Home Cemeteries Emo’s Grave – Salt Lake City

Emo’s Grave – Salt Lake City

by Jennifer Jones

The Legend:

If you circle the Moritz Mausoleum three times while chanting “Emo, Emo, Emo” and then look into the mausoleum you’ll see the red glowing eyes of “Emo” staring back at you.

The History:

One of the local legends I’ve had a lot of people ask me about is that of Emo’s Grave.  Emo’s Grave is a mausoleum located in the Jewish section of the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  The tomb is visible from 4th Street just East of 990 East.  You won’t find the name Emo anywhere on the mausoleum, however as it, in fact, belonged to a man by the name of Jacob Moritz.

Image courtesy of the Utah State Historical Society

Emo’s Grave – The Dead History

Jacob Moritz was born in Ingenheim, Germany in February of 1849 and immigrated to the United States in September of 1865 at the age of 16. After spending a couple of years in New York City working at the F.M. Schaefer Brewing Co, he moved to St Louis where he worked for Anheuser-Busch. Determined to try his hand at mining he eventually made his way to Helena, Montana.  It’s unknown whether he wasn’t successful at mining or just wanted to get back into brewing but in 1871 he moved to Salt Lake City and opened the Little Montana Brewery. Within a few years, Jacob’s brewery became immensely successful, and he built a much larger, state of the art brewery on 10th East and 5th South, renaming it the Salt Lake City Brewing Co.  Part of what was once a large brewery is still standing and is now the Anniversary Inn.

Over his 39 years in Salt Lake City, Jacob Moritz grew his brewery to be one of the largest outside of Milwaukee.  His beer was sold throughout Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, and even parts of California.  At the height of his success, he also owned over 36 saloons.  In 1889 he married Lahela Louisson from Hawaii, and she joined him in Salt Lake. They were both extremely active with the local Jewish community; he served as President of Temple B’nai Israel, and she was the leader of the Hebrew Ladies’ Relief Society. Not only was he a successful brewer and businessman, but he was also involved in Utah politics, with the Liberal Party. Despite the fact that he made his fortune by the production and sale of alcohol, and also that he was involved in the less popular liberal politics, he was embraced by Utah’s Mormon population and from all accounts was extremely popular and well liked.  In October 1909 he was issued a passport and shortly after that he and Lahela left the United States to go to Europe.  Mr. Moritz had been in poor health for a few months, and they thought the rest, along with the local mineral springs would do his health good. By June of 1910, they had made their way to Germany, and it was there that Jacob Moritz succumbed to the effects of lung and stomach cancer.  His wife and siblings were present when he died at the age of 61. And here is where the legend of Emo’s grave begins.  

According to the newspaper article that announced his death, Lahela had her husband cremated, with the intention to inter his remains in a mausoleum located in the Jewish section of the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  Lahela returned to the United States from Europe on the 23rd of July.  Jacob’s remains were sent “in bond” and arrived on the 25th.  His remains were interred in the mausoleum sometime after July 31st, but I could find no mention of a funeral or any ceremony.Shortly after his remains were placed in the mausoleum the rumors about “Emo’s grave” began.  It’s not known who or what started these rumors, or where the name Emo originated. Lahela remarried not long after Jacob’s death and moved with her new husband to California. Eventually, Jacob’s remains were removed and given to his family, but it’s not known where they were eventually reinterred. I suspect they were probably taken to California and possibly even buried with Lahela upon her death in 1959.

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9 comments

ANGELIA HUGHES December 7, 2016 - 11:05 pm

I think the name “emo” may of come from his middle initial “E” and first two intials of his last name “MO”

Reply
Mark October 15, 2017 - 1:19 pm

When I used to go there in the 70’s before the vase was broken, the way you got scared was you walked up to it and lit a stick match (had to be a stick match and not a lighter) and you would see a face in there. There was no chanting “emo” at all, that must have come later. Because the vase was curved it reflected your own face with a 3-D effect! I remember taking people up there and scaring the you know what out of them. Good times!

Reply
Michelle November 14, 2017 - 12:19 am

It’s a pretty silly legend with no true story basis to it. Someone did scratch the name EMO into it but I hate legends with 0 factual base to them. Give me a real “true” ghost story any day 😉

Reply
Eni Tauteoli January 16, 2018 - 9:26 pm

Wonderful! Thank you for that bit of history. I remeber our fun childhood was to drive up to that cemetery and tell made up ghost stories on our way up. Fun times.

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Tabitha April 14, 2018 - 4:00 pm

All I know me and daughter drove down the little path in front of the his grave my car window is power and it stop working the cell phone we used stop working to it’s some erry shit

Reply
A. S September 12, 2018 - 3:35 am

I remember going to demos grave as a teenager, there was some head stone with his name on it, if u looked at when the moon was full u could see his face. I remember going memory grove, gravity hill would ur car. Then there was a witch at memory grove if u would turn off ur car and honk ur horn a witch would come out. Lastly, the thing that really scared the crap out of me was the devil worshiping house behind the capital, I know it sounds crazy but I remember seeing it. Me and my friends only 1 time and that was enough for me.

Reply
[BLOCKED BY STBV] Salt Lake City Cemetery - Alina H. Hansen October 18, 2018 - 7:04 pm

[…] SLC Cemetery also has its share of “Spooky Stuff” such as EMO’S GRAVE (allegedly visiting Emo’s grave and saying “Emo” over and over again […]

Reply
Bud Blanchard February 13, 2024 - 10:47 pm

We were born and raised one block from the cemetery and always were wary of the rumors but never tested our courage. We also were told that the cemetery had a night watchman who would shoot a shotgun filled with rock salt at anyone caught in the cemetery at night. We didn’t bother finding out if that were also true.

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Jennifer Jones February 27, 2024 - 12:07 am

Hahaha it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if that was true! Ouch!

Reply

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