Haunted Places in Royal, Iowa



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    Moose Pond

    Spencer, Iowa

    8.6 miles from Royal, 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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    American Theatre

    Cherokee, Iowa

    25.7 miles from Royal, 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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    Cherokee Mental Health Institute Cemetery

    Cherokee, Iowa

    26.1 miles from Royal, 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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    Swope Hall - Buena Vista University

    Storm Lake, Iowa

    29.5 miles from Royal, 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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    Lot Behind Nauss Oil

    Emmetsburg, Iowa

    31.1 miles from Royal, 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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    Oak Hill Cemetery

    Estherville, Iowa

    31.6 miles from Royal, 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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    Loon Lake Cemetery

    Jackson, Minnesota

    33.2 miles from Royal, 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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    Grotto of the Redemption

    West Bend, Iowa

    42.9 miles from Royal, 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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    Stage Coach Inn

    Ida Grove, Iowa

    50 miles from Royal, 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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    Gypsy Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Algona, Iowa

    51.8 miles from Royal, 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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  • Dubuque's Haunted History
    Richard Barker

    Haunted Iowa City
    Vernon Trollinger
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    Plum Creek Pits

    Algona, Iowa

    54.4 miles from Royal, 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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    Little Africa - Geigel Woods

    Algona, Iowa

    55.4 miles from Royal, 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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    Humboldt County Historical Museum

    Humboldt, Iowa

    60.2 miles from Royal, 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

    61.4 miles from Royal, 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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    Palace Theatre

    Luverne, Minnesota

    61.8 miles from Royal, 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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    Rainbow Bridge

    Lake City, Iowa

    63.7 miles from Royal, 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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    Akron Area Museum

    Akron, Iowa

    66.3 miles from Royal, IA

    The Akron Area Museum, formerly the home of the Ross Family is haunted some say by the Materiach, Mrs. Lucille Ross. The 100% volunteer staffed museum has had many members experience cold drafts, noises and a feeling of a presence around the main stairway and formal dining room ...


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    Akron Gold and Silver

    Akron, Iowa

    66.6 miles from Royal, IA

    Some say not all the guests are going home at closing time at Akron Gold and Silver, a fine antiques and estate collectable shop in downtown Akron Iowa. A neighboring business owner heard a male voice after hours calling their dog by it's name "Sandy" after hours when the building ...


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    Hawkeye Community Theatre

    Fort Dodge, Iowa

    67.7 miles from Royal, 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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    Hawkeye Theatre

    Fort Dodge, Iowa

    67.7 miles from Royal, 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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  • Haunted Iowa
    Kathleen Vyn
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    Dimmitt Hall - Morningside College

    Sioux City, Iowa

    68.3 miles from Royal, IA

    Residents of this dorm have reported hearing a girl choking and gagging at night. Also, an apparition of a crying woman has been seen walking down the hall. She is said to be the ghost of a girl who committed suicide by hanging herself from the heating pipes in her ...


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    Graceland Park Cemetery

    Sioux City, Iowa

    68.4 miles from Royal, 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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    Leflur / Lefler House

    Sioux City, Iowa

    68.4 miles from Royal, IA

    Reports may differ as to spell the name of the locally famous haunted house, but its merit as a haunted site is hard to argue. Several murders have taken place on the premises. Phenomena reported include a red glow seen upstairs, a very cold attic (even in the heat of ...


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    KD Station

    Sioux City, Iowa

    68.6 miles from Royal, IA

    The building started out in 1915 as a meat-packing plant, but changed hands to a packing operation. In 1949 a gas leak and resulting explosion killed several people. Later on, the spot became a shopping center, and it is here that strange happenings have been reported. Lights turn on by ...


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    Sioux City Municipal Auditorium

    Sioux City, Iowa

    69.4 miles from Royal, IA

    Legend has it that Rodriguez, an electrician who was electrocuted in the 1940s during the building of the auditorium, haunts the area by flickering the lights and turning them off and on. There are also cold spots felt near the site of his death. The ghost of a 12-year-old boy ...


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    Calvary Cemetery

    Sioux City, Iowa

    69.8 miles from Royal, IA

    Visitors to this cemetery have experienced an unexplained ringing in their ears and the feeling of cobwebs draped over their faces. It is said that these sensations strengthen the closer one gets to a certain grave, one that has a headstone carved from part of a tree. Local legend has ...


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    Gitchie Manitou State Preserve

    Larchwood, Iowa

    71.9 miles from Royal, IA

    The 1973 Gitchie Manitou Murders involved an attack on a group of five teenagers at Gitchie Manitou State Preserve in Lyon County, Iowa. Four of the teenagers were killed and a fifth was raped. We have been there several times and have got many voices and apparitions. I was ...


