The Haunting Begins: North Dakota’s Creepiest Places (Part 4)

We are in the middle of spooky season, so we thought we'd bring you another haunted North Dakota tale. In this series, we explore North Dakota's most haunted locations and why they have earned their reputations. Today, we look at Fargo's Riverside Cemetery.

It's kind of weird when you think about it; we drive by cemeteries every day and don't really think twice. Most are well kept and look sort of serene. However, some cemeteries in our state don't feel as peaceful.

After a little research, we found that several older North Dakota cemeteries have a bit of lore, including reported ghost sightings and urban legends.

(Also Read: Human Remains At Capitol Grounds: 7 Coffins Removed)

Paranormal Encounters At Riverside Cemetery

The most haunted cemetery in North Dakota is, hands down, Riverside Cemetery in Fargo.

Many people have reported hearing voices in the graveyard, but most of the paranormal encounters have occurred at the historic mausoleum, according to US Ghost Adventures. Some have said they've heard kicking sounds inside the mausoleum, as if the dead are trying to get out of their crypt.

These reports came from people who were at the cemetery at night, which in itself is odd. Why are you at a cemetery at night? You're just asking for trouble. -- Or at the very least, a trespassing charge.

HauntedPlaces.org allows people to share their haunted experiences, and here's what a person named Mattie reported happening in the cemetery.

My friend and I went into the crypt, and for the first couple of minutes it was normal. Then, after about 3 or 4 minutes, we started hearing knocking and scratching from the wall (where the bodies are placed). The longer we stayed, the more intense everything got.

Google Maps

The History Of The Cemetery

Riverside Cemetery was established in the 1870's. It is the largest cemetery in the Fargo-Moorhead area, with more than 18,000 burials spanning over 150 years. Some of North Dakota's earliest pioneers are buried there.

According to findagrave.com, the land where the cemetery sits was originally owned by Northern Pacific Railroad.' It was later sold to a man named James Holes in 1875. Ironic, is it not? - A man who owns a cemetery has the last name "Holes.

The first recorded burial was February 16, 1878. A woman named Climena Lowell was laid to rest.

Interesting Fact: In the cemetery's early days, horse-drawn hearses would carry caskets onto the cemetery grounds.

Notable Figures Buried

Some notable figures I’ve been buried in the cemetery include Smith Stimmel, who was a former security guard to the former US President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, William F. Lemke, who was a presidential candidate in 1936, along with a former North Dakota, governor and state legislator.

The cemetery is still very active. There are dozens of burials each year, according to findagrave.com.