From abandoned mining towns to local legends, these haunted cemeteries in New Mexico routinely make ghost enthusiasts say “boo” in a spooktacular way.
New Mexico has an abundance of cemeteries throughout the state. Whether it’s notable historic figures or people who met tragic ends, you can find a fascinating or eerie story just about anywhere you go. However, over the years, certain locations have garnered reputations for being particularly haunted, with reports of ghostly apparitions and paranormal activities abound. Some people even pair a cemetery visit with rock hunting, another activity steeped in hundreds of years of history.
We’re exploring some of these more haunted cemeteries in New Mexico. Of course, every visit is unique, so you might encounter something brand new. And if you do, please share it with us. We love a good ghost tale!
Dawson Cemetery
At the beginning of the 20th century, Dawson was a bustling coal mining town 14 miles northeast of Cimarron. Unfortunately, being located miles beneath the earth, mines sometimes pose incredible danger. In 1913, an explosion caused by coal dust led to one of the worst mine tragedies in U.S. history. A total of 263 miners died, many of them immigrants. A decade later, a second mine disaster claimed an additional 123 lives.
Today, Dawson’s main attraction is its cemetery. Over time, it’s gathered momentum as being one of the most haunted spots across New Mexico. Visitors report seeing bright lights, similar to the headlamps that miners wear while digging underground. Others say they’ve spotted apparitions traversing through the various headstones. In 1992, Dawson Cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Not able to travel to Dawson at the moment? You can get a peek inside the town’s history by checking out “Godless” on Netflix. The show is inspired by the mining accident and was shot in New Mexico.
Location: Raton, NM 87740
Fort Stanton Maritime Cemetery
The Fort Stanton Historic Site was built in 1855 as a military post. Around the turn of the century, the U.S. Public Health Service acquired the Lincoln County community to turn it into a tuberculosis hospital, the first in the nation. The disease had become an epidemic causing illnesses and death across the country. Fort Stanton served about 5,000 sailor patients from 1899 to 1953. Approximately 1,500 are buried in the Maritime Cemetery, which sits on a hillside above the fort.
Holding such a storied history among its grounds, Fort Stanton is one of the most haunted cemeteries in New Mexico. Early paranormal activity reports go back nearly a century, with encounters both in the cemetery and across the Fort itself. Shadowy figures and mysterious crying top the list of claims, with another person saying they heard Indian drums and flute music. In the 1930s, Emanuel Beltron was a janitor working at the fort. On his first night, he proclaimed that he saw “el diablo sus solo,” or “the devil himself.” Beltron quit the next morning.
People believe Fort Stanton is so haunted, in fact, that the “Ghost Hunters” crew headed to the unincorporated community to check things out. Get a glimpse of their experience below.
Location: 1398 State Highway 20, Fort Stanton, NM 88323
Shakespeare Cemetery
Located about three miles south of Lordsburg, this cemetery (or, more accurately, the mining town of Shakespeare), is named after the famous playwright. If you wanted to utter a “Now is the winter of our discontent” or “A man can die but once” while visiting, ol’ William would be proud. The town shut down in 1929 after the mines closed, though many of its more notorious citizens are buried in the cemetery.
That includes the outlaws William “Russian Bill” Tettenborn and Sandy King. You may feel their outlandish spirits while near their gravesites. Other visitors have encountered up to a dozen ghosts hanging out throughout Shakespeare. These include murdered African American miners, a gambler who was robbed of his winnings before being killed, a man smoking a cigarette, and even a ghostly canine ready to go paw-to-toe with anyone who dares try to offer an unwanted pet.
Ted Raynor, a journalist and historian, wrote about a “lady in white” who haunted the town, according to longtime residents. The story goes that the woman visited the town in the 1880s, looking for her gambler fiance. She learned he had died and vanished from her room, leaving only a wedding dress behind. Some residents also say they’ve occasionally seen her in black, perhaps a sign of grief over her lost love and the wedding dress she never got to wear.
