In 1846, Ogden became the first permanent settlement of people of European descent. Since then, Ogden has had a rich history of the railroad and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Within this history is a variety of haunted locations.
Brenda Cowles, who identifies as a psychic, said she has had a variety of experiences involving the paranormal in Ogden.
“I used to go to the Thomas Hardy Salon on 25th, and my nail lady said they were all scared to go in the basement, and most, if not all, refused to go there, and I got feelings of the paranormal when I was there too,” Cowles said. “I’ve also done a tour of the union building and done an Ogden City tour that stopped at places like the Ogden Cemetery and 25th Street, where I’ve experienced paranormal beings.”
Many who faced the end of life now reside in the Leavitt’s Mortuary cemetery on 36th Street. It is said that on the eastern edge of the cemetery, closest to the road, there are many laughing and talking ravens. It is also said that if one takes pictures of any of the headstones, orbs of light or shadow people will appear. The story goes that there are also headstones that are always warm. Many of them are so warm that they melt the snow off of them during the winter.
Weber State University student Alyssa Wright lives near the cemetery and frequently goes running there.
“I’ve never noticed anything paranormal, and I’ve been there countless times,” she said. “I’ve even taken pictures there. To me, I think it’s just peaceful, but I have been creeped out a few times in some of the older parts of the cemetery, just because some of the headstones are so old.”
Another allegedly haunted location is Ogden’s other cemetery. The Ogden Cemetery is said to be haunted by a young girl named Florence who goes by “Flo.”
The story goes that Flo was waiting for a ride when she was suddenly hit and killed by a car. Supposedly, if one honks their horn three times next to her headstone, she will appear as a green figure floating toward the car because she will think it is her ride.
In 2006, Lazarus Maze became famous as a haunted location after it opened its doors as a haunted house. It was previously Bellshire Hospital, a mental hospital where the doctor is said to have tortured his patients. It has been the location of many ghost hunts where figures are said to be seen and screams are frequently heard.
Many go to the mall to see movies at the Cinemark Tinseltown theater, but the previous owners may have left more than a theater behind. Several employees are said to have committed suicide there before Tinseltown purchased the theater. Now it is said that employees will get locked in projector rooms and that many entities can be seen and heard by employees and moviegoers.
WSU student Kaitlyn Carson has worked at Tinseltown for years. “I have never heard a single thing about it, but now I’m going to be scared to go to work, but as far as I know that is a myth,” she said of the hauntings.
Also among the supposed haunted locations in Ogden are some at WSU. The second floor of the Social Science Building is said to be haunted by a 22-year-old deranged man who was angry that his girlfriend dumped him and began shooting at students. He was then shot by a university police officer.
The student senate room is also said to be haunted, due to a man who was shot by a campus police officer in 1993 after open firing a .22-caliber handgun. A local ghost hunting group recorded faint lights on a camera.
None of these legends have any substantial evidence, but all are part of the unique history of Ogden.
