5 Disturbing Cemeteries In New Mexico That Will Give You Goosebumps

While some cemeteries have a well-maintained, peaceful feel, others give you the heebie jeebies. Some of these cemeteries are the only remains of a ghost town, while others have sad histories or are reported to be haunted. Whatever their story, you wouldn’t want to be alone, in the dark, at these five cemeteries in New Mexico.

Wikimedia Commons/US-VA

This cemetery is unnerving because it's surrounded by the abandoned remains of Fort Bayard. This complex was founded in 1866. The Buffalo Soldiers served here, defending settlers from Apache raids. It has also been used as a TB hospital and POW camp. Now, the buildings stand empty, as if everyone just walked away, which is creepy. Plus, there are unspecified claims that the site is haunted.

Flickr/Albert Mock

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Flickr/Albert Mock

People who explore this ghost town in Northern New Mexico often report a feeling of uneasiness near the cemetery, which is rumored to be haunted. The town certainly endured enough tragedy to justify the presence of ghosts. The Phelps Dodge Corporation operated a significant coal mining operation in Dawson. In 1913, an explosion killed 263 men in one of the worst coal mining tragedies in U.S. history. A decade later, a second mining disaster claimed the lives of 121 miners. After the coal mine closed, the town was razed, leaving only this cemetery behind.

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Fort Stanton, constructed in 1855, has been used as a military base, a TB hospital for the Merchant Marines, an internment camp, a women’s prison, and a rehab facility. The fort itself is supposedly haunted and the cemetery, which is just down the road, provides a final resting place for 1500 sailors.

Find A Grave/Ann Turner

The remains of the Bonito City murder victims are buried in Angus Cemetery, in Lincoln County. It's the crime that's terrifying, rather than the cemetery itself.

On May 5th 1885, a man named Martin Nelson murdered seven people in Bonito City's Mayberry Hotel, including four members of the Mayberry family. He was later shot to death by a posse.

The victims were previously buried in Bonito City Cemetery, but that resting place was submerged during the Bonito Dam Project and the remains were transferred to the Angus Cemetery.

Wikimedia Commons/John Phelan

This cemetery is disturbing, not because of any ghost sightings, but because of its prairie dog colonies. For years, the creatures dug tunnels through the cemetery, unearthing human remains in the process.

This video provides more details about the long-standing prairie dog problem at Santa Fe’s Fairview Cemetery. Warning: it is fairly graphic.

Since this video was made, the cemetery operators have built a concrete wall five feet below the ground and three feet above it, to deter invading prairie dogs. Animals already inside the cemetery have been relocated.

What other cemeteries in New Mexico give you the creeps?