Haunted Places in Gowrie, Iowa



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    Bannwell Bridge - Terror Bridge

    Barnum, Iowa

    15.7 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Local legend maintains that a woman once killed her 3 kids here. Some reports say she hung them from the bridge and they were hit by a train coming through. Her ghostly head is said to follow you down the road, and if you don't have your doors and windows ...


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    Hawkeye Theatre

    Fort Dodge, Iowa

    16.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Reports say visitors to the theater get the feeling of being watched, and have seen a ghostly little girl. Also, some say if you are alone here you will feel the not-so-gentle touch of an invisible hand.


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    Hawkeye Community Theatre

    Fort Dodge, Iowa

    16.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    This historic theatre is believed to be haunted by the apparition of a young girl who was murdered nearby. Witnesses claim to have seen her sitting in the hall after hours, and have felt her brush past them in the corridors. The chandelier at the entrance also moves of ...


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    Vegors Cemetery

    Lehigh, Iowa

    18 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The cemetery is said to be haunted by the spirits of restless Native Americans and Mrs. Henry Lott, the wife of a man who was known to cheat the Native Americans and steal their horses. She was killed while trying to escape from angry Native Americans seeking revenge, although her ...


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    Kate Shelly High Bridge

    Boone, Iowa

    22.5 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Local legend tells the tale of 15-year-old Kate Shelley, who in 1881 crawled across a badly damaged bridge during a terrible storm to warn an oncoming train that the bridge was out. This bridge, built in 1901, is said to be her ghost's home. Phantom trains also have been seen ...


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    Rainbow Bridge

    Lake City, Iowa

    24 miles from Gowrie, IA

    A chocolate-loving spirit resides at this old bowstring bridge. Stories say that if you bring an unopened chocolate bar to the bridge at midnight, lay it in the center of the bridge, and exit the bridge, after 5 minutes you will find an unopened and intact wrapper, but the chocolate ...


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    Boone County Historical Society - Masonic Temple

    Boone, Iowa

    25.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Dating back to 1907, the historic former masonic temple and museum may have a resident ghost. Known as 'Frank', the poltergeist frequently slams doors and turns on lights after the place has been closed up for the night. Disembodied footsteps have also been heard on the second floor, and ...


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    The Boone News-Republican

    Boone, Iowa

    27 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Employees who work late have heard unexplained footsteps and, at times, have heard their names called. The phenomena seem to occur only when the place is nearly empty of people.


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    Humboldt County Historical Museum

    Humboldt, Iowa

    30.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Lights are seen in the building at night and some people claim the ghost of a man who drowned in the nearby river has also been spotted roaming the grounds.


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    Friley Hall - Iowa State University

    Ames, Iowa

    37.3 miles from Gowrie, IA

    One dormitory room is nicknamed Satan’s Legion. Rumor has it that a student killed himself there, and everyone who is assigned to that room either dies or disappears. Reports say many students are afraid to go into the room, and some maintain that because of this, the university stopped assigning ...


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  • Dubuque's Haunted History
    Richard Barker

    Haunted Iowa City
    Vernon Trollinger
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    Farm House Museum

    Ames, Iowa

    37.5 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The spirits of two sisters are believed to reside at the museum; details of the hauntings are unknown.


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    Iowa State University - Memorial Union

    Ames, Iowa

    37.5 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The hall is a tribute to graduate soldiers who died at war. According to reports, a strange low moan can be heard constantly here. Some say is it the voice of the only woman who ever graduated from the school who died in World War I.


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    Mt Hope Cemetery

    Madrid, Iowa

    37.7 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The ghost of a child named Sara resides at this cemetery. She and four other children from her family are buried near the back. Sara is said to follow around visitors and ask for someone named Ree. She is also known to touch people and tug at clothing if her ...


