skyway is told fully, I am in need of traveling to The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan and the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles to access archival documents. Unfortunately, both opportunities for travel are expensive. I am asking the community to support a small portion of travel expenses to fund hotel and transportation (airfare) to LA as to conduct this research.

All contributors will be acknowledged with a word of thanks in the next book. There are also numerous rewards that investors can take advantage of, including signed copies of Great Moments and the Historical Tour of Walt Disney World book series.

Click on the embedded page below to see how YOU can help bring the story of Disney’s role in the ‘64 New York World’s Fair into reality!

Andrew Kiste is raising funds for Walt Disney and the 1964 NY World's Fair BOOK TWO on Kickstarter! How did Walt Disney and WED Enterprises develop Ford's Magic Skyway attraction for the 1964 New York World's Fair?

A Peek behind the Curtain of a Disney History Book: A Historical Tour of Walt Disney World

As an author, particularly one writing in the genre of nonfiction and history, I come under constant scrutiny and criticism from readers.

This is even more true when you write about a topic readers are passionate about like Walt Disney World.

Let's be real: as someone reading my blog, you've more than likely frequented WDW message boards or DisTwitter and have seen various posts by Disney fans who disagree over what the outside world would see as ridiculousness (such as whether resort mugs should have handles or not or whether Disneyland should replace its "classic" Tower of Terror attraction with a Guardians of the Galaxy overlay) that may contribute to why many Disney muggles (those not privy of Disney fandom) see us fans as crazy. There are even people on Twitter that I've unfollowed due to their constant scathing remarks, oftentimes making personal attacks on people for their differing opinions on the state of the Disney parks (I don't need that negativity in my life).

Some of this feedback on my books has come in the form of comments on blogs and letters to my publisher. However, the most damning comments has been reviews of my books, officially published on Amazon.

Some of these negative reviews are on the level of ridiculous. One reviewer states that "Any book that contains a historic look at WDW, wich the book seems to be, should knoe that the word is imagniears. How many volumes are set to. Be forthcoming? It would be a shame that it is onlt one. Please hire an editor." Obviously this reviewer does not know what they are talking about, as the appropriate term actually is Imagineer. Some of my students who have read my reviews have even noted the awful spelling and grammar that this reviewer uses, which negates many of their scathing remarks.


Other reviews have marked me negatively on Amazon when their real problem was the formatting of the book. For example, "The book was smaller than I imagined it would be. It's a good simple history, though it could benefit from some greater depth. The writing is good and the approach is fantastic, but it is sometimes lacking in depth. Nonetheless, I look forward to volume 2 (and further histories of the Disney rides and attractions)." The main problem this reviewer had with my book was that it was too small. I'm a historian and love reading history books. However (and this sounds bad coming from its author), my book was incredibly detailed, especially the chapters on Carousel of Progress and Pirates of the Caribbean, to the point where I can't remember half the details I wrote about.


However, it may be this review that upset me the most: "Unfortunately, I can't even finish this one. Its another in a line from Bob McLlain that shows the downward slide of the publisher, lack of editing, and misinformation. Within the first two chapters I made several notes on factual errors. For example, the roof of the Tiki Room is not made of thatch, but metal designed to look like thatch. It serves as a large lightening rod. The evening parade does not cut off the Adventureland, as the parade runs from Main Street to Frontierland, with exit available by entering the emporium near Casey's and exiting near the Firehouse. Exit is available between float units. On top of errors, this reads like an essay from a college student using Wikipedia."

As a history teacher, amateur historian, and someone who worked for four years in my university library as a research deskie, this review was incredibly offending. And this wasn't the only review to accuse me of using Wikipedia for my research.

Now, to be fair, there are times when doing quick research or looking up quick facts, it is okay to use Wikipedia. For example, if you are trying to figure out the date that Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer referred to by John, the father in Carousel of Progress, was released (1927), Wikipedia is an okay resource to use. Or if you are trying to get a quick summary of the story of "Sleepy Hollow" (spoilers for Volume 3!), Wikipedia can be an easy tool. However, when doing historical research in needing specific details, one needs to use more academic research than a typical online encyclopedia.


So what is the process through which I researched my two books? It may be easier to provide you with an excerpt from one of my books and then break apart the text to explain the process to you.

