HAUNTED DEPOT

Staff and visitors recount unexplained encounters at Ogden Union Station

Draped in neon light and glowing entry lamps, the historic Ogden Union Station — famed as one of the city's most haunted sites — stands illuminated at night on Sept. 26, 2026. Deann Armes

It’s hard to be an Ogdenite without hearing of famous folklore like Flo’s haunted grave in the Ogden City Cemetery, or the Lady in White at Union Station. But for many people downtown, these hauntings are everyday occurrences. 

“When I first started at Union Station, I was a little bit on the fence as a believer or not, but there’s been so many weird things that have happened over the years,” Hope Eggett, Museum Administration, said. “I’ve heard so many stories that it’s hard to deny now.”

From hearing children giggling and someone whistling and occasionally catching a whiff of the Lady in White’s signature lavender scent, paranormal experiences aren’t an unusual occurrence for Eggett’s staff. 

“Nobody wants to be the last person in the station at night,” Eggett said.

That experience might sound great, however, to people like Jen Wright, director of the Paranormal Investigation Team of Utah, who initially connected to the team through an annual ghost investigation event at the station called “Night at the Museum.” 

The PI Team of Utah is affiliated with the Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), the organization perhaps best known from the television show “Ghost Hunters,” led by Jason Hawes. The organization spans globally, with Wright’s team covering all of Utah and parts of both Wyoming and Idaho. But despite what viewers might believe, investigations are not as eventful as what you see on TV, according to Wright.

“It’s not glamorous. It’s very, very tedious. It can be hours and hours in the dark with nothing happening,” Wright said.

However, the station proves to be a very active place for spirits. Wright said that there’s never been a time where she didn’t have an experience during her investigations there. Through the years, Wright’s investigations have pulled electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) recordings, devices have been moved, and she was even once touched by something while on a tour –– evidence that could not be ruled out by other explanations.

“We are a professional ghost investigation team but we look for the natural explanation before we call it a ghost any day of the week,” Wright explained. “We pride ourselves on being very professional, so it’s not just a ghost hunter hobby.”

When conducting an investigation, the team starts by researching and collecting history to better understand what might be happening in the area. They then use special equipment like electromagnetic field (EMF) readers to track spikes in energy, infrared cameras to see better in the dark, and audio equipment to catch EVPs. They conduct tests, like asking the spirits to turn lights on and off. 

“I think with the station being such a huge place of community and with how many people have moved through these hallways through the years, having really strong emotions — whether that’s hellos and goodbyes or final partings that have happened here at the station, I think there’s just a lot of energy in the space that’s maybe attracting spirits here,” Eggett said.

While Wright has plenty of evidence that Union Station is haunted, her team has not had the chance to collect significant evidence from other famously local “haunts,” The Bigelow Apartments (formerly the Ben Lomond Hotel) and the Ogden City Cemetery. These sites cannot be properly investigated because the team cannot conduct a completely isolated search. Wright said she can’t rule out that noises or lights are human caused in these spaces, with The Bigelow housing residents and the cemetery being outdoors and next to a neighborhood. In these cases, something they hear or see can’t be ruled out as a dog barking or someone walking with a flashlight. 

“People start to talk and create these stories over and over, and then they get a little bit more embellished,” Wright said of folklore surrounding Flo’s grave. 

Despite all these paranormal experiences, Wright isn’t scared. She’s especially not scared to visit Union Station.

“I’m not afraid of encountering something I don’t understand,” she said. 

For those wanting to go on their own investigations, Wright expressed that the most important thing is to be responsible and respectful to people, property and spirits. She discourages trespassing and stresses importance on treating spirits with respect.

“Our belief is that ghosts are people too, if you look at it in the human side of things,” Wright said. “They have emotions just like we do.”