Location: 17 Banner Mine Rd, Lordsburg, NM 88045
Santa Barbara and Mount Cavalry Cemeteries
Head to Albuquerque for a “two-cemeteries-in-one” experience. The Santa Barbara Cemetery is the older section of the Mount Cavalry Cemetery. The first recorded internment occurred in August 1870, though there are likely burials even older than that. In the book “Albuquerque Ghosts,” Inara Cedrins describes a shadowy apparition with a noose around its neck. The apparition is holding a tattered rope, just itching to give it a hearty pull.
Mount Cavalry Cemetery is also on the “Albucreepy Haunted Trolley Tour,” which is led by author and paranormal investigator Cody Polston. You’ll tour several haunts beyond the cemetery. While a paranormal sighting isn’t guaranteed, you’ll be among several places where horrific history and sinister stories took place. That typically increases your chances of spookiness.
Location: 1900 Edith Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102
San Albino Cemetery and Kit Carson Memorial Cemetery
“Hocus Pocus” is a popular Halloween movie every year for many reasons. Chief among them is that people like a good witch story. And there are reportedly witches buried at a pair of cemeteries in New Mexico: the San Albino Cemetery in Mesilla, and Kit Carson Memorial Cemetery in Taos’s Red Willow Park.
The Kit Carson Memorial Cemetery has three unmarked graves believed to be the “Three Brujas of Taos.” These women, who probably just enjoyed a good bit of quirk, were so feared that their bodies were buried under concrete to seal their spirits for all time. The cemetery is also the final resting place of the arts maven Mabel Dodge Luhan and its namesake, the frontiersman Kit Carson.
Similarly, an unmarked grave at San Albino Cemetery includes a cross on top of a massive stone to prevent the return of a witch supposedly buried underneath. While the historical veracity of these two legends is sparse, the lore has persisted over the years. Perhaps the Reddit user WillingPublic summed it up best: “In New Mexico, everyone knows that witches are not real. Also in New Mexico, everyone believes in witches.” If you come for the cemetery, stay for the San Albino Church. The basilica has a stunning fired-brick Roman-style façade and corner bell towers.
San Albino Cemetery Location: 2965 Calle De Guadalupe, Las Cruces, NM 88005
Kit Carson Memorial Cemetery Location: 211 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos, NM 87571
Fairview Memorial Park
Despite experiencing years of neglect, the historic Fairview Memorial Park is one of the more expansive cemeteries in New Mexico. It features about 12,000 graves, although half of them are unmarked. Some of the residents we do know about include Buffalo Soldiers such as James Price and Henry Winstead and former territorial governor of New Mexico Edmund Gibson Ross.
Fairview Memorial Park is referenced in Cody Polston’s book “Haunted Albuquerque,” which also notes its “infamous residents.” And though many people walk through the historic cemetery without any ghostly vibes, there are quite a few unfortunate stories among the headstones. For instance, Lizzie Stauffer was a 19-year-old who came to Albuquerque in 1882. A week later, she died of smallpox. Many sections also include children’s graves, with several marked generically as “Baby Boy,” “Baby Girl,” or “John Doe,” bringing more mystery to the cemetery.
Location: 700 Yale Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106
Fairview Cemetery
Not to be confused with Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque, Santa Fe’s Fairview Cemetery is the city’s oldest non-Catholic cemetery, dating back to 1884. It’s the final resting place of former governor Arthur Seligman and Santa Fe Ring leader Thomas B. Catron. While visitors say the cemetery is peaceful during the day, with such a robust history, it can come alive in the night.
One couple buried at Fairview Cemetery is Abraham and Julia Staab, a German-Jewish immigrant couple who settled in Santa Fe. Abraham built a successful trading empire alongside his brother and was the first president of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce. He built a mansion for Julia to raise their children, which is now part of La Posada de Santa Fe. Julia’s spirit doesn’t often hang around the Fairview Cemetery; rather, visitors have frequently spotted her in Suite 100 of La Posada. Sometimes it’s good to stretch your ghostly legs away from your burial grounds.
Location: 1134 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505
