Real Haunted Places in Utah

If you love haunted places and stories of paranormal activity, I’ll surprise you by saying that Utah is not immune to such things. For starters, Brigham Young’s farmhouse at “This is the Place Heritage Park,” can make you quite shivery if you’re afraid of ghosts. The house ranks highest in haunting among real haunted places in Utah.

It is said that Brigham Young and his son John Young loved the home so much that they still make occasional visits. Brigham Young appears as an old man, but John appears as a pleasant young man who once allowed his ghostly self to be photographed at a social gathering after the Wilcox family restored the house. In the farmhouse, the “Ballroom,” was a favorite spot for children. Some say they can still hear children laughing and playing in that room.

Check out these other real haunted places in Utah!

Westminster College

There’s something about the Westminster College campus that makes the hair rise on the back of your neck. Several halls on campus seem to be occupied by folks long gone from this earth. In Converse Hall, a woman dressed in a bridal gown makes her occasional appearance. The bride was married in a chapel nearby and died while she and the groom were on the way to their honeymoon. She seems to have made Converse Hall, the oldest building on campus, her ghostly home. Other haunted halls, including Ferry, Nunemaker, and Hogle.

Rio Grande Train Depot

One of the ghosts who wander around this train depot has the uncanny ability to make the living feel angry, or so we’re told. The “Purple Lady,” when rejected by her fiancée, dove into the train tracks where her beloved had tossed an engagement ring. She didn’t see the oncoming train and was struck and killed. This distraught ghost, hair awry, usually appears around the café in her purple sequined gown. She is a disturbing and terrifying presence.

The tunnel ghost is a man who was killed when the train tunnel was under construction. He is more of a prankster who turns lights on and off and who moves things around.

McCune Mansion

Built in 1901 to the tune of $1 million dollars, this is a beautiful home. That’s a boatload of money these days, so one can imagine what a spectacle the house must have been at the turn of the century. It’s the perfect setting for a ghost’s home. Want to get married and experience a haunting at the same time? Book your wedding at the McCune Mansion. The ghosts in this house don’t seem to be particularly scary. One is a little girl who participates in wedding merriment by dancing and giggling. The other ghost is a man who tends to appear during the Christmas season dressed in a black cape—a la Dracula—maybe with sharp teeth…

Capitol Theatre

This famous landmark boasts a prankster ghost. Some people think it is the ghost of Richard Duffin—a young usher who died in a fire in the theater basement in 1949. Duffin seems to enjoy “Nutcracker” performances. Unfortunately, this ghost likes to play with the stage lights. In 1999, the stage lights would not turn on even though everything else was working properly. The theater manager, Doug Morgan, threatened Duffin with an exorcism and the stage lights miraculously turned on.

Check out these creepy stories from the officers that guard the Capitol Theatre here!

Devereaux Mansion

A Mormon convert built the original parts of the Devereaux Mansion, which Joseph Angell Young—Brigham Young’s son—purchased in 1865. Young lived in the “cottage” for two years and sold it to the William Jennings, who named the house, “Devereaux” after his mother’s English estate. Jennings turned the cottage into a mansion. Devasted by a fire in 1979 and renovated in the 2000s, The Devereaux mansion is now a wedding, business, and family event venue.

This old house features a young ghost who loves to play pranks on the kitchen staff. Some have seen her wave at people at night. The other ghost has a more hostile presence. Some think it is the ghost of Jennings’ wife or the head housekeeper. This ghost is protective of the mansion and does not stand for any shenanigans.