Haunted Places in Anita, Iowa



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    Elk Grove Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Coon Rapids, Iowa

    20.7 miles from Anita, 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

    21.6 miles from Anita, 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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    Villisca Axe Murder House

    Villisca, Iowa

    37.2 miles from Anita, 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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    Old Highway 83

    Shelby, Iowa

    37.9 miles from Anita, 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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    Van Fossen Cemetery

    Adel, Iowa

    38.8 miles from Anita, 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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    The Historic Klondike Hotel

    Manilla, Iowa

    39.2 miles from Anita, 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

    40.7 miles from Anita, 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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    The Van Meter Creature

    Van Meter, Iowa

    42.6 miles from Anita, 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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    Malvern Manor

    Malvern, Iowa

    52.5 miles from Anita, 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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    Jordan House

    West Des Moines, Iowa

    53.9 miles from Anita, 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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    Rainbow Bridge

    Lake City, Iowa

    54.2 miles from Anita, 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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    Smelly Ghost of University Avenue

    Des Moines, Iowa

    56 miles from Anita, 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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    Merle Hay Mall

    Des Moines, Iowa

    56.5 miles from Anita, 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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    New Virginia Cemetery - Beymer Cemetery

    New Virginia, Iowa

    56.5 miles from Anita, 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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    Drake Municipal Observatory

    Des Moines, Iowa

    56.7 miles from Anita, 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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    Mt Hope Cemetery

    Madrid, Iowa

    56.9 miles from Anita, 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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    Lewis and Clark Park

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    57.5 miles from Anita, 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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    Fairview Cemetery

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    57.6 miles from Anita, 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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    General Dodge House

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    57.7 miles from Anita, 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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    Union Pacific Railroad Museum

    Council Bluffs, Iowa

    57.8 miles from Anita, 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

    57.9 miles from Anita, 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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    Des Moines International Airport

    Des Moines, Iowa

    58 miles from Anita, 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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    Air Lanes Bowling Center

    Des Moines, Iowa

    58.3 miles from Anita, 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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    Terrace Hill

    Des Moines, Iowa

    58.5 miles from Anita, 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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    Kate Shelly High Bridge

    Boone, Iowa

    59 miles from Anita, 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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    Old Red Horse Armory

    Des Moines, Iowa

    59 miles from Anita, 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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    Spooky Table at the Weaver House

    Des Moines, Iowa

    59.1 miles from Anita, 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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    White House Apartments

    Omaha, Nebraska

    62 miles from Anita, IA

    The White House Apartments building is a three-story Italianate Victorian building assumed to once have been a home built around the turn of the century. It was a hospital before it was remodeled into apartments, and is said to be haunted possibly by former patients' ghosts. Witnesses say the apparition ...


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    O'Connor's Irish Pub

    Omaha, Nebraska

    62 miles from Anita, IA

    At O'Connor's Irish Pub, which opened in 2003, shadow figures and unexplained footsteps are seen and heard in the kitchen as well as in the second-floor bar area.


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    Jewell Park

    Bellevue, Nebraska

    62 miles from Anita, 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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    Hummel Park

    Omaha, Nebraska

    62 miles from Anita, IA

    This park was known for its lynch mobs who would long ago target African-Americans. This is said to be the reason why the trees all spookily lean to one side. Folks report hearing drums and howling wolves here, and apparitions have been seen as well, according to legend stemming from ...


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    Mystery Manor

    Omaha, Nebraska

    62.2 miles from Anita, IA

    Built in 1887, Mystery Manor was home to William and Greta Hall. Reports say that when the stock market crashed on October 23, 1929, William Hall lost his fortune and went insane. He attacked Greta with an axe then buried her in the front yard. A week later, Greta's brother ...


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    Boone County Historical Society - Masonic Temple

    Boone, Iowa

    62.4 miles from Anita, 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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    Old Chapel - College Hall

    Indianola, Iowa

    62.5 miles from Anita, 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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    John Rice Library

    Bellevue, Nebraska

    62.7 miles from Anita, 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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    James F Lynch Park

    Omaha, Nebraska

    62.8 miles from Anita, IA

    The park is believed to be haunted, as many witnesses will attest. Some of the strange occurrences here have been unexplained footsteps, a ghostly baby's wails, and a man screaming, asking for help, and grabbing the legs of passersby.


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    Tedrow Cemetery

    Kellerton, Iowa

    63 miles from Anita, 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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    The Boone News-Republican

    Boone, Iowa

    63.1 miles from Anita, 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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    Prospect Hill Cemetery

    Omaha, Nebraska

    63.1 miles from Anita, IA

    A ghostly woman in white was scene by occupants of the property adjacent to the cemetery in 1874. An account of the ghostly lady, who demanded to know the whereabouts of her children before walking back to her grave in the cemetery and vanishing, was published in the Omaha Daily ...


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    Cornerstone Mansion Bed and Breakfast

    Omaha, Nebraska

    63.9 miles from Anita, IA

    This 1894 bed and breakfast inn is housed inside a historic mansion, which has many ghostly tales associated with it. There have been reports of the apparitions of a young man and an elderly former owner appearing on separate occasions in a rocking chair located in the parlour room, ...


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    Avon Railroad Tracks

    Carlisle, Iowa

    65.2 miles from Anita, 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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    Hannah's Grave

    Plattsmouth, Nebraska

    67.2 miles from Anita, 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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    Keystone Trail

    Omaha, Nebraska

    67.3 miles from Anita, IA

    The Keystone Trail, near 90th and Fort streets, is believed by some locals to be visited by a phantom train on cold misty nights. The apparition of the train has been both seen and heard, although the railroad tracks were removed from this spot years ago.


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    Terre Haute Cemetery

    Decatur City, Iowa

    70 miles from Anita, 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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    Friley Hall - Iowa State University

    Ames, Iowa

    70 miles from Anita, 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

    70.2 miles from Anita, 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

    70.4 miles from Anita, 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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    Farm House Museum

    Ames, Iowa

    70.4 miles from Anita, IA

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


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    Fisher Theatre - Iowa State University

    Ames, Iowa

    70.4 miles from Anita, 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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    Brother Sebastian's

    Omaha, Nebraska

    70.5 miles from Anita, IA

    Bill Walden is the identity of the ghost who haunts this restaurant, a man who wears a tweed smoking jacket and ascot. He was a regular patron, and although he has since passed away, his spirit has made it clear that he still visits regularly.


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