You might not think of Iowa when you think of scary stories, but it was the setting of one of the most terrifying ghost movies of all time…
If you like these kinds of stories, please consider a like and a subscribe. I really do appreciate it. Anyway, here are a few more haunted places.
Vegors Cemetery
I’ll be honest, I’m not exactly sure if it’s pronounced Veegors or Vegors. Anyway, there is a cemetery in Iowa where it is said that the restless spirits of vengeful Sioux roam among the tombstones, along with the ghost of their victim: Mrs. Lott.
As the story goes, Mr. and Mrs. Lott were settlers who had dealings with the Sioux. These dealings were, shall we say, not always on the up and up. The Sioux, tired of being cheated by the Lotts, came for the untrustworthy couple. It’s unclear whether or not Mrs. Lott was involved in the shady dealings, but she was the one who met a violent end during the attack, while Mr. Lott managed to escape.
This legend is tied to the Spirit Lake Massacre in March of 1857. The massacre was an attack by Sioux warriors on settlers in revenge for the previous murder of a Sioux family. Dozens of settlers were killed, with a number taken captive.
Today, a visit to Vegors Cemetery might mean a face-to-face meeting with Native American phantoms, or the ghost of Mrs. Lott.
Stoneking Cemetery
The legends surrounding Stoneking Cemetery are pretty varied. Some of the stories tell of burned figures stalking the gravestones, while other say that apparitions missing their hands can be seen.
Perhaps the most popular tale is that of old man Stoneking himself. It is said that if you walk amongst the trees behind the cemetery, you’ll see Joseph Stoneking sitting on his gravestone. If you are unfortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the phantom, you are soon to meet your own end.
Adding to the story’s creepiness are the words carved upon the Stoneking headstone.
DEAR CHILDREN AS YOU PASS BY
AS YOU ARE NOW, SO ONCE WAS I
AS I AM NOW, SO SOON YOU’LL BE
PREPARE FOR DEATH AND FOLLOW ME
Giblin Bridge
Unrequited love is a great beginning for ghost stories, and Giblin Bridge is the site of just such a tale. A young woman fell in love with a local doctor. The only problem: the doctor was married. This fact didn’t stop the pair, though, and an affair began. Yet, affairs never end well, and in due course the woman was left heartbroken.
Overcome with hopelessness, the woman made her way to Giblin Bridge, slipped a rope around her neck, and hanged herself. To top the tragic tale off, it was the woman’s birthday. This led to the bridge earning the nickname Birthday Bridge.
Today, if you hang out (pun intended) near the bridge, you might see the form of a hanging woman dangling above you.
Cherokee Mental Health Institute Cemetery
We are cemetery-heavy on this list, but who doesn’t love a haunted cemetery. Pair that cemetery with an asylum, and you’ve got a great setting for a ghost story.
The Cherokee Lunatic Asylum opened its doors in 1902. Initially the facility was intended to house around 700 patients, in addition to staff. Eight patients were admitted during the first week the asylum was open, and the number of unfortunates arriving by special train only increased from there.
Asylums in those days were not happy places, for anyone involved. By the 1940s, Cherokee’s patient population had surged to over 1,700, far exceeding the building’s, and the staff’s, capacity to care for them. Staff were working 12-14 hour days, but wasn’t always enough. Not every patient who walked through the asylum’s doors made it out alive.
Behind the asylum, through a gate and down a path, sits a small cemetery. Until recently, the over 800 gravestones bore no names, only numbers. In those days, the stigma of mental illness carried such shame that it was thought a mercy to forget the names of the deceased patients.
The cemetery was nearly forgotten, until staff of the renamed Cherokee Mental Health Institute and townsfolk set out to reclaim the sad bit of ground. They restored the cemetery, renaming it Beacon Hollow Cemetery, and, most importantly, gave names to the interred after matching the numbers with the names of the unfortunate people who had rested in obscurity for so many years.
It’s unclear, however, if the ghosts of those patients appreciate the efforts. Travel to the cemetery and you may find yourself surrounded by the spirits of the departed. It is said that if you take photos amongst the headstones, the faces of the dead will appear in the pictures, staring forlornly back at you.
The Earling Exorcism
Pass through Earling, Iowa and you wouldn’t think it was the site of one of the last officially sanctioned exorcisms, but the story is true, according to a number of sources.
In the 1920s, a God-fearing woman named Emma Schmidt called Earling home. She might have lived a nondescript life, but for the seemingly unnatural things happening to her. As one written account states: “She was conscious of some sinister inner voices that kept on suggesting most disagreeable things to her. These voices tried their utmost to arouse thoughts of the most shameful type within her, and tried to induce her to do things unmentionable and even to bring her to despair.” Emma turned to the church and, by the time the exorcism was approved, she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in over 25 years.
A priest named Father Riesigner led the exorcism at the Convent of the Franciscan Sisters, with witnesses reporting terrifying events. It was said that Emma foamed at the mouth and blasphemed holy relics. She inexplicably understood and spoke Latin and even levitated. Voices were heard from inside her chest that identified themselves as various demons and a strange lump moved around Emma’s body just under her skin.
An account of the exorcism stated, ”It was during this time that the poor woman admitted during her periods of rest that she had visions of horrible battles between the good and evil spirits. Countless numbers of evil spirits continually arrived. Satan tried his utmost not to be outdone this time. The good angels came to assist at the exorcism. Many approached seated on white horses and under the leadership of St. Michael, completely routed the infernal serpents and drove the demons back to the abyss of hell.”
Finally, after 23 days, the exorcism was deemed successful and Emma made a full recovery.
Stories of exorcism have always brought up debate of demonic possession versus mental illness. I don’t have the answer, but recounting this tale as you travel through Earling at night will surely send a shiver up your spine.