Cemeteries can be peaceful places of rest, but they can also be scary, especially if they’re said to be haunted. There are plenty of ghost stories and legends connected to these cemeteries, so you may want to think twice about visiting them at night…especially alone. These 10 haunted Iowa cemeteries are definitely not for the faint of heart.
- Shellsburg Cemetery, Shellsburg
Flickr/Brian Barnett There’s a statue at this cemetery called the weeping angel. It’s said that if you visit this headstone at night, you can hear her crying and see actual tears rolling down her cheeks.
- Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines
Flickr/Phil Roeder Woodland Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Des Moines, so it has a long and sometimes scary history. It was the site of several grave robbings and two murders.
- Vegors Cemetery, Lehigh
Flickr/photolibrarian Near the site of the brutal Spirit Lake Massacre, Vegors Cemetery is said to be home to many supernatural occurrences, like mysterious growling sounds and apparitions walking the grounds at night.
- Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Boone
Joshelley/Wikimedia Kate Shelley was buried here. She was a heroic woman who saved many lives when she crawled over the Des Moines River High Bridge during a storm to warn a train that the bridge ahead had been washed out. Her brother, James, was also buried there. He drowned in the Des Moines river when he was just 11 years old.
- Union Cemetery, Guthrie Center
DavidOaks/Wikipedia Union Cemetery has a Devil’s Chair, and local legend claims that anyone who sits in the chair will experience bad luck, even death.
- Hickory Hill Cemetery, Charlotte
Flickr/Ellen Macdonald Legend has it that if you visit this lonely cemetery, you might hear the cries of babies or see a small girl by the gates, pointing at them and telling you to leave.
- Fairview Cemetery, Council Bluffs
Flickr/photolibrarian Fairview Cemetery has a black angel statue that marks the Ruth Ann Dodge Memorial. Before her death, she reported having three distinct supernatural visitations, and after the third, she died a few days later.
- Oakland Cemetery, Iowa City
Flickr/Phil Roeder Oakland Cemetery’s black angel holds many scary myths. It’s said that any girl kissed at the foot of the angel at night would die in six months. It’s also said that your heart will stop beating if you kiss the angel. Creepy.
- The cemetery at Edinburgh Manor, Monticello
Flickr/WindRanch Edinburgh Manor is said to be haunted by a ghost called “The Joker,” who has been known to choke visitors of the manor. Its history is chilling, having been a mental institution where at least 80 people have died. They’re buried in the cemetery outside, where people have reported seeing ghosts.
- Farrar Cemetery, Maxwell
Google Maps Farrar schoolhouse, now abandoned, has a reputation for being haunted by voices, slamming doors and ghostly figures walking through the halls. Farrar cemetery is located directly across from this haunted school.
For more chilling stories of haunted places in Iowa, These 10 Hauntings In Iowa Will Send Chills Down Your Spine.
Flickr/Brian Barnett
There’s a statue at this cemetery called the weeping angel. It’s said that if you visit this headstone at night, you can hear her crying and see actual tears rolling down her cheeks.
Flickr/Phil Roeder
Woodland Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Des Moines, so it has a long and sometimes scary history. It was the site of several grave robbings and two murders.
Flickr/photolibrarian
Near the site of the brutal Spirit Lake Massacre, Vegors Cemetery is said to be home to many supernatural occurrences, like mysterious growling sounds and apparitions walking the grounds at night.
Joshelley/Wikimedia
Kate Shelley was buried here. She was a heroic woman who saved many lives when she crawled over the Des Moines River High Bridge during a storm to warn a train that the bridge ahead had been washed out. Her brother, James, was also buried there. He drowned in the Des Moines river when he was just 11 years old.
DavidOaks/Wikipedia
Union Cemetery has a Devil’s Chair, and local legend claims that anyone who sits in the chair will experience bad luck, even death.
Flickr/Ellen Macdonald
Legend has it that if you visit this lonely cemetery, you might hear the cries of babies or see a small girl by the gates, pointing at them and telling you to leave.
Fairview Cemetery has a black angel statue that marks the Ruth Ann Dodge Memorial. Before her death, she reported having three distinct supernatural visitations, and after the third, she died a few days later.
Oakland Cemetery’s black angel holds many scary myths. It’s said that any girl kissed at the foot of the angel at night would die in six months. It’s also said that your heart will stop beating if you kiss the angel. Creepy.
Flickr/WindRanch
Edinburgh Manor is said to be haunted by a ghost called “The Joker,” who has been known to choke visitors of the manor. Its history is chilling, having been a mental institution where at least 80 people have died. They’re buried in the cemetery outside, where people have reported seeing ghosts.
Google Maps
Farrar schoolhouse, now abandoned, has a reputation for being haunted by voices, slamming doors and ghostly figures walking through the halls. Farrar cemetery is located directly across from this haunted school.
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