Online registry highlights Utah's haunted 'real estate'

SALT LAKE CITY — Nobody wants to be "upside down" in a haunted house, but how does someone know if the home they're looking at is truly haunted?

"There's really no list out there, and as a 23-year broker, a lot of times I get asked, like, 'Is this place haunted?' 'Has anyone died here?'" said Kris Bowen, a real estate broker with LPT Real Estate Group.

Bowen told KSL there are just some things sellers don't immediately have to disclose.

"Sellers are not required to disclose stigmatized properties," Bowen said. "With that being said, if it's something that's important to a buyer, then you definitely can ask about it and sellers can't lie about that."

Bowen acknowledged, however, that sometimes those spooky secrets are something to be celebrated, which is why, in the spirit of Halloween, he created Utah's Real Haunted Houses: The Registry.

"I'm actually surprised there hasn't been another registry or list," Bowen said.

From the tales that surround the Governor's Mansion to other historic structures in Salt Lake City and around the state, Bowen said the registry aims to highlight Utah's best ghost stories.

Bowen said the site currently details 42 different locations, and one of his personal favorite stories comes from Capitol Theatre.

"That happened on the Fourth of July 1949," Bowen explained. "There was an usher by the name of Richard Duffin. There was a show going on and a fire broke out in the basement. Richard grabbed a fire extinguisher, went downstairs, and 600 people evacuated the building, but Richard was not one of them. He was a 17-year-old usher. Sad story, but the staff even today — they call him George — and they say he controls the lights even today, so I thought that was a really fascinating story."

Bowen said some stories are essentially folklore, while others have more evidence to them.

"We did everything from looking at the state archives to property records and even looked back at newspapers to find as much information as we can on these," Bowen said.

He said his love of Halloween and history was what led him to start the site, and he hoped others would share that appreciation.

"Utah has an amazing history and every one of these buildings that are featured on the list — of the 42 places — all have a big story to tell," Bowen said. "That's why I did it — really, for fun."

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