There are so many stories to be told about the men, women, children and pets buried in cemeteries throughout Nevada. Oftentimes they’re pioneers who fled here to strike it rich during the late 1800s and early 1900s—men, women and children—most of whom died way too young. They were victims of accidents, disease, gun fights and mining fires.
The haunted cemeteries of Nevada intermingle mystique and history. Those who visit these Nevada gravesites often talk about feeling spirits of the past. Others claim to have seen them rise from their graves. If you’re easily scared by the idea of ghosts then the five below aren’t for you.
- The Silver Terrace Cemeteries – Virginia City
Flickr / Brent Cooper
Flickr / Amy Lenzo Established in the late 1800s, there are reports that the haunted cemeteries of Virginia City are home to the ghost of a woman and a young girl. There have also been sightings of a glowing headstone (although this has also been explained by passing headlights). Paranormal activity was detected here by investigators Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin of the Travel Channel series “Ghost Adventures.” HauntedHouses.com, meanwhile, claims there is “hard evidence point to the fact that some spirits are indeed restless here.”
- Boulder City Pet Cemetery (Marwood Pet Cemetery) – Boulder City
Flickr / Miss Shari
Flickr / Miss Shari The website Digital Dying lists this as the most haunted pet cemetery on earth. Rumors are that Mafia victims are buried with the fishes here (cats and dogs too). No one is quite sure when this unofficial cemetery in the middle of the desert off U.S. 95 was established, though some attribute its creation to a 1950s-era Boulder City veterinarian named Marwood Doud. The cemetery was illegally built in the middle of federal land, now owned by Boulder City. It’s also a flood zone, and located in the proximity of hungry coyotes. Some say a white cat will follow you around the cemetery at night (if he likes you, of course). No clues about how he lost his nine lives.
- Dayton Cemetery - Dayton
Yelp / Sarah N.
Yelp / Sarah N. Founded in 1851, Dayton Cemetery is the oldest constantly maintained cemetery in Nevada, according to Nevada Tombstone. Virginia City’s namesake, Tom Finney (known as Ole Virginie), is buried here. On the Ghost Posse website, the paranormal investigators say they saw paranormal activity on two different visits including strange blue mist hovering above a family gravesite, a drop in temperature, and what appears to be the ghost of a small boy standing at the plot railing.
- Genoa Cemetery - Genoa
Yelp / Amy P.
Yelp / Amy P. Built in the mid-1860s, the Genoa Cemetery is home to many of Nevada’s earliest settlers. The Paranormal and Ghost Society believes this cemetery is “flourishing with activity,” much of which it attributes to the “playful demeanor” of children. There are also haunting stories about many of the people buried there.
- Old Tonopah Cemetery - Tonopah
Flickr / Bethany
Flickr / Bethany Established in 1901, the Tonopah Cemetery is located next to the Clown Motel (a truly haunting thought for those scared of clowns). When it comes to haunted cemeteries in Nevada, this one doesn’t rank at the top. Other places in town, like the Mizpah Hotel, are considered to be significantly more haunted than the cemetery. That doesn’t mean this burial ground is not without its scares, such as dead miners who are said to roam the grounds at night. Occupants include victims from the 1902 “Tonopah Plague,” victims of the Tonopah-Belmont fire and a sheriff killed in a shootout.
If you aren’t sacred of these haunted cemeteries, you may also enjoy 8 Disturbing Cemeteries In Nevada That Will Give You Goosebumps.
Flickr / Brent Cooper
Flickr / Amy Lenzo
Established in the late 1800s, there are reports that the haunted cemeteries of Virginia City are home to the ghost of a woman and a young girl. There have also been sightings of a glowing headstone (although this has also been explained by passing headlights). Paranormal activity was detected here by investigators Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin of the Travel Channel series “Ghost Adventures.” HauntedHouses.com, meanwhile, claims there is “hard evidence point to the fact that some spirits are indeed restless here.”
Flickr / Miss Shari
The website Digital Dying lists this as the most haunted pet cemetery on earth. Rumors are that Mafia victims are buried with the fishes here (cats and dogs too). No one is quite sure when this unofficial cemetery in the middle of the desert off U.S. 95 was established, though some attribute its creation to a 1950s-era Boulder City veterinarian named Marwood Doud. The cemetery was illegally built in the middle of federal land, now owned by Boulder City. It’s also a flood zone, and located in the proximity of hungry coyotes. Some say a white cat will follow you around the cemetery at night (if he likes you, of course). No clues about how he lost his nine lives.
Yelp / Sarah N.
Founded in 1851, Dayton Cemetery is the oldest constantly maintained cemetery in Nevada, according to Nevada Tombstone. Virginia City’s namesake, Tom Finney (known as Ole Virginie), is buried here. On the Ghost Posse website, the paranormal investigators say they saw paranormal activity on two different visits including strange blue mist hovering above a family gravesite, a drop in temperature, and what appears to be the ghost of a small boy standing at the plot railing.
Yelp / Amy P.
Built in the mid-1860s, the Genoa Cemetery is home to many of Nevada’s earliest settlers. The Paranormal and Ghost Society believes this cemetery is “flourishing with activity,” much of which it attributes to the “playful demeanor” of children. There are also haunting stories about many of the people buried there.
Flickr / Bethany
Established in 1901, the Tonopah Cemetery is located next to the Clown Motel (a truly haunting thought for those scared of clowns). When it comes to haunted cemeteries in Nevada, this one doesn’t rank at the top. Other places in town, like the Mizpah Hotel, are considered to be significantly more haunted than the cemetery. That doesn’t mean this burial ground is not without its scares, such as dead miners who are said to roam the grounds at night. Occupants include victims from the 1902 “Tonopah Plague,” victims of the Tonopah-Belmont fire and a sheriff killed in a shootout.
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