Most people enjoy a good ghost story. Around Halloween, however, they seem to really come alive. Some even venture out to experience these stories for themselves and brave the abandoned buildings and spooky graveyards.
We may hear some fantastic stories about places around the world, but locally, we have some fantastic tales of our own. No doubt, there are plenty of stories around the downtown area of Ogden, Ben Lomond Hotel being one of the most popular tales residents share.
Huntsville Cemetery, located on a peninsula on the east side of Pineview Dam, has its own little tale. “The road to the cemetery is gated off, so you’ll have to park a ways back and walk up to the cemetery, but you go there after midnight and stand outside the gate of the cemetery and wait a few minutes. A shadowed silhouette of a man will emerge from the cemetery and chase after you but will disappear as it approaches the cemetery boundaries,” Cole Larson, a resident of Centerville, said.
Ogden Cemetery has some tales of its own, one being Flo’s Grave. The tale goes like this: if you pull up to Florence Grange’s headstone and flash your car lights at it three times, her ghost will appear and chase after you.
Along with the cemeteries and old hotels, Historic 25th Street has plenty of other places that have tales of ghosts. Morgan High School is one place. Former band director Kristen Vesper Kotter had a creepy encounter.
“I was at work late, working on a music set with my husband. No one else was in the building at the time. Still, we both heard loud banging and doors slamming. We ended up just leaving. Also, the auditorium is apparently haunted by the ghost Bouncing Betty,” she said.
Other high schools in the area have their stories to share. One is Roy High. For many years, there have been several accounts of ghosts who roam through the halls—and even to the neighboring jr. high, Sandridge.
People have claimed there are two in the school’s auditorium area. “One is up on the balcony and moves lights around, and another hangs out backstage and tends to move the props around,” said Andrew Ford, a former student of Roy High. Another ghost roams the hallways of Roy High but is not as friendly.
“There’s another ghost, a lady in purple, who always asks students to follow her, but no one ever does because of an evil aura she puts off,” Ford added.
Another haunted area is Historic 25th Street and the buildings surrounding it. The Funk ‘N Dive supposedly has a ghost who used to be a janitor in the building a long time ago. There are claims that Alleged is haunted by Rossette Davie, the madam of the Rose Room Brothel that previously occupied the space. Also, employees of the Lighthouse Lounge have said they have heard tapping around the bar when no one else was there.
Ghost stories are fun, fascinating and great to share. Regardless, some people don’t believe in ghosts at all.
“Just a bunch of anecdotal stories with no photos or videos to verify accuracy,” said Chris Bateman, a Weber State alumnus.
“Ghost aren’t real. S—, did you think Ghostbusters was a documentary?” said Curtis Taylor, a University of Utah alumnus.
