These 4 cemeteries in Nevada are reportedly haunted
It’s not just houses and asylums—cemeteries can be haunted, too. Here are four cemeteries in Nevada that are reportedly haunted.
When you read the word “haunted,” your brain most likely pictures an old house filled with creaky floors, doors that open on their own, and spectral spirits waiting to scare whoever lives there. Given that the history of haunted houses dates back to the 19th century, it makes sense that you’d imagine something that has been part of our collective experience for generations. And, if you’re generally interested in real-world stories of horror, you’ll likely include asylums and hospitals in that mental image.
Cemeteries are often left off our lists when we’re thinking about scary places because they’re generally regarded as quiet, peaceful areas where we bury our loved ones. However, cemeteries and graveyards are actually the perfect place for hauntings if you think about it, due to the increased presence of potentially restless spirits. Usually, hauntings occur when a ghost has unfinished business, and it’s easier for them to manifest when they’re close to their earthly bodies.
Of course, I’m speaking about these things as a true believer in the supernatural, but I completely understand if you’re approaching this from a place of skeptical curiosity. Whether you believe in ghosts or you simply want to check out some local spooky spots, these four cemeteries in Nevada are reportedly haunted.
Let me tell you why.
Old Tonopah Cemetery, Tonopah
Old Tonopah Cemetery is one of those places that, personally, I never want to visit. This has less to do with the actual hauntings themselves and more to do with the fact that it’s located next to a Clown Motel, and I do not like clowns. If you want to learn more about the hundreds of clowns housed there and the alleged hauntings they’ve caused (separate from those reported at the cemetery), click here.
All spine-chilling clownery aside, the Old Tonopah Cemetery is a historic, eerie resting place for several notable figures. George “Devil” Davis, the first African American political leader of Tonopah, is buried there. Davis was known for being a prankster during his lifetime, and he’s said to still pull pranks from beyond the grave on people at the Tonopah Liquor Company. Other local legends, like Bina Verrault, Big Bill Murphy, Tom Logan, and the Marojevich Brothers, were also laid to rest at the cemetery.
According to the official Tonopah, Nevada website, more than 300 graves are located throughout the grounds. Visitors have reported seeing full-body apparitions and strange lights, and some have even heard odd noises when visiting these old burying grounds.
Silver Terrace Cemetery, Virginia City
Virginia City’s Silver Terrace Cemetery has been dubbed one of the most beautiful cemeteries by Only In Your State, but it’s also (allegedly) one of the most haunted. Burials in Silver Terrace date back to the 1860s, and there are reportedly around 4,000 people buried there, though only 1,300 headstones remain. Visitors have claimed to see glowing orbs and floating lights, particularly above the older graves.
Some have even said that the apparition of a grumpy old groundskeeper can be seen wandering the area. Since he wasn’t known for being friendly, it’s probably a good idea to steer clear of his ghost if you catch a glimpse of him while you’re visiting Silver Terrace. There have also been stories about tombs moving or shifting at random, which they’re definitely not supposed to do.
Mountain View Cemetery, Reno
Mountain View Cemetery is located at 435 Stoker Ave. in Reno. People have been buried there since 1871, and the cemetery’s website says that more than 40,000 souls have been laid to rest at Mountain View over the last 153 years. This location has fewer stories of potential hauntings than the other cemeteries in Nevada we’re covering, but I wanted to include it anyway.
According to Nevada Haunted Houses, people have reportedly seen shadowy figures walking through the graves at Mountain View. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like there are any malevolent spirits wandering the grounds, and visitors have never reported having negative experiences with the shadow people they’ve seen there.
Goldfield Historic Cemetery, Goldfield
The story of Goldfield’s Historic Cemetery is, well, just strange. Reported hauntings have occurred here throughout the years, as Goldfield is considered a “ghost town.” It was previously known as “The World’s Greatest Gold Camp,” but the population of nearly 20,000 has dwindled to roughly 300 as of writing.
When the town was originally built, the cemetery was located at its center, close to the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad Depot. Over time, it became increasingly apparent to the booming population that the burial site should have been constructed somewhere more remote. Travel Nevada notes that passengers stepping off the newly constructed railroad in Goldfield would often touch down on fresh graves.
A group of local men decided this wasn’t the best first impression to make for newcomers, and that an influx of people stepping on graves was disrespectful to the deceased. They decided to take matters into their own hands, opting to call themselves the “Official Ghouls.” The men set about exhuming every single body in Goldfield Historic Cemetery to relocate them. The present-day location of the cemetery is where the bodies were moved to, along with their headstones.
As if the whole exhumation and reburial process wasn’t ghoulish enough, the epitaphs listed on many of Goldfield’s headstones are known for being a bit odd. One of them simply reads: “Unknown Man Died Eating Library Paste. July 14, 1908.” Okayyyy, then.
There’s also the Grave Digger’s Grave, marking the spot where John F. Meagher accidentally died while digging someone else’s grave. Meagher laid explosives to clear out the spot—as was common practice back then—and it’s believed that the explosion caused a rock to pierce his brain, killing him instantly. His body was discovered in the grave by his neighbors, and the cemetery decided to just leave him where he rested.
It’s unclear if the library paste-eating man or Meagher is the spirit allegedly haunting the cemetery, though it seems like one of the murder victims buried here would have more unfinished business than those two.
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