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0Lot Behind Nauss Oil
Emmetsburg, Iowa
20.5 miles from Laurens, 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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0Grotto of the Redemption
West Bend, Iowa
22.1 miles from Laurens, 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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0Swope Hall - Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa
23 miles from Laurens, 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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Moose Pond
Spencer, Iowa
24.3 miles from Laurens, 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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Humboldt County Historical Museum
Humboldt, Iowa
34.6 miles from Laurens, 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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Bannwell Bridge - Terror Bridge
Barnum, Iowa
35 miles from Laurens, 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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0American Theatre
Cherokee, Iowa
36.1 miles from Laurens, 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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Gypsy Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery
Algona, Iowa
36.1 miles from Laurens, 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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Little Africa - Geigel Woods
Algona, Iowa
36.1 miles from Laurens, 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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Plum Creek Pits
Algona, Iowa
37.4 miles from Laurens, 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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Cherokee Mental Health Institute Cemetery
Cherokee, Iowa
37.6 miles from Laurens, 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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Oak Hill Cemetery
Estherville, Iowa
38.1 miles from Laurens, IA
A couple of spooky stories surround this cemetery's hill, and the fact that your car, when put in neutral, will seem to travel up it by itself. According to one story, a car full of football players was in an accident here when the car stalled. While they were pushing ...
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0Hawkeye Theatre
Fort Dodge, Iowa
41.1 miles from Laurens, 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
41.1 miles from Laurens, 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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0Rainbow Bridge
Lake City, Iowa
42.9 miles from Laurens, 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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0Stage Coach Inn
Ida Grove, Iowa
46.5 miles from Laurens, 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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Loon Lake Cemetery
Jackson, Minnesota
48.5 miles from Laurens, IA
Loon Lake Cemetery is said to be haunted--and dangerous. According to local lore, three witches were violently executed and were buried here, but not before threatening to curse anyone who desecrated their graves. Mary Jane, beheaded in 1881, was said to be the most powerful of the witches. Legend has ...
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Vegors Cemetery
Lehigh, Iowa
59 miles from Laurens, 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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The Historic Klondike Hotel
Manilla, Iowa
68.9 miles from Laurens, 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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0Kate Shelly High Bridge
Boone, Iowa
70.6 miles from Laurens, 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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Boone County Historical Society - Masonic Temple
Boone, Iowa
73.5 miles from Laurens, 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
74.4 miles from Laurens, 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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Elk Grove Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery
Coon Rapids, Iowa
77 miles from Laurens, 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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0Buddy Holly Memorial
Clear Lake, Iowa
78.6 miles from Laurens, IA
Buddy Holly may be alive beyond the grave. According to reports, some have seen a phantom plane crashing that matches the one involved in the 1959 tragedy. Also, 3 orbs have been caught on tape in the spot where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens died.
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The Earling Exorcism
Earling, Iowa
79.4 miles from Laurens, 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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Graceland Park Cemetery
Sioux City, Iowa
80.6 miles from Laurens, IA
It is said that orbs of light can be seen here, but visitors trying to take pictures report that they feel a bit disoriented and find that their cameras mysteriously fail to work until they leave the area.
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Union Cemetery - The Devil's Chair
Guthrie Center, Iowa
82.7 miles from Laurens, 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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Friley Hall - Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa
83.6 miles from Laurens, 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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Farm House Museum
Ames, Iowa
83.7 miles from Laurens, IA
The spirits of two sisters are believed to reside at the museum; details of the hauntings are unknown.
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0Iowa State University - Memorial Union
Ames, Iowa
83.8 miles from Laurens, 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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Fisher Theatre - Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa
84.1 miles from Laurens, 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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0Iowa State University - C.Y. Stephens Auditorium
Ames, Iowa
84.2 miles from Laurens, 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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Mt Hope Cemetery
Madrid, Iowa
86 miles from Laurens, 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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Palace Theatre
Luverne, Minnesota
88.2 miles from Laurens, IA
The Palace Theater was built by Herman Jochims in 1915, and his wife Maude played piano to accompany the silent films shown there. Her ghost is said to remain here playing the pipe organ, even though it no longer works. Both Herman and Maude have been seen as apparitions, and ...
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Blackbird Hill
Laurens, Nebraska
90.4 miles from Laurens, IA
The burial place of Omaha Indian Chief Blackbird, said to be buried here sitting upright on his horse, is rumored to be haunted. And it's old -- folks say in 1804, famed explorers Lewis and Clark visited this gravesite, leaving behind decorations to commemorate him. But the ghost here is ...
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0Van Fossen Cemetery
Adel, Iowa
94.8 miles from Laurens, 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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Minnesota State University Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
99.5 miles from Laurens, IA
Minnesota State University Mankato is said to have a ghost who rings buzzers and another who steals toilet paper in the Crawford Dorm. And in the Crawford-McElroy Complex, there is a ghost stuck in the 1960s who goes on panty raids.
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Old Highway 83
Shelby, Iowa
99.7 miles from Laurens, 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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R.D Hubbard House Museum
Mankato, Minnesota
100.3 miles from Laurens, IA
This historic mansion is currently operated as a museum by the Blue Earth County Historical Society, and staff claim that even after the building has closed down for the night, some still walk the halls of the old house. Visitors claim to have heard ghostly laughter, running footsteps in ...
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Calvary Cemetery
Mankato, Minnesota
101.8 miles from Laurens, IA
At Calvary Cemetery, you can find the visuals for many stories told by school kids. There are several about an evil doctor who appears as a ghost-devil, and some about Hell Road, a nearby path where animal sacrifices were allegedly performed. Ghost hunters determined that no such devilish behavior really ...
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The Van Meter Creature
Van Meter, Iowa
102.3 miles from Laurens, 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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0Merle Hay Mall
Des Moines, Iowa
102.6 miles from Laurens, 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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Lambrecht's Gift Store
New Ulm, Minnesota
103.3 miles from Laurens, IA
This gift store is housed in a historic building, which has a darker history in relation to the murder of a woman that occurred in the building many years before. The apparition of a pale-faced woman with a terrified expression has been seen knocking on the window of the ...
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Smelly Ghost of University Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa
104.3 miles from Laurens, 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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Farrar Schoolhouse
Maxwell, Iowa
104.5 miles from Laurens, 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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Old Red Horse Armory
Des Moines, Iowa
104.7 miles from Laurens, 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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0Drake Municipal Observatory
Des Moines, Iowa
105 miles from Laurens, 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
105.2 miles from Laurens, 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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0Jordan House
West Des Moines, Iowa
105.7 miles from Laurens, 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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0Terrace Hill
Des Moines, Iowa
106.8 miles from Laurens, 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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