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    Fisher Theatre - Iowa State University

    Ames, Iowa

    37.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Named for contributor J.W. Fisher, the 1974 theater is rumored to be haunted by Frederica Shattuck, another university theater department contributor. So the story goes, the ghost took up residence in the Fisher Theatre after her Shattuck Theater was demolished.


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    Iowa State University - C.Y. Stephens Auditorium

    Ames, Iowa

    38 miles from Gowrie, IA

    A friendly ghost, C.Y. Stephens himself, in fact, is known to haunt this auditorium. He has been seen in the basement tunnels or sitting in the back right corner of the 3rd balcony. He also makes himself known by cold spots and the sound of footsteps. When performers see him, ...


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    Elk Grove Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Coon Rapids, Iowa

    42.6 miles from Gowrie, IA

    According to local legend there is a small headstone with an eerie ability: If you position yourself the right way in front of it, after a few minutes it will begin to glow.


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    Union Cemetery - The Devil's Chair

    Guthrie Center, Iowa

    42.7 miles from Gowrie, IA

    It is said that those who sit in the cement chair will receive a spell of bad luck. The Devil's Chair has no markings, and sits between the Peterson and Miller graves. According to reports, the chair has been believed to be cursed for at least 35 years.


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    Grotto of the Redemption

    West Bend, Iowa

    47.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    This sacred site was constructed over a 42-year period, beginning in 1912, using semiprecious stones from every state in the U.S. and every world region. The Christmas Chapel contains a 300-lb. amethyst, and Bethlehem Cave contains 65 tons of petrified wood. The spiritual place has tons of statues depicting the ...


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    Van Fossen Cemetery

    Adel, Iowa

    47.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Since the 1850's, the Van Fossen cemetery has had many names, from Rodenbaugh Cemetery, the Old Adel Cemetery, to the "official" name recorded by the state, the Gibson Cemetery. Along old highway 6, the cemetery is sometimes just called the Bilderback Cemetery, after the massive headstones that mark the ...


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    Little Africa - Geigel Woods

    Algona, Iowa

    52.7 miles from Gowrie, IA

    This site is said to be very active with spirits, in part because the old bridge was the site of two hangings. Car accidents have been caused by apparitions standing in the middle of the road. Also, at the old farm house, the husband is said to have killed the ...


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  • Haunted Iowa
    Kathleen Vyn
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    Swope Hall - Buena Vista University

    Storm Lake, Iowa

    53.1 miles from Gowrie, IA

    A ghost named Mary is said to haunt this hall. Legend says her house once stood in the very spot where Swope Hall stands today. She died of lead poisoning, which caused her to become mentally unstable and leap from a 3rd-story window. Phenomema experienced here involve the opening and ...


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    Merle Hay Mall

    Des Moines, Iowa

    54.2 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The mall and its tower are rumored to be built over a monastery that was closed in the 1950s. According to the stories, some nuns became pregnant and had miscarriages, and the babies were buried in unmarked graves at this site. Reports say ghosts of both nuns and infants have ...


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    Thompson Hall Dormitory

    Iowa Falls, Iowa

    54.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The dorm at Ellsworth Community College and Union Cemetery across the street are both said to be haunted. The spirit of town benefactor Mr. Ellsworth himself has been seen, and footsteps and voices have been heard in the dorm's basement.


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    The Van Meter Creature

    Van Meter, Iowa

    55 miles from Gowrie, IA

    First seen in 1903, the Van Meter Creature is a monster with batlike wings and a horn on its head that glows with blinding light. It may also manifest as a hovering spot of light. Shortly after it began to terrorize the townsfolk, strange sounds started coming from a coal ...


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    The Historic Klondike Hotel

    Manilla, Iowa

    55.4 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The Klondike Hotel was built on the street that in 1897 was named Railroad Street. It faced to the west toward the bustling Milwaukee tracks and depot. An access road was completed shortly after the hotel was built which directly connected the Hotel with the Depot. The ...


