The Haunted Cemetery In San Francisco That Will Send Chills Down Your Spine

In 1900, cemeteries were banned in San Francisco and by 1937 many were removed. One of the last two remaining cemeteries is purportedly haunted. Founded in 1776, the Mission Dolores cemetery, which is officially known as the San Francisco de Asís cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in San Francisco. The cemetery originally ran all the way to what is now Church Street, but today it is just a tiny burial ground. This cemetery is a final resting place for some of the city’s founders and thousands of Native Americans. Today, this cemetery is filled with lots of history—some of it quite dark.

The Mission Dolores cemetery is located at: 3321 16th Street, San Francisco, 94114 You can find out more about this cemetery from the Mission Dolores Cemetery Site.

Let’s look into the haunted history of this cemetery below:

Found SF/FoundSF.org

The mission was established long before the small town of San Francisco became populated. The cemetery is one of the oldest surviving structures in San Francisco.

Ed Bierman/Flickr

Getting buried is no longer permitted in San Francisco because of space considerations. Numerous graves and remains were transferred to the nearby city of Colma.

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Thomas Hawk/Flickr

Many unsettled ghosts haunt this cemetery because numerous interments were removed and relocated to make way for road construction and growth. Many paranormal investigators surmise that the desecration of burial sites is particularly commonplace in Mission Dolores.

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Ed Bierman/Flickr

One of the more haunted and dark things you'll spot is a replica of an Ohlone Indian hut. This is the only thing remaining of unmarked burial sites of the approximately 5,000 Ohlone natives of San Francisco.

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David Yu/Flickr

In 1958, Alfred Hitchcock used Mission Dolores as the location of Carlotta Valdes's grave in the movie Vertigo.

David Yu/Flickr

The playground behind Mission Dolores Church, including the surrounding area, were once grave sites. Paranormal activity has been detected in places where spirits have been forgotten, and now where kids play.

Wally Gobetz/Flickr

This is one of the oldest remaining pieces of history from San Francisco. The tombstone of Francisco de Haro, the first mayor of Yerba Buena. De Haro was instrumental in planning the street grid of San Francisco.

thefuturistics/Flickr

Along with numerous unmarked graves, there are many burials here of dark characters in the city's history, like the brothel madam Belle Cora and her husband, who were hanged. The creepy factor is high all throughout the cemetery, and even in nearby Dolores Park. The popular park for locals was also built on a cemetery! Boo!

Do you know of any other haunted spots in San Francisco? Let us know! If you’re curious, check out
This Haunted Road Trip That Will Lead You To The Scariest Places Around San Francisco.