Entry No. 135 — the Denver file — filed under: haunted
Lafayette Vampire Grave (Fodor Glava)
“the tree growing from his plot … said to have sprouted from that very stake”
Teodor "Fodor" Glava, a Transylvanian coal miner who died in the 1918 flu pandemic, was buried here and became Lafayette's enduring vampire legend — locals allegedly staked his exhumed body, and the tree growing from the center of his plot is said to have sprouted from that very stake. Visitors still regularly leave roses, rosaries, and tokens on the grave, making it a living piece of Colorado folklore.
The move: Visit the grave in the older NE section of Lafayette Municipal Cemetery at dusk, leave a rose as tribute (the Romanian word "trandofir" meaning rose is carved on his stone), then walk the quiet historic cemetery before heading to nearby Lafayette's downtown for a late dinner — the whole outing takes under two hours and pairs eerie atmosphere with genuine local history.
📍 Before you go The cemetery sits at 111th and Baseline (north of Baseline/Hwy 7, about a half-mile east of US 287); park along the lane inside or by the adjacent Bob Burger Recreation Center. Glava's grave is in the older northwest third, in the Potter's Field area roughly 20 feet south of the paved exit road from the rec center — look low, as it's a flat, easy-to-miss flat marker reading "Transylvania" among the trees. This is an active municipal cemetery, so keep voices down and be respectful of other visitors and graves. Dusk and the autumn Halloween stretch draw the most pilgrims and the eeriest light. Downtown Lafayette's Old Town strip is a five-minute drive for dinner after.
- 📍 Lafayette
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Lafayette Municipal Cemetery, 290 N 111th St, Lafayette, CO 80026
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · Roadside America · Official site
last checked: 2026-06-07