The Definitive Guide To All Things Haunted And Creepy In Iowa
Iowa is a beautiful state and a great place to live, but it does have a dark side. In fact, Iowa might be one of the most haunted places in the United States. We’re talking haunted houses, haunted hotels, haunted bridges… Iowa is practically crawling with ghosts. And of course, Iowa is known for its cornfields and we can attest that there is something very spooky about a cornfield (although, this does mean Iowa has some really great haunted corn mazes and haunted hayrides when Halloween comes around.)
Here’s everything you need to know about the creepier, weirder side of Iowa.
The Most Haunted House In Iowa
On June 9, 1912, the Moore family met a tragic end at their Villisica home. All six family members and two house guests were bludgeoned to death with an axe — and the murderer was never found. Legend says the family haunts the home to this day: Countless visitors have heard disembodied voices, seen objects move on their own, and experienced ominous cold spots. Visitors today can tour the house and even spend the night to see the spirit activity for themselves.
The Most Haunted Road In Iowa (And Maybe America)
Be careful on Stony Hollow Road in Burlington. The story goes that a young woman named Lucinda was planning on running away with her lover, but he failed to show up at their meeting spot on the cliffs. She then threw herself to her death. Lucinda is rumored to eternally roam the area now, and many motorists have sworn they've seen a shadowy woman wandering the road. Legend has it if you walk to the top of the cliff and say her name three times, Lucinda will appear. If she drops a rose at your feet, though, you will die the next day. Yikes.
The 3 Most Haunted Places In Iowa
1. The Mathias Ham House in Dubuque was once a family mansion and is now a museum anyone can visit. It is also extremely haunted. Several members of the Ham family died in the home and one of the daughters even shot and killed an intruder at one point, too. These days, there are thought to be two active ghosts wandering the property, although it's unclear who. Mysterious lights flicker on and off, and visitors hear voices and footsteps even when no one else is around. So, would you spend a day here?
2. The dead don't just rest at Ashton Cemetery. Formed in the 1800s, not only is this graveyard very old, but it was built on top of a sacred Native American site. Orbs have been spotted glowing amongst the graves, peculiar cold spots will form in random areas, and strange sounds appear out of nowhere. It's a pretty spooky place with a very interesting history.
3. Swinging bridges are unsettling on their own but the Columbus Junction Bride (aka Lover's Leap) is scarier than most. Local legend says a Native American threw herself off the bridge, heartbroken that her lover had died from battle. To this day, she haunts the bridge. It's said you can hear her cries and wails as she mourns for eternity when you cross the bridge. Clearly, this bridge is not for the faint of heart.
Iowa's Freakiest Haunted Prison
The Pottawattamie County Jail in Council Bluffs, built in 1885 and in use until 1969, is known as The Squirrel Cage Jail for a really unsettling reason. It's a strange structure with three floors of 18 revolving cells that were rotated and accessed by a hand crank. These cells made the prison particularly tough to be housed in, and several prisoners died during their time here. Rumor has it some never left — people have reported feeling a strange presence inside the jail and something tugging on their clothes. Others have seen or heard the spirit of a little girl dressed in gray on the 3rd and 4th floors. The prison is now a museum, so you can attempt to experience the paranormal on a tour here.
Would You Spend A Night In This Iowa Haunted Hotel?
Hotel Blackhawk, which is over 100 years old, is a beautiful hotel in Davenport. It allegedly hosts some permanent residents, though. Hollywood icon Cary Grant is rumored to be one of them — he died at the hotel in 1986. Visitors claim to see Grant's ghost, hear strange noises, and experience creepy cold spots. Would you spend the night here?
The Best Haunted Corn Maze In Iowa
Like we said earlier, cornfields are terrifying on their own. However, Haunted Carter Farms in Princeton will get your heart racing. It's four terrifying acres of corn maze filled with scary sights and twisting turns. Be prepared to scream.
Scariest Haunted House In Iowa
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Scream Park delivers on its name. There's zombie tag, a terrifying fog maze, and a haunted house that will have you, well, screaming while you run for your life. The Des Moines attraction prides itself on being the scariest in the state.
3 Creepy Photos From Iowa
Edinburgh Manor was a mental institution during the 1900s and the patients were kept in abysmal conditions. It was a horrifying place to be kept. Even though it's now abandoned, people come from all over to explore the creepy ruins — and see if the ghost stories about it are true. Would you visit?
Would you try sitting in the devil's chair? There is a spooky legend surrounding this gravestone in Union Cemetery in Guthrie Center, Iowa. Apparently, if you sit on this tomb, bad luck and even death will follow you.
The Farrar Schoolhouse, built in 1921, was abandoned in 2002. Now, the schoolhouse is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in Iowa. Visitors to the abandoned schoolhouse say they've seen shadowy figures and heard strange voices. Worse, some have even claimed to feel a presence pushing or attacking them, leaving them with mysterious red welts.
5 Creepy Facts About Iowa
- In 1903, the town of Van Meter was stalked by a strange winged creature dubbed “the Van Meter Monster.” Several respected town citizens claimed to have seen the creature, which they described as half-human, half-insect, with a strange beam of light emitting from its forehead and a terrible odor. Learn more about how the town vanquished the monster here.
- Gitchie Manitou is home to one of the most horrific mass murders in recent history. In November 1973, five teenagers were hanging out at the reserve when three brothers appeared and pretended to be police. They shot and killed four of the teens and then took the fifth woman and brutally raped her. She survived the attack and her testimony was crucial to solving the case. Read more here.
- In 1978, Ottosen residents reported hearing strange whistling and screaming in the woods. Cats and dogs were then found mutilated and killed, and some residents claimed they saw a large Bigfoot-type creature out in the forest. Was it really the legendary creature?
- The observatory at Drake University is said to be haunted by Dr. Robert Morehouse, the first chairman of the Astronomy and Physics department, whose remains are interred there. Rumors say people regularly feel a strange presence in the observatory and occasionally calculations in the observation logs will be changed or corrected.
- The woods of Urbandale are said to be haunted by a ghost named Uncle Charlie. Local legend says if you take a photo with the flash on in these woods at night, he’ll show up in the background of the photos. Others say his ghastly face is spotted when you look out the window at night sometimes.
