The Murray City Cemetery Is One Of Utah's Spookiest Cemeteries
By Catherine Armstrong|Published October 25, 2020
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
If you love a good ghost story, Utah has plenty to offer. From haunted hotels and spooky campgrounds, to ghosts in train stations and cemeteries, there are tons of urban legends and creepy tales to be found all over the state.
Cemeteries are particularly popular spots for ghost stories. After all, if you’re looking for the unsettled spirits of people who have passed away, what better place to find them than the spot where they were buried? While we have many supposedly haunted cemeteries here in the Beehive State, Murray City Cemetery is one of the spookiest.
Murray City Cemetery was developed in the 1870s, and the first person buried there was John Benbow, who passed away on May 12, 1874.
Prior to the cemetery's existence, families typically buried loved ones in small plots on their own land. After the cemetery opened, several graves were moved into it from private land.
The cemetery is typically a quiet, peaceful place. It's shady and green, with thousands of graves, dating back from the pioneer era to current day.
The cemetery is full of interesting history, and it's a pleasant place to stroll on a warm afternoon, but you might want to stay away from this place after the sun sets.
The first known ghost story involving Murray City Cemetery dates back to 1904. A young man was walking through the cemetery on his way to visit his girlfriend when he saw a small, white figure rise from a grave and hover a few feet above the ground.
The man reported that the ghost seemed to be a small child of around three or four years old. After the story was reported in the Salt Lake Tribune, stories of ghostly hauntings became commonplace.
Some people say that they've seen a man who is dressed in pioneer-era clothing wandering amongst the headstones.
People speculate that this man is either John Benbow or Mahonri Moriancumer Cahoon, a pioneer man who was given his odd name by Joseph Smith. Mr. Cahoon was buried here after his death in 1888.
Other spooky figures have been spotted as well, and people also report hearing the cries of a newborn baby.
There's an unidentified baby boy buried here. His little body was found in a trash heap in 1933. His headstone reads, "Unknown Boy Infant, Aug 2, 1933. We Love You."
Ghost hunters visiting Murray City Cemetery report catching snippets of words and sentences on their EVP equipment, and some claim to have seen ghosts here as well - specters that disappear in a cloud of smoke.
