Haunted Places in Orient, Iowa



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    The Van Meter Creature

    Van Meter, Iowa

    32.9 miles from Orient, 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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    Union Cemetery - The Devil's Chair

    Guthrie Center, Iowa

    33.2 miles from Orient, 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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    Van Fossen Cemetery

    Adel, Iowa

    34 miles from Orient, 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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    Villisca Axe Murder House

    Villisca, Iowa

    34.7 miles from Orient, IA

    In 1912 an entire family was murdered here by axe, and it is said that the house is still haunted by their spirits. The house has been investigated and featured on the TV show Ghost Adventures.


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    New Virginia Cemetery - Beymer Cemetery

    New Virginia, Iowa

    35.4 miles from Orient, IA

    This is the gravesite of New Virginia's first settler. As legend has it, the gravestone has been replaced at some time over the years. Locals say an eerie glow will come from the stone at midnight, a protestation from the ghost, angry about the change.


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    Elk Grove Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Coon Rapids, Iowa

    39.6 miles from Orient, 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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    Tedrow Cemetery

    Kellerton, Iowa

    39.7 miles from Orient, IA

    Rumor has it that it is not actually the small cemetery, but the surrounding woods, that are haunted. Phenomena experienced here include glowing lights coming from the woods, shadowed apparitions, and the sounds of footsteps, moaning, and other strange noises.


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    Jordan House

    West Des Moines, Iowa

    43.1 miles from Orient, 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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    Terre Haute Cemetery

    Decatur City, Iowa

    45.5 miles from Orient, IA

    The spirit of a little boy can be seen playing on the swingset behind a cabin adjacent to the cemetery. He may motion for you to follow him into the cemetery, where he is buried. Once at his grave, he disappears.


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    Old Chapel - College Hall

    Indianola, Iowa

    45.6 miles from Orient, 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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  • Dubuque's Haunted History
    Richard Barker

    Haunted Iowa
    Kathleen Vyn
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    Des Moines International Airport

    Des Moines, Iowa

    45.6 miles from Orient, 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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    Smelly Ghost of University Avenue

    Des Moines, Iowa

    46 miles from Orient, 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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    Air Lanes Bowling Center

    Des Moines, Iowa

    46.4 miles from Orient, 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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    Drake Municipal Observatory

    Des Moines, Iowa

    46.4 miles from Orient, 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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    Merle Hay Mall

    Des Moines, Iowa

    47.3 miles from Orient, 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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    Terrace Hill

    Des Moines, Iowa

    47.6 miles from Orient, 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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    Spooky Table at the Weaver House

    Des Moines, Iowa

    49 miles from Orient, 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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    Old Red Horse Armory

    Des Moines, Iowa

    49.1 miles from Orient, 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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    Davis City Cemetery

    Davis City, Iowa

    49.7 miles from Orient, IA

    It is said that visitors to the cemetery may exoerience a sudden feeling of pressure as they enter. Shooting lights also have been reported streaming across the grounds very late at night.


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    Avon Railroad Tracks

    Carlisle, Iowa

    52.2 miles from Orient, 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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  • Haunted Iowa City
    Vernon Trollinger
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    Mt Hope Cemetery

    Madrid, Iowa

    55.2 miles from Orient, 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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    Old Highway 83

    Shelby, Iowa

    59.3 miles from Orient, IA

    Different witnesses have reported seeing two young girls playing in the middle of the highway late at night. They wear flowing white dresses and are bathed in a glowing light.


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    Malvern Manor

    Malvern, Iowa

    62.5 miles from Orient, IA

    Built in the late 1800's as a hotel initially to service the railroad. Was eventually turned into a nursing home and then a group home for the mentally handicapped. It serviced everyone from those with Down's Syndrome to the more exotic of diseases like multiple personalities and schizophrenia. The building ...


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    Kate Shelly High Bridge

    Boone, Iowa

    63.5 miles from Orient, 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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    The Historic Klondike Hotel

    Manilla, Iowa

    63.7 miles from Orient, 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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    The Earling Exorcism

    Earling, Iowa

    65.2 miles from Orient, 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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    Boone County Historical Society - Masonic Temple

    Boone, Iowa

    65.5 miles from Orient, 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

    65.7 miles from Orient, 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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    Stoneking Cemetery

    Russell, Iowa

    67.9 miles from Orient, IA

    There is a lot of mystery and talk surrounding this cemetery, a family plot near what was once the abandoned house. Some say there are dangerous trees in the back of the cemetery, and those who walked behind them would catch a glimpse of the Stone King sitting on his ...


