Hush mortals.
Stay where you are, and don’t make a sound.
Did you hear it? The unhinged creek of a door swinging open on its own? The bone-chilling mutter of the wind on empty floorboards? Yes, the fear tingling up your spine speaks the truth. Those are indeed the signs that we are no longer alone, and you have peered once more into our Horrors and Nightmares Series.
Try not to speak out loud. These baleful apparitions are much shyer than the nefarious Zombie Mold, and much subtler than our Street Drug Laboratory. These are the disembodied specters residing within Utah’s historical properties, here to help us fully inspirit the Halloween season. But take care as you go. Exploring the haunting grounds of wayward souls is no small task. And we wouldn’t want you to find yourself unduly possessed by the undertaking.
Haunted Utah
Asylum 49
Ah, I see from the look in your eye that you are already familiar with our first historical location. Indeed, it is one of the more well-known attractions in our voyage through Haunted Utah. However, what is less known is the unnerving history associated with the property, as well as the brooding dread that still roams its halls.
Pull back the cobwebs and inhale the dust beyond these double doors, my intrepid adventurers. For pacing beyond the veil, you may discover the incorporeal footsteps of untold generations.
Our tale begins with Samuel F Lee., who built the property for his family. Though their aspirations of a happy home wouldn’t last. Within a few short decades, the Lee’s left the property behind, repurposing it as a county poor house. That wasn’t the end for this strange old building, either. Eventually, the denizens of Tooele County transformed it once more – into an underfunded hospital. Here, dozens of men, women, and children met their ends. But unfortunately, the bodies of the dead were not left to await their burial in a peaceful morgue. No. The medical staff had no choice but to stack them in a makeshift waiting room, bloating and decaying until the coroner could remove them.
That is not all at work to disquiet the phantasmal beings entombed within the Asylum, either. A glance out the window, and you may see the unmistakable rounded shadows of tombstones and the climbing whisps of cemetery trees. Evidently, the people of Tooele decided there was no better place for a graveyard then nestled against the borders of a hospital, as if to remind the sick of their impending mortality.
Today, the building still operates as a home for the elderly. And many of its residents claim that the spirits there are far from resting. Perhaps this is why it was seen as an ideal location for the full contact haunted house that operates on the other side of the building. Or, maybe this provides some explanation as to the ‘thousands’ of pieces of ‘documented paranormal evidence’ emerging from within these infamous walls.
Grafton Ghost Town
Do not discount the chill running down your spine, wayward travelers. For this next location is sure to offer its fair share of frights. We come now to none other than the iconic hamlet of Grafton. But don’t let its charming facade fool you. While this may be one of the best-maintained ghost towns in Utah, it is also known as one of the most haunted.
Listen as your feet scuff the dirt on its abandoned roads, past the old schoolhouse, and vacant log house farms. Hear the superficial dragging as it creeps up behind you, awoken by your presence. Is it the moaning lamentations of those gone by, or merely your own strangled cries clenched inside your throat? Do not turn round to face what follows you just yet, or you might chase off the chilled breath feathering down your spine.
You are not the first to sense such an ethereal presence here. Settled by pioneers and plagued with difficulty, this location is no stranger to desolate vibrations. In fact, early settlers first fled Gafton in 1866, less than ten years after its founding. Flooding and washed out irrigation, as well as cotton shortages due to the civil war, led to overspent land and poor crop yield. As hunger wracked the settler’s empty bellies, conflict with the local Native Americans intensified, contributing to Grafton’s first desertion. Many claim it is these hardships that have produced the multitude of paranormal sightings in the area.
Still, some families would return, erecting the iconic schoolhouse in 1886. Their work would even find itself showcased in several films, including the first outdoor talking picture, In Old Arizona. Inevitably though, the area remained too harsh to maintain a stable population. As if cursed, Grafton would find itself devoid of civilization once more, its residents relocating to places with better opportunities.
Now, Grafton is home only to paranormal rumors. Most notable are the stories of uneasy sensations lurking among the many humble graves. It is even said that if you visit the sprawling acres, you may hear the voices of the dead, crying infants, or the banging of angry spirits inside the lonely structures.
Salt Lake City Cemetery
Ah, here we end our tour of Haunted Utah, and in the most sensible place possible for our ghostly escapes: The Salt Lake City Cemetery. Here you will find one of the oldest burial grounds in all of Utah, established in the late 1840s. It houses famous individuals and local legends alike, full of enormous tombs, angel wings, and obelisk points.
Records show that the first person buried in the cemetery was a child, drowned in August of 1847. At that time, the graveyard was merely dirt and weeds, nothing like 122 acres of Victorian-style park that sits above the Salt Lake City Valley today. Here we trail beneath the clusters of green branches and yellow street lights, painting the hallowed ground with onyx shadows.
Meth and Mold
Of course, there is one more type of invisible force haunting Utah’s homes and buildings. That force, naturally, is contamination from meth or mold. Meth residue and mold spores are both invisible and dangerous to your earthly vessels. Both can make you ill, and they may infest your home without any obvious sign.
What’s more, those who cook meth may do so in abandoned buildings. And such structures are prime conditions for breeding mold as well. As such, be sure to take caution when hunting for signs of the beyond, and consider wearing a respirator and gloves.
Above all, do not allow these substances to manifest within the walls of your homes or vehicles. You never know when disembodied contaminants may take it upon themselves to unravel your health. To ensure your property does not have any unwelcome residues, seek out those knowledgable in the ways of decontamination. And should you find yourself haunted by these toxic substances in Utah, be sure to invoke AEI Decon first. We’ll ensure any lingering meth or mold meets its final rest. (801) 888-6698.
Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay – ceramic ghosts, Image from Facebook – Utah State History – Old Tooele Hospital, Image by Don Gilman from Pixabay – Grafton House, Image by Peter H from Pixabay – living room.