The following is an excerpt from A Historical Tour of WDW Volume 2 and is taken from the chapter about Spaceship Earth at Epcot:


           The background mural that is painted behind the horses and three men can be pinpointed to an exact place in the Roman Empire, which provides the viewer with some historical context of when and where the scene is taking place. The mural depicts a large Roman city, stretching off into the distance, while a series of buildings and statues are identifiable nearby. To the left of the scene, behind the horse-drawn chariot, are a series of statues capping Roman pillars, stretching on the left side of an avenue. Behind the tall statues is a building with columns holding up the roof with a triangular-shaped pediment. On the opposite side of the scene, behind the slave holding the reigns of the horse, is another series of statues atop pillars, while statues of mounted horsemen are rearing on a platform alongside steps leading up to the scene. Behind the horsemen is a series of buildings with columned facades, one with a triangular pediment and the other capped with a dome. The avenue surrounded by the pillared statues identifies the location as being in the Roman Forum, the headquarters for government and mercantile activity in the capital of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome (located in modern-day Italy). However, it is the location of the pedimented and domed buildings and the presence of the rearing horsemen that identify where the three gentlemen are congregated: the Temple of Castor and Pollux. The temple was built in 495 BC and dedicated in 484 BC, thanking the twin sons of the Roman god, Jupiter, for their assistance in the victory in battle. Interestingly enough, the actual statues of Castor and Pollux that are depicted in the scene’s background mural are not historically accurate: the scene shows them riding on the backs of rearing horses, while in actuality they were holding the reigns of the rearing horses.

Photo Credit: Melissa Knight

Photo Credit: Melissa Knight

Photo Credit: Melissa Knight

Photo Credit: Melissa Knight

              The location of the Praetorian receiving a proclamation from the Senator on the steps of the Temple of Castor and Pollux can also help to locate the date or period in which the scene is taking place. However, there is some discrepancy: one possibility would lead to historical inaccuracy, while the other is more plausible. During the time of the Roman Republic, from the temple’s dedication in 484 BC until 27 BC when Augustus established the Roman Empire, the Temple of Castor and Pollux served as the meeting place for the Senate, where they would make legal decisions and establish laws for the whole of the Republic. However, the placement of this scene during this era of Roman history does not fit, as the statue of Augustus holding the scroll that precedes this scene was not constructed until 20 BC. Thus, the statue makes this theory, that of the Temple being used as a meeting place for the Senate, unlikely. More likely is the second theory; from 37-41 AD, the Temple of Castor and Pollux was used as the palace of Caligula, who served as Caesar during a short three years and ten months. These was partially because Caligula would, on occasion, present himself at the top of the steps, making speeches, and attempt to personify himself as a god to be worshipped, in addition to his role as Roman emperor. This storyline for the scene would likely be more accurate, as the reign of Caligula took place twenty-three years after that of Augustus, which would maintain the historical integrity of the Temple of Castor and Pollux being the setting of the scene after the vehicles pass the statue of Augustus. While the important man handing the message off to the Praetorian is not Caligula, as evidenced by the Senatorial robe he is wearing, Senators and the emperors worked closely in regards to one another, and it is likely that he is delivering a message on behalf of Caesar Caligula.

A bust of Emperor Caligula

A bust of Emperor Caligula

The presence of these three men standing on the steps of the Temple of Castor and Pollux identify what may be going on in this scene, which, intentional by Imagineers or not, represents a dark event in the history of the Roman Empire. During the reign of Caligula, the Praetorian Guard began to amass political power. At the same time, Caligula increasingly began to treat the Senate and other high-powered individuals in the government of the Roman Empire, causing many to begin conspiring against him. In 40 AD, Caligula announced that he would be moving to Alexandria, which was the center of Roman power along the Nile River in Egypt. His goal in moving to Egypt would be to gain more power and following from people, as those in Egypt worshipped their leaders as gods. As a result, Caligula planned on ruling the Roman Empire from the city of Rome, which was the traditional center of Roman government and administration, to Alexandria, which was in a land looked down upon by the Roman government because the people there were not “true Romans,” having been born outside the capital. As a result, the Roman Senate began to conspire with the Praetorian Guard to assassinate Caligula, which occurred in 41 AD; he was stabbed thirty times while addressing a group at an athletic event. The Senators, realizing how much the government had strayed from what they perceived as the glories of Rome’s “golden age,” planned to reestablish the Roman republic after Caligula’s death, thus giving them their political power back, which had been taken away when the Roman Empire was established. However, after being driven from the city, Caligula’s uncle, Claudius, exacted revenge on those who conspired and committed the assassination, and later naming himself the next Caesar of the Roman Empire. With these details in mind, this scene may actually be a Senator and Praetorian Guard passing messages between those conspiring to assassinate the emperor.

So let's break this scene down, shall we? Oftentimes when analyzing an attraction for my books, I utilize Google and YouTube to get started, as well as my extensive experience and background knowledge on the parks, attractions, or resorts being analyzed. Spaceship Earth is one of my all-time favorite attractions and must-dos: in fact, I often ride it multiple times a trip. The Rome scene has always been a highlight of the attraction for me for a few reasons, including the "Rome Burning" smell (which after the addition of Dame Judi Dench doesn't even represent the fall of Rome anymore, but rather the burning of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt...read Vol. 2 to learn more), as well as the old projections of the charioted soldiers riding through the streets of Rome on the painted backdrop of the scene during the Jeremy Irons version of the attraction.

