Haunted Places in Iowa
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Iowa’s haunted places may be quieter than some, but that only adds to the unease. Old farm communities, Victorian buildings, historic schools, lonely roads, and river towns have all produced ghost stories that linger well beyond Halloween. If you are interested in eerie local lore, unexplained activity, and haunted locations with deep Midwestern roots, this guide to haunted places in Iowa is a strong place to begin.
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Lily’s Lavender Gown and the Haunted Franklin Hotel
Strawberry Point is a small town in northeast Iowa with an outsized fiberglass strawberry on its main street and a two story brick hotel…
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Curtains on the Second Floor: Iowa State University Ghost Stories
Most of the Iowa State University ghost stories that circulate in Ames attach themselves to three buildings: the oldest house on campus, a residence…
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Banwell Terror Bridge: The Woman Who Pushes Cars
Ask around in Iowa about Banwell Terror Bridge and you will get a story before you get a map reference. The name itself is…
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The Convict Who Went Up: Roseman Covered Bridge, Iowa
Drive the gravel south of Winterset and the Roseman Covered Bridge appears the way it has since 1883: a long red box set down…
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Three Stories of Rotating Cells: Council Bluffs’ Squirrel Cage Jail
Turn a crank in Council Bluffs and a three story drum of cells rotates past a single fixed doorway. That mechanism gave the Pottawattamie…
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Iowa’s First Mansard Roof: The E. H. Harrison House Ghost
Stories about the E. H. Harrison House ghost are unusually mild for a building of its age and stature. The word attached to it,…
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The Phantom Train Whistle at Tara Bridge in Fort Dodge
Ask for directions to Banwell Bridge in Webster County and you may get a blank look. Ask for Tara Bridge in Fort Dodge and,…
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Five Floods and Four Ghosts: Keosauqua’s Mason House Inn
The Mason House Inn stands in Keosauqua, a small bend-in-the-river town in southeast Iowa, and it has been taking in travellers since 1846. It…
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Independence State Mental Hospital: Inside Iowa’s Second Asylum
The Independence State Mental Hospital was the second asylum built in the state of Iowa, opened in 1873 in the small eastern Iowa city…
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The Haunted History of the Clarinda Treatment Complex in Iowa
Address: 1800 N. 16th Street, Clarinda, Iowa The Clarinda Treatment Complex, once known as the Clarinda State Hospital, is one of the most historically significant—and allegedly…
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Stoney Hollow Road
Exploring the Ghostly Mysteries of Burlington’s Stoney Hollow Road In the heart of Iowa’s scenic landscapes, there lies a mysterious road that captures both…
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The Villisca Axe Murder House
Exploring the Eerie Legacy of the Villisca Axe Murder House In the quaint town of Villisca, Iowa, nestled within the serene landscapes of Montgomery…