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    Lottie's Grave - Taylor Cemetery

    Homer, Nebraska

    79.3 miles from Royal, IA

    Some say Lottie haunts the cemetery and that a curse will befall those who visit her gravesite. In some stories, Lottie was murdered, was a witch, or was run over by a car. Many tales abound, such as one that says shortly after her burial, thieves tried to dig up ...


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    715 South Phillips Avenue

    Sioux Falls, South Dakota

    79.6 miles from Royal, IA

    This historic apartment block is believed to be haunted by the apparition of a barefooted man, who has been seen wandering through the corridors. Other paranormal activity reported includes disembodied footsteps, cold spots, ghostly voices and bizarre knocking noises. (Submitted by Callum Swift)


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    Washington Pavilion

    Sioux Falls, South Dakota

    79.8 miles from Royal, IA

    Locals tell of a construction worker who died after falling into an elevator shaft. Witnesses have described the unexplained sound of ghostly footsteps and an eerie feeling of being watched.


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    Orpheum Theatre Center

    Sioux Falls, South Dakota

    79.9 miles from Royal, IA

    At the 1913 Orpheum Theater, a deceased actor's ghost is said to linger. Nicknamed Larry, the unknown and angry ghost was first noticed by living actors around 1960. Larry was known to blow fuses and drop sandbags onto living actors. And in 1972, a technical director heard a loud noise ...


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    Old Minnehaha Courthouse Museum

    Sioux Falls, South Dakota

    80 miles from Royal, IA

    This historic courthouse is now the county museum, and is believed to be haunted by many different spirits. Staff and visitors claim to have heard someone falling down the stairs, and have heard disembodied footsteps walking between various rooms. Various visitors have also seen an elderly man sweeping one of ...


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    Pettigrew House Museum

    Sioux Falls, South Dakota

    80.2 miles from Royal, IA

    This historic mansion was built in 1889, and those on guided tours of the building may get more than they bargained for. The building is rumoured to be haunted by the wife of a former attorney who owned the building. Staff claim to have seen her inspecting the building, and ...


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    The Historic Klondike Hotel

    Manilla, Iowa

    81.2 miles from Royal, 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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    Pipestone County Museum

    Pipestone, Minnesota

    82.8 miles from Royal, IA

    Housed in a building that was once the city hall, the museum is said to be haunted by the ghost of a little blonde girl who appears wearing a blue 19th-century dress and white apron. Footsteps and stomping are also heard, and reports say the ghost of the old doctor ...


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    Calumet Historic Hotel

    Pipestone, Minnesota

    82.8 miles from Royal, IA

    This historic hotel was erected during the nineteenth century to serve as a railroad stopover for the railway industry which at the time was the lifeblood of the township. The hotel featured two especially haunted rooms, which are always in demand by paranormal investigators and enthusiasts visiting the very ...


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    Blackbird Hill

    Royal, Nebraska

    85.1 miles from Royal, 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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    Vegors Cemetery

    Lehigh, Iowa

    85.5 miles from Royal, 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 Earling Exorcism

    Earling, Iowa

    89.4 miles from Royal, 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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    Lambrecht's Gift Store

    New Ulm, Minnesota

    95.6 miles from Royal, 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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  • Historic Haunted America
    Michael Norman
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    Kate Shelly High Bridge

    Boone, Iowa

    96.5 miles from Royal, 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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    Elk Grove Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Coon Rapids, Iowa

    96.6 miles from Royal, 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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    Ghost Bridge of Logan Creek

    Pender, Nebraska

    97.7 miles from Royal, IA

    Local legend tells of an early-1900s train that was held up by vigilantes chasing down a hired hand who murdered the family that employed him. The train bridge used to cross the Logan Creek, and from this former trestle, the man was hanged. Residents say sometimes a ghost bridge appears ...


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    Minnesota State University Mankato

    Mankato, Minnesota

    98.6 miles from Royal, 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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    R.D Hubbard House Museum

    Mankato, Minnesota

    99.1 miles from Royal, 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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    Boone County Historical Society - Masonic Temple

    Boone, Iowa

    99.6 miles from Royal, 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

    100.6 miles from Royal, 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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    Calvary Cemetery

    Mankato, Minnesota

    100.8 miles from Royal, 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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    Union Cemetery - The Devil's Chair

    Guthrie Center, Iowa

    103.9 miles from Royal, 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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    Green Lawn Cemetery - CSAH 20 Cemetery

    St. Peter, Minnesota

    111.1 miles from Royal, IA

    Green Lawn Cemetery, aka CSAH (County State Aid Highway) 20 Cemetery and Traverse de Sioux Cemetery, is rumored to be haunted and a spot for animal sacrifices. People have reported apparitions, photo anomalies and other strange phenomena here.


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