Step one of attraction analysis usually involves me finding the most updated video of the attraction on YouTube. I sit and watch the attraction online usually in its entirety first, and then I'll break the video down scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame to analyze the details, music, backdrops, and dialogue.

For this scene, I used my historical  background knowledge to realize that the backdrop of the attraction, as well as the monologue of Dench explains that this is during the time of the Roman Empire, which places the scene during the timeframe of sometime between 27 BC and 476 CE, the span of a little more than 500 years. Dench's monologue explains that Rome created a system of roads to help run the bureaucracy of its empire. This places the scene somewhere in the city of Rome itself. As a historian and teacher, I know that the majority of Rome's central authority took place in the Roman Forum, which was the hub of government and religion in the city of ancient Rome.

The real Roman Forum.

The real Roman Forum.

I decided to Google the Roman Forum to see if I could find any pictures, maps, or depictions of what I saw in the background of the scene. Most identifiable are the tall pillars capped with individuals stretching on the left and right side of the scene and leading away from the location of the scene. Based on the position of the other buildings, specifically those with the triangular topped roofs, I was able to identify that riders were in fact passing the Roman Forum. I was able to figure out that the location of the buildings placed the guests as viewing the Forum from the porch of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, two Roman gods. I Googled a picture of what archaeologists believe the Temple would have looked like during the time of the empire, which confirmed that this was in fact what was being depicted: the temple had a series of steps leading down to the Forum with statues on either side of the steps. As mentioned above, however, the statues were not accurate; it is possible that Imagineers and designers of the attraction wanted to portray the brothers in a more dramatic fashion, mounted atop rearing horses rather than simply standing alongside them holding the reigns.

The real statues of Castor and Pollux, not depicted accurately in the attraction's mural.

The real statues of Castor and Pollux, not depicted accurately in the attraction's mural.

The real statues of Castor and Pollux, not depicted accurately in the attraction's mural.

Ok, so I was able to narrow down where the scene was, but 500 years is a lot of time. To narrow this down, I looked at the costumes of the animatronics. One of the figures was obviously meant to be a Roman soldier, as he is standing near a chariot and is wearing the armor of a Roman soldier. A second figure is a slave, based on the basic toga he is wearing, as well as his haircut and the paleness of his skin. However, it was the third figure in the scene, wearing a garment with a purple stripe, that was interesting to me. Because of the toga with the royal color, I was able to identify this figure not as an individual but as a part of a group: he was a Roman senator. But this made the mystery only deepen. Why would a Roman senator be handing a scroll to a soldier who would be using the roads?

I Googled for the history of the Temple of Castor and Pollux and found something quite interesting and slightly shocking: the emperor Caligula, who reigned in Rome as Caesar from 37-41 CE, actually used the Temple of Castor and Pollux as part of his palace. This angered many in the bureaucracy of the Roman Empire, including the Senators. The Senators, fuming from this sacrilege of government using religious buildings, called upon a group of soldiers called the Praetorian Guard to help rid Rome of the "corrupt" emperor. Caligula had also planned on moving the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to the city of Alexandria, located at the mouth of the Nile River on the Mediterranean. This also angered many Roman government officials who foresaw the fall of their empire by moving the capital from its traditional, centralized location to a place on the outskirts. I did some crosschecking and research on the Praetorian Guard to learn that the armor worn by the soldier receiving the proclamation was a close match to that which would be worn by the elite military group responsible for the assassination of Emperor Caligula.


As a result of the many details in the scene, I made the educated assumption that, whether intentional or not, Imagineers had actually depicted a secret murder in the classic Epcot attraction. While many viewed the pre-Jack Sparrow version of Pirates of the Caribbean as politically incorrect (the "pooped pirate" searching for his new bride, the pirates chasing the townswomen, Carlos being tortured for the location of the town's treasury), this scene is actually quite darker, representing the assassination of a government official (through death by being stabbed 39 times). However, the dim lighting of the scene, as well as the short period of being in the scene (a grand total of 23 seconds), and guests' overall lack of knowledge of the nitty-gritties of ancient Rome leads the details of this scene's backstory to pass over the heads of many.

Who is that scholar in the middle???

Who is that scholar in the middle???

So there you have it, folks. A brief glimpse into the way research was done for my books. While I'm a total history nerd, I have had to track down a number of historical tangents to find evidence to support my arguments for one detail (i.e. where was the Arab scholar with the onion-shaped turban actually from???). Maybe this is why it seems as though my book is a walking Wikipedia article...I was required to tie together a great number of seemingly-unconnected details to create historical backstories of classic and favorite Disney World attractions, land, and restaurants.