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    Smelly Ghost of University Avenue

    Des Moines, Iowa

    55.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Locals say a cloudlike presence occurs here, and it smells of kerosene. Sometimes within the cloud is the form of a man or several tiny flickering lights. Reports tell of a man who died nearby in 1881 as a result of his kerosene-soaked clothes catching fire.


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    J L Reece Memorial Park

    New Providence, Iowa

    56.3 miles from Gowrie, IA

    According to reports, a young woman committed suicide in the cornfield at this site. Witnesses have seen her appear in the field and have heard her screaming.


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    Old Red Horse Armory

    Des Moines, Iowa

    56.3 miles from Gowrie, IA

    This old cavalry armory is now the housing for city school buses. There have been reports that members of the National Guard, when they occupied the building, heard ghostly sounds from long ago: clopping of horses' hooves and jingling of harnesses. An apparition of an older man in cavalry garb ...


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    Drake Municipal Observatory

    Des Moines, Iowa

    56.6 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Dr. Robert Morehouse was the first chairman of the Astronomy and Physics department, and he discovered a comet in the 1920s. He also haunts the observatory, according to local legend, perhaps because the remains of Dr. Morehouse and his wife are buried in the entryway wall. Students working in the ...


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    Spooky Table at the Weaver House

    Des Moines, Iowa

    56.8 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Local legend has it that when the Weavers purchased a table in 1937, they bought a ghost along with it. The table is said to have made rapping noises and caused other disturbances until a minister's wife quieted it by reading from the Bible. A spiritualist consulted by the Weavers ...


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    Jordan House

    West Des Moines, Iowa

    57.4 miles from Gowrie, IA

    This museum is allegedly haunted by the ghost of the young daughter of the original owner. She died when she was three years old after falling from the stair railing she was sliding down and breaking her neck. People claim they still see and hear her playing throughout the ...


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    Plum Creek Pits

    Algona, Iowa

    57.5 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Locals say a little boy's ghost appears at this popular fishing spot. Some say the boy was once accidentally impaled by a stick when he fell while running nearby. The ghost has been seen walking along the bank of the pit.


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    Farrar Schoolhouse

    Maxwell, Iowa

    57.6 miles from Gowrie, IA

    This building, formerly a middle school, has been a private residence since 2008. Please respect the owners' privacy. Witnesses have seen the ghost of a small boy in the stairwell; one has also appeared in a photo sitting on the edge of the auditorium stage. Voices of children talking and ...


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    Terrace Hill

    Des Moines, Iowa

    58.4 miles from Gowrie, IA

    At this 1860s historic building, home of the governor of Iowa, the ghost of a little girl has been seen. She is transparent, and some say she likes to work the elevator, even though it is only supposed to operate by the use of codes.


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    Gypsy Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Algona, Iowa

    59.5 miles from Gowrie, IA

    This small gypsy cemetery is said to be haunted by a gypsy queen, who is guarded by a murder of crows. Legend has it that in the 1800s gypsies came through here often with their wagons. If any member of their group was sick and dying, they would simply bury ...


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    Lot Behind Nauss Oil

    Emmetsburg, Iowa

    60.5 miles from Gowrie, IA

    A motel once stood in this vacant lot, but it has since been demolished. The foundation/drive-/walkway is still there. Locals say the spirit of an old man in a plaid shirt and chinos walks along the way, stopping several times as if he is checking to make sure the motel ...


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    Air Lanes Bowling Center

    Des Moines, Iowa

    60.6 miles from Gowrie, IA

    According to local legend, behind the bowling alley is an upstairs area that was used for illegal gambling in the 1920s. Reports say if you gain access to a room down the hallway, you may hear people talking, dice rolling, and you may even hear a ghostly disembodied voice calling ...


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    Stage Coach Inn

    Ida Grove, Iowa

    60.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The Stage Coach Inn was built in 1856 by John and Martha Moorhead; The Inn served a stage coach stop and the first court house in Ida County Iowa and was also the church, School as well as the first hospital in Ida grove were amputations sometimes accrued on the ...


