- Address: 1599 E. 8th Avenue, Denver, CO 80218
- Cheesman Memorial Pavilion: 1900 E 11th Ave, Denver, CO 80206
- Hours: Denver urban parks are open daily 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Help or issues in the park: Denver recommends calling 3-1-1
Cheesman Park looks like the kind of place you would pick for a calm morning walk: big lawns, long views, and that bright white pavilion that feels almost European. What makes it unforgettable is what the park used to be. Under the paths and grass is the footprint of one of Colorados earliest burial grounds, and that history is exactly why Cheesman Park is one of the most talked-about “haunted” locations in the city.
A beautiful park with a very real cemetery past
The land that became Cheesman Park was once Mount Prospect Cemetery, which opened in 1858 on a much larger site than the current park. Over time, parts of the original cemetery land were re-designated, including Mount Calvary (a Catholic burial area) in 1865.
By the late 1800s, Denver leaders pushed to change the land from cemetery use to park land. According to the Denver Public Library’s historical summary, Congress authorized the change in 1890, and the cemetery land became Congress Park.
Then came the part of the story that still makes people’s stomachs turn.
The 1893 removals and the scandal that fueled the legends
In 1893, work began to move about 5,000 graves, overseen by undertaker E. P. McGovern. The Denver Public Library notes that the effort was surrounded by mishandling allegations, including claims that bodies were dismembered to fit into smaller coffins, and that McGovern was dismissed before all graves were relocated.
The result is the reason Cheesman Park is still whispered about today: not everyone was moved.
Local tours and later reporting regularly cite estimates that thousands of bodies may still remain beneath the park, with commonly repeated ranges around 2,000 to 3,000 (estimates vary by source and historian).
How the park became “Cheesman,” and why the pavilion matters
Denver’s City Beautiful era left a major stamp here. The Denver Public Library describes Mayor Robert W. Speer encouraging private funding to beautify the area, and credits a $100,000 gift from the widow and children of Walter Scott Cheesman for a pavilion, after which the park took the Cheesman name.
The park’s historical narrative also highlights the design work around the pavilion and grounds, including the pavilion’s early 1900s development and the role of architects Marean & Norton.
Today, Cheesman Park is recognized not just locally but nationally. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRIS 86002221, listed September 17, 1986).
Human remains have still been discovered in modern times
This is one of the most important “grounding” facts to mention when talking about Cheesman Park: the cemetery history is not just folklore, and remnants of that past have been found again in recent decades.
- 2022: CBS Colorado reported workers at the Denver Botanic Gardens found a human arm bone during excavation in the Japanese gardens, with staff noting the area sits on former cemetery land and that discoveries are handled through the coroner’s office.
- Reporting and local summaries also frequently reference discoveries tied to construction and irrigation work in the broader area over the years (often discussed alongside Cheesman Park’s burial-ground history).
If you have ever wondered why the haunting stories stick so hard here, this is why: the past quite literally resurfaces.
Why Cheesman Park is considered one of Denver’s most haunted places
No one can prove a haunting at Cheesman Park, but the park has a well-documented reputation for eerie experiences that people attribute to its cemetery origins.
A Denver7 report on the park’s history describes recurring claims including:
- sudden cold spots
- sightings of a woman singing who vanishes
- children playing who disappear
- and a classic story that on moonlit nights, the view from the pavilion steps seems to shift into the cemetery that once existed there
A separate Denver7 piece quotes a tour guide describing reports from residents along the park’s edge of tapping on windows with no obvious cause, and connects the ongoing stories to the fact that bodies were left behind when the cemetery was converted.
The most common “true life” encounters people report
These are not confirmed events, but they are the repeat stories that come up in interviews and tours:
- Feeling an abrupt temperature change in a specific spot, even on calm nights
- Hearing singing or seeing a figure that disappears when approached
- Seeing childlike shapes or hearing playful sounds, then finding no one there
- The “moonlit cemetery view” legend tied to the pavilion steps
- Residents describing unexplained tapping at windows bordering the park
Whether you take these as paranormal or psychological (suggestion is powerful in a place with this backstory), the consistency of the reports has made Cheesman Park a staple on Denver haunted-history routes.
Visiting Cheesman Park respectfully (and safely)
Cheesman is a real neighborhood park first: joggers, dog walkers, families, photographers, and community events use it daily. If you’re visiting with the “haunted” angle in mind, you can do it without being disruptive.
- Go at dusk, not after hours. Denver’s posted urban park hours run from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Stay on public paths and avoid wandering into adjacent residential spaces.
- Keep voices down near the edges of the park (sound travels, and the homes are close).
- If you’re joining a tour, use reputable local operators and follow their rules for meeting points and behavior.
- If you see vandalism or a safety issue, Denver recommends contacting 3-1-1 (outside Denver: 720-913-1311).
The bottom line
Cheesman Park does not need exaggeration to be interesting. Its confirmed history includes a major cemetery, a controversial removal effort, and modern discoveries of remains in the surrounding former burial ground.
That is why the ghost stories persist, and why even skeptics often admit the park feels different after you learn what came before.
Before the sources: never trespass on property that isn’t yours without permission, and remember that ghost hunting can be dangerous, so always use caution.
Leave a Reply