The final season of House of Cards debuted Friday with its main character, President Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) dead and buried. Frank may be gone, but Netflix honored the fictional president with a “real” gravestone and obituary in his hometown of Gaffney, South Carolina.
In September, Netflix teased House of Cards Season Six with Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) addressing Francis while standing over his grave. The marker reads, “Francis J. Underwood 1959-2017, 46th President of the United States.”
You should have known. pic.twitter.com/UFGplyDSY1
— House of Cards (@HouseofCards) September 5, 2018
Fans of House of Cards can visit the graves of Francis “Frank” Underwood and his father, Calvin Underwood at the Oakland Cemetery in Gaffney, South Carolina. The gravestones, positioned as not to disturb the rest of the cemetery, will remain there for “at least a couple months,” according to Gaffney’s Mayor Jolly.
An obituary for the 46th President of the United States was printed in the Gaffney Ledger, adding to the authenticity. Local retailer Bookshelf Florist and Gifts has been charged with placing white tulips at the grave site every two to three days.
Since the first season, House of Cards Underwood’s fictional link to the real town of Gaffney has yielded an uptick in tourism for the area. A peach-shaped water tower called the Peachoid was a focal plot point in the show’s first season, and fans can view the real-life landmark off I-85.
Netflix has used South Carolina to market previous seasons, as well. In 2016, a campaign office was established in Greenville. Timed with the 2016 US Presidential election, Netflix created a series of campaign ads for Frank Underwood under the hashtag #FU2016. Fans could sport badges for the fictional candidate on Facebook, adding a much-appreciated tone of parody to an otherwise stressful election battle.
Underwood’s character was removed from House of Cards amid sexual allegations against its actor, Kevin Spacey. Netflix continued the show for a final season with Underwood’s wife, Claire assuming the role of US President.