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    Farrar Schoolhouse

    Maxwell, Iowa

    68.3 miles from Orient, 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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    Friley Hall - Iowa State University

    Ames, Iowa

    69.1 miles from Orient, 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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    Iowa State University - Memorial Union

    Ames, Iowa

    69.2 miles from Orient, 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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    Iowa State University - C.Y. Stephens Auditorium

    Ames, Iowa

    69.3 miles from Orient, 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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    Fisher Theatre - Iowa State University

    Ames, Iowa

    69.3 miles from Orient, 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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    Farm House Museum

    Ames, Iowa

    69.5 miles from Orient, IA

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


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    Maple Hill Mansion

    Monroe, Iowa

    70.5 miles from Orient, IA

    This home was picked up and moved in early 2013, to a spot some six miles away from its original location. The man who had purchased the land and house wanted to tear it down and build a new home on the spot, so a preservationist purchased the house ...


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    The Mud Man of Metz Bridge

    Newton, Iowa

    72.7 miles from Orient, 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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    Rainbow Bridge

    Lake City, Iowa

    73.1 miles from Orient, 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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    Sugar Grove Cemetery - Metz Cemetery

    Newton, Iowa

    73.7 miles from Orient, 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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    General Dodge House

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    74.6 miles from Orient, IA

    Folks say General Dodge himself is still hanging about the grounds. If you take a guided tour through the building, you may catch a glimpse of him sitting in his rocking chair. Around the grounds, light flashes and the smell of fire have been reported. Another strange occurrence that may ...


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  • Haunted Schools
    Allan S. Mott

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    Fairview Cemetery

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    74.7 miles from Orient, IA

    The Black Angel statue is said to follow visitors with their eyes, and may curse visitors with sickliness. Also reported here have been lights in the trees behind the older graves, and a feeling of being closely followed.


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    Union Pacific Railroad Museum

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    74.8 miles from Orient, IA

    This museum has been completely restored and renovated, but it was once the town library. Locals say that in the basement, books would often fly off the shelves, and shadowy figures have been seen. Also, items would disappear only to turn up again later.


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    Squirrel Cage - Old Pottawattamie County Jail

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    74.8 miles from Orient, IA

    Built in 1885 and an innovation in jail cells for its time, this jail utilizes a "lazy susan" design, where the jail block is round and the cells form individual wedges like slices in a pie. With only one door leading in, the cells would be rotated by a ...


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    Lewis and Clark Park

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    75.3 miles from Orient, IA

    Unexplained feelings of sickness and disorientation have been reported by those who come to this park that honors the historic explorers.


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    St. Mary's Cemetery

    Hamburg, Iowa

    76.7 miles from Orient, IA

    A mysterious spirit, that of a woman, has been seen kneeling at the feet of three of the cemetery's Virgin Mary statues. Also reported have been wailing sounds coming from the statues.


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    Jewell Park

    Bellevue, Nebraska

    77 miles from Orient, IA

    Witnesses at Jewell Park have reported residual sounds from phantom rodeos, apparitions of people and objects, unexplained mist, footprints, strange noises and animal sounds.


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    High Creek Cemetery

    Watson, Missouri

    77.1 miles from Orient, IA

    Upon finding this website, I was shocked to find this location was not listed, as it is "well known" by locals to be noted as haunted. The experience I had there happened about 10 years ago. A friend and I were hanging out one night and decided to ...


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    Hannah's Grave

    Plattsmouth, Nebraska

    77.2 miles from Orient, IA

    According to local legend, Hannah was a 16-year-old girl in the 1800s who became pregnant. Her parents, displeased, delivered the baby at home and promptly drowned it in the Missouri River, telling Hannah the baby had been stillborn. Poor Hannah died of a broken heart shortly thereafter and was buried ...


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    John Rice Library

    Bellevue, Nebraska

    77.7 miles from Orient, IA

    Apparitions of an old man and a young girl have been seen at the John Rice Library. The girl, about 10, has dark brown hair parted in the middle and big round glasses, and the man is seen crouching over books.


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    Children's Forest

    Newton, Iowa

    78.2 miles from Orient, IA

    Locals will tell you that an antique glass jar was found in these woods and taken to a nearby resident's garage, and shortly thereafter, the spirit of a very sad-looking Native American appeared and walked right through a table. The next day, the jar was taken back to the forest ...


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