Haunted Salt Lake City

by Laurie Allen, Cassie Ashton, Kristen Clay

Uncovering ghost stories in Salt Lake City leads to a spooky mixture of legend, lore and local history. A young female apparition likes to surprise guests of the McCune Mansion by leaping from a mirror. Believed to be stationed at Fort Douglas, a Civil War vet named Clem still teases female visitors. Staff at the historic Devereaux Mansion, once a major social center, relented in their vain nightly attempts to keep the lights off and let the spirits continue their eternal party. And nuns of the Sisters of the Holy Cross still visit patients in the hospital they established. The guides of Story Tours' Salt Lake City Ghost Tour reveal characters who just can't seem to leave the valley.

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

Published September 17, 2018

Reviews

[Magen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit I was disappointed by most of the chapters in this book. Most of the chapters offer very brief histories of the buildings in question, followed by a lengthy set up of a fictionalized version of the researchers' informants. I didn't really want pages upon pages of backstory for characters I didn't care about, I wanted to know what sorts of paranormal activities happen in these places. Most of the informants weren't even the people experiencing these events, so these narratives often had to include unrealistic dialogue between their characters and other characters who would then tell about what had been witnessed by others. It was a really awkward device. Not all of the chapters were written like this, but I had to do a lot of skimming to get to the juicy bits (A purple lady is seen here, children are heard there, etc). Had the chapters been written more directly, I think there would've been substantial room for more accounts, more information about these fascinating places, perhaps more analysis of the way these stories have been disseminated in their respective environments, and absolutely more space for other haunted locations that I can think of as a local. For a local publication intended to be sold to tourists who like spooky stories, this is okay. It's a good, easy read to have on the shelf for curious kids with overactive imaginations. If you're looking to really learn something about Salt Lake's history and feel a bit sensationalized in the process... there are probably other books out there.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. I saw it at Walgreens and thought it would be a fun book to read on the plane and this was perfect. Read 1/2 on the way down and 1/2 on the way back. I am going to try to scare my kids now during Halloween and go see some ghosts.

[Alicia A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll give this a three because it does have nice historical research and context for most of the locations but the stories were mostly flat and had the feeling of what your crazy uncle tells you over Thanksgiving dinner: you know, the uncle who could also be called a "Drunkle." This Drunkle is also the one who insists he saw Bigfoot and went to law school with Ted Bundy. All of which could possibly be true but...really?
There is nothing new in this book, no new locations, no new hauntings, nothing truly exciting. There are several haunted buildings in the "This is the Place" heritage park but only one of them was covered in this book. Also missing is the Old Salt City Jail and the Armstrong Mansion. In the preface the author said they couldn't fit all the stories in the book. I would have opted to leave out "Emo's Grave" since drawing more attention to this grave that has been vandalized for so many years is irresponsible especially since the photo included in the book of the supposed "ghost" is an easily debunked optical illusion. In it's place I would have included one of the other above locations.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four authors -- storytellers and tour guides for Salt Lake City ghost tours -- put together this compilation of tales of supernatural happenings in notable places around Salt Lake City. Each chapter gives historical facts of the building or site, its construction, its inhabitants -- and the history of hauntings. The narrative is enhanced by vintage and current photos. And then there's a story -- a fictionalized account of a possible encounter with the strange and ghostly activity. Most of the stories are about lights, sounds, moving objects, and feelings of a paranormal presence. An extensive bibliography is included.

[Carlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I bumped into this book I couldn’t help picking it up. I knew it was unlikely to be great but my curiosity was piqued. That mindset probably helped. The book ended up, as expected, a collection of ghost stories with a side of Utah history. The stories, purported to be true, read like any number of poltergeist stories but are introduced by a page or two of the history of the mansion, cemetery, city hall, hospital or bar where they take place. I found myself chuckling at the stories but enjoying the small nuggets of history. I can see this being an interesting way to get cursorily acquainted with the history of this unique state.

[Vibeke Hiatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick, fun read. It's just frightening enough to give you chills without nightmares. I learned about Salt Lake places I had never heard much of before. Now I'm interested in visiting them, even if I don't care to see any ghosts.

My only complaint is the writing style. Often the dialogue was old-fashioned (even when the story didn't take place in the past) and contrived. It didn't always come across as natural. I loved the photos of locations, but wish there had been more of ghosts. Such photos are referenced, but the readers are told to seek them out themselves.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the writing was not phenomenal, the history of Utah was fascinating! Each chapter would provide a history of the location and people before going into the actual haunting accounts. While I didn't find the haunting stories convincing, they were fun, and I LOVED learning about the lesser known aspects of Utah history!

[Nick Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent short histories about early Utah buildings and people, though the ghost stories lack much haunt. Not saying every ghost story needs bloodshed and terror, but should at least be something more than “I saw a dead person.”
Nothing here that would really give you a nightmare, but sadly nothing memorable either. The stories could at least be clever, but they’re forgettable.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty versed in Salt Lake history, but this slim book was full of stories that were new to me.

[Janis Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun spine chilling read! I can’t wait to go on one of the tours!

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history behind the ghost stories really make it all that much more engaging.

[Tamra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been so much better. The "scary ghost stories" weren't so scary, but I did enjoy the historical information.

[Trystin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book about spirits seen in Salt Lake City along with the history of the different buildings.

[Sophus Shackford · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bits of history were very interesting, but most of the ghost stories had weak narratives and were very tropey/campy.

[Reachal Bly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been interested in haunted stuff. and now knowing what kind of haunted stuff is right here in town is awesome! I love to visit these old places and know a spirit is watching me.