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    Des Moines International Airport

    Des Moines, Iowa

    61.4 miles from Gowrie, IA

    There are two ghost stories around this airport. Some offices are haunted by a flight attendant, usually in the fall season. The offices used to be the site of a restaurant called the Cloud Room, and the flight attendant wanders there as if looking for her flight. Also, laughing and ...


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    Hazel Green Cemetery

    Ackley, Iowa

    62.8 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The gazebo in this old cemetery seems to be the central spot for the spiritual activity. In it, visitors have reported seeing an elderly woman's ghost sitting in a rocking chair, holding a baby. It is said that those who see her feel sadness, rather than fear. Reports say that ...


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    Avon Railroad Tracks

    Carlisle, Iowa

    65.4 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Reports say an apparition appears of an old man holding a lantern and walking along the tracks. Before too long, the man simply vanishes.


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    The Earling Exorcism

    Earling, Iowa

    67.5 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Earling is famous for a 1928 exorcism that lasted more than 3 weeks. A local Franciscan convent was the setting for the ceremony; the target was the demons inhabiting Emma Schmidt. As Roman Catholic Capuchin Theophilus Riesinger worked, Emma is said to have flown across the room and clung to ...


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    American Theatre

    Cherokee, Iowa

    71.9 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Staff at the theatre maintain that it is haunted by previous owner Mr. Goldie. A seat has been seen rocking, slowly, all by itself, and it is said that the theatre's employees have many more stories to tell.


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    Riverside Cemetery

    Marshalltown, Iowa

    72.2 miles from Gowrie, IA

    It is said that in the older part of the cemetery there was a chair that looked as if it had been made of wood, although it was concrete. Urban legend said that those who sat in the chair would die within a year. There are contradicting reports as to ...


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    Sugar Grove Cemetery - Metz Cemetery

    Newton, Iowa

    72.3 miles from Gowrie, IA

    This old cemetery is known for a glowing tombstone, purportedly owned by Charles M. Baker, who died April 17, 1881. According to urban legend, when vehicle headlights shine into the cemetery from a nearby interstate bridge, the tombstone emits an eerie glow. No one knows the reason behind this phenomenon.


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    Moose Pond

    Spencer, Iowa

    72.7 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Locals tell a story of harrowing events that happen at 8:47 p.m. on December 23. If you visit the iced-over pond on that night, you can hear pounding on the ice and hear the screams of a young boy trapped beneath the ice. According to the story, the young boy ...


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    The Mud Man of Metz Bridge

    Newton, Iowa

    72.7 miles from Gowrie, IA

    As urban legend has it, a mud monster, or Mud Man, lives under the bridge. Some say the Mud Man is a spirit lingering from a fatal car accident that once occurred in the mud near the river; the body was never found. Others assert the tale was created by ...


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    Old Chapel - College Hall

    Indianola, Iowa

    73.5 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Legend has it that around the turn of the 20th century, a young man, distraught over a love affair, killed himself here. Then in the 1920s, a young woman did the same. Several more people are rumored to have met their ends in this hall, and folks say their spirits ...


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    Cherokee Mental Health Institute Cemetery

    Cherokee, Iowa

    73.6 miles from Gowrie, IA

    Behind the MHI on the north side there Is a locked gate about 4 feet tall, if you follow that path down about a foot ball field distance you should cross a small bridge,and there is a small cemetery that is home to nameless graves. It is said that if you ...


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    Capitol II Theatre

    Newton, Iowa

    75.1 miles from Gowrie, IA

    The theater, which first opened in 1927, is said to be haunted by an eerie presence. One employee was forcefully pulled backward by his hair. Paranormal researchers investigated in 2012, and the results turned up unexplained photos, strange sounds, and physical contact from the presence.


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