Since Bram Stoker penned his iconic “Dracula” in 1897, the world has been fascinated with (essentially) living corpses who leave their graves and/or dark castles at night in search of fresh blood. Like the rest of the world, Coloradans have long been fascinated with this phenomenon, as demonstrated by the creepy story of the Transylvanian Vampire.

During the early 20th-century, Transylvanian immigrant Theodore “Fodor” Glava worked as a coal miner in Colorado and — like several others — died during the 1918 flu epidemic. While the story of his untimely death is tragic, there was much mystery surrounding Glava, as the tall, pale, and abnormally long-fingernailed man was rumored to have actually been a vampire. It could be argued that his ghastly appearance was merely caused by his line of work and illness, but the legend continued to gain traction after a wooden stake that was lodged into Glava’s heart (after he passed) grew into a giant tree that still sits at the center of his grave. (Coincidence? That’s for you to decide.)

Since there are very few pictures available of Glava or his grave, we found the next best thing, which is that of this video from Just Go:

For even more creepy Colorado legends, click on These 5 Urban Legends In Colorado Will Keep You Awake At Night.

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