Winters in Iowa are long, cold, and lonely. It's an apt time for the type of tragic or violent deaths that turn into hauntings; thus, there are many haunted places in Iowa. Beware as you travel the highways of Iowa. Ghosts wander everywhere--along roads, in houses, through woods, and in hotels. They're all in search of something they can never find--peace.
Iron Hill
Are the children of Iron Hill doomed to wander the railroad track where they burned to death in the 1920s? The story goes that a train traveling near Charles City caught on fire, killing most of the passengers, including a car filled with orphans. All the children burned to death in the crash. The accident supposedly occurred near the White farm on Iron Hill, but there is no historical account of the legend. However, ghost children walk along the track, crying and moaning. Hikers notice the phantom smell of a burning fire and hear the disembodied screams of children. The apparition of a young girl wearing a white dress white wanders the woods and along the railroad track. These tortured and restless souls have yet to find peace. According to Day Hiking Trails, you can hike to the crash site at Iron Hill.
Moorehead Stagecoach Inn
In 1856, John and Martha Moorehead built the Moorehead Stagecoach Inn in Ida Grove. The inn is a magnet for paranormal activity. To further compound the supernatural, the inn was built over an Indigenous American burial ground. The Stagecoach Inn has been renovated, and the original barn is still standing. Phantom footstep, disembodied voices and whistling occur regularly. The spinning wheel display spins rapidly by itself. Shadow figures move around the burial tree. The staircase features an energy portal located on the top landing. The Moorehead Stagecoach Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Moorehead Pioneer Park. The Inn had multiple functions other than a stopover for the stagecoach. It was also the site for the first courthouse in Ida County, county post office, church, school, and even a hospital.
Stony Hollow Road
A tale of a broken heart often turns into a forlorn ghost story In this tragic tale, a young woman named Lucinda arranged to meet her lover just outside of Burlington. The couple planned to elope that night. Lucinda waited and waited, but her future husband never showed. Overwrought, she plunged to her death off the side of a cliff. Her ghost haunts Stony Hollow Road, with drivers dodging her white shimmering form walking along the road. If you're impatient to see her, legend states you can conjure her. To do so, choose a safe place to stop along the road, get out of your car, and repeat her name three times. She'll manifest in front of you. If she gifts you with a rose from her bridal bouquet by dropping it at your feet, you're sure to die the following day. Of course, why tempt fate? Just keep driving, and you might see her walking along the road. Stony Hollow Road is eight miles north of Burlington along the Mississippi River.
Hotel Blackhawk
Hotel Blackhawk (formerly Blackhawk Hotel) is a luxurious boutique hotel in Davenport with a reputation of ghostly residents, including the spirit of actor Cary Grant, who stayed in the hotel in 1986. Cary Grant's spirit didn't leave and still appears to guests and staff in room 907. He also likes to walk the hallways. The spirit of a woman dressed in an evening gown--sometimes a red one and other times a blue gown--mysteriously appears, gliding through the hallways. She may be on her way to the ballroom or returning to her room after a night of dancing to one of the hotel's big bands, such as Guy Lombardo or Stan Kenton. They may have left one of their musicians behind, and his spirit waits for the band to return. He lingers in the ballroom, often standing in a corner or near a window. Perhaps he's the one playing the lilting phantom piano music that drifts through the hotel. A well-dressed, unidentified, elderly man also wanders the hotel.
Villisca Ax Murder House
The gruesome scene of the 1912 ax massacre in Villisca shocked the country. Josiah B. Moore, his wife Sarah Montgomery (Moore), and their four children, along with two overnight guests, the Stillinger sisters, were brutally axed to death as they slept. The suffering of these poor souls left strong residual energy as well as intelligent paranormal activity. Bedroom doors open and close on their own. There are cold spots in the bedrooms and other areas of the house. Invisible hands pinch and sometimes shove guests. The resident ghosts aren't always happy to have visitors and show their dismay by turning over lamps or sending objects flying off tables or shelves. Disembodied children's voices are often the final straw for frightened visitors, who cut short their day tour.
The Franklin Hotel
The Franklin Hotel, LLC is a Victorian jewel fully restored to its glory. Resident ghost Leo was responsible for the laundry and likes to ring the old bell system for messages. Guests often hear the other resident spirit, Lily, singing, although sometimes she moans. Wearing a lavender gown, she walks about the lobby and her room. In fact, if the furniture is moved, she'll place it back to its original spot.
Cresco Theatre & Opera House
Cresco Theatre & Opera House opened in 1915 in Cresco and, over the years, hosted movie showings and live performances. Spirits of the vaudeville performers are seen on stage. When the theater lights are turned off, a ghost appears sitting in the back, but if approached, he quickly disappears. The basement paranormal activity includes strange sounds, disembodied voices, and unusual electrical issues, such as flickering lights.
Banwell (Terror) Bridge
Banwell (Terror) Bridge in a one-lane, rural bridge in Fort Dodge. The bridge was the scene of a horrific murder. A woman took her children to the bridge with the pretense of watching the train. Instead of just watching the trains rumbling underneath the bridge, she lifted each child, one-by-one and threw them off the bridge into the path of the train. After she'd killed her children, she jumped over the bridge to her death.
Lock your doors if you decide to stop your car on the bridge! If you don't, the spirit of the woman will open your door and grab you so she can push you over the bridge to join her and her children. If you leave your vehicle to stand on the bridge, you may see the woman in white, notice strange orbs, or hear a woman moaning underneath the bridge. When you return to your car, you may find tiny handprints on your windows. The Banwell Bridge is located on Fairbanks Ave.
Oakland Cemetery
The one-block square Oakland Cemetery was deeded to Iowa City in 1843 and eventually expanded to cover 40 acres. There are many historical people interred in the cemetery that include Iowa governors, senators, diplomats, and university officials. However, the most impressive entity of the cemetery is the famous monument, the Black Angel. This 8.5' statue was commissioned by Teresa Dolezal Feldevert to stand watch over her son and husband's graves and later, hers. The bronze angel rapidly turned black due to the oxidation process, but it spawned all kinds of paranormal tales from Teresa being evil and tainting the monument to stories of her infidelity defiling the purity of the bronze metal. The ominous image of the Black Angel towering over the cemetery sets the ambience of dark and foreboding. Disembodied voices frighten visitors. Strange lights and oddly shaped apparitions float through the cemetery.
Mathais Ham House
The Dubuque County Historical Society operates the Mathias Ham Historic Site. They conduct tours with costumed interpreters. In 1833, Mathias Ham began a steamboat business. Of those who died in the house--Mathias, his first wife, and their daughter--the most unexpected death was that of an intruder. Mathias's daughter, Sarah, shot and killed the home invader. There are many paranormal activities taking place in the house. These include unexplained sudden cold spots, furniture moved, flickering lights, cold breezes, phantom footsteps, objects that turn up in different rooms, and organ music coming from a broken, non-functional organ.
Ghost Hunting in Haunted Places in Iowa
There are many haunted places in Iowa you can visit. Some offer special ghost hunting tours, such as an overnight tour in the Villisca Ax Murder House or other places where a traumatic death left a residual imprint.
