HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Fargo's oldest and largest cemetery, laid out in 1879 along the Red River, where visitors report odd sounds near its two mausoleums.
2102 5th Street S, Fargo, ND 58103
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
An active public cemetery. No admission fee. Visitors should observe posted hours and treat the grounds with respect as a working burial ground.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Maintained cemetery grounds with paved drives and grassed sections along the Red River.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1879 · Fargo's oldest and largest cemetery, laid out in 1879 · First recorded burial in 1878 · More than 18,000 interments over its history · Two mausoleums, built 1921 and 1971 · Resting place of many of Fargo's founding families
Riverside Cemetery was established in the earliest years of Fargo's growth. The cemetery association records its first burial in 1878, and in May 1879 the grounds were formally surveyed and laid out as a burying ground along the Red River in what is now south Fargo. As the city expanded through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Riverside became the resting place of many of Fargo's founding families and prominent early residents.
It is the oldest and largest cemetery in Fargo, with more than 18,000 people interred over its history. The cemetery's layout reflects the changing styles of American burial grounds across more than a century, from the older monument sections to later memorial areas.
Two mausoleums stand on the grounds. The first was completed in 1921, during a period when community mausoleums were popular across the United States, and a second was added in 1971. The cemetery remains active and is administered by the Riverside Cemetery Association.
The cemetery's age and its association with the city's earliest history have made it a focus of local heritage interest, including a self-guided history walk. That same age and prominence underlie its reputation among residents as a haunted site.
Sources
As Fargo's oldest cemetery, Riverside carries the kind of haunted reputation that often attaches to a city's earliest burial ground. Local coverage, including a FargoMom roundup of haunted spots and an Only In Your State feature naming it among the state's most haunted cemeteries, describes a cluster of reports from visitors over the years.
The most commonly reported phenomena are odd or unexplained noises near the cemetery's two mausoleums, and photographic anomalies, orbs and mists, that appear in pictures taken on the grounds. Some visitors describe a general unease while walking the older sections.
The reports are atmospheric and consistent with the lore that gathers around historic cemeteries; none is tied to a specific named individual or documented event. HauntBound lists the cemetery for review rather than as a confirmed haunting, and notes that Riverside is an active public cemetery. Visits should be made during posted daytime hours and conducted with the respect due a working burial ground.
Walk the grounds of Fargo's oldest cemetery, laid out in 1879 along the Red River. The cemetery holds the graves of many of the city's early citizens and has two mausoleums, the first built in 1921 and a second in 1971. A self-guided walking tour of the cemetery's history is available through the cemetery's own materials.
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