Haunted Places in Ruthven, Iowa



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    Lot Behind Nauss Oil

    Emmetsburg, Iowa

    11.6 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Moose Pond

    Spencer, Iowa

    12 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Oak Hill Cemetery

    Estherville, Iowa

    18.8 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Grotto of the Redemption

    West Bend, Iowa

    25.6 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Loon Lake Cemetery

    Jackson, Minnesota

    29.1 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Gypsy Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Algona, Iowa

    32.2 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Plum Creek Pits

    Algona, Iowa

    34.9 miles from Ruthven, 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

    36.4 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Swope Hall - Buena Vista University

    Storm Lake, Iowa

    37.1 miles from Ruthven, 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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    American Theatre

    Cherokee, Iowa

    42.1 miles from Ruthven, 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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  • Dubuque's Haunted History
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    Cherokee Mental Health Institute Cemetery

    Cherokee, Iowa

    43.1 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Humboldt County Historical Museum

    Humboldt, Iowa

    45.5 miles from Ruthven, 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

    51.5 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Hawkeye Theatre

    Fort Dodge, Iowa

    56 miles from Ruthven, 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

    56 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Stage Coach Inn

    Ida Grove, Iowa

    60.9 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Rainbow Bridge

    Lake City, Iowa

    62.6 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Vegors Cemetery

    Lehigh, Iowa

    74.2 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Palace Theatre

    Luverne, Minnesota

    75.1 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Minnesota State University Mankato

    Mankato, Minnesota

    83.5 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Kathleen Vyn
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    R.D Hubbard House Museum

    Mankato, Minnesota

    84.2 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Lambrecht's Gift Store

    New Ulm, Minnesota

    84.8 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Calvary Cemetery

    Mankato, Minnesota

    85.8 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Graceland Park Cemetery

    Sioux City, Iowa

    86.9 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Dimmitt Hall - Morningside College

    Sioux City, Iowa

    86.9 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Leflur / Lefler House

    Sioux City, Iowa

    87 miles from Ruthven, 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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    The Historic Klondike Hotel

    Manilla, Iowa

    87.3 miles from Ruthven, 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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    KD Station

    Sioux City, Iowa

    87.3 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Kate Shelly High Bridge

    Boone, Iowa

    87.7 miles from Ruthven, 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

    90.1 miles from Ruthven, 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

    91 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Pipestone County Museum

    Pipestone, Minnesota

    93.1 miles from Ruthven, 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

    93.1 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Le Sueur County Historical Society Museum

    Elysian, Minnesota

    96.1 miles from Ruthven, IA

    Some odd things have been reported at this museum: disembodied voices, a typewriter and a record player that worked by themselves, and a service bell that rang on its own.


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    Elk Grove Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Coon Rapids, Iowa

    96.7 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Green Lawn Cemetery - CSAH 20 Cemetery

    St. Peter, Minnesota

    97.1 miles from Ruthven, 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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    The Earling Exorcism

    Earling, Iowa

    97.2 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Friley Hall - Iowa State University

    Ames, Iowa

    99.3 miles from Ruthven, 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

    99.4 miles from Ruthven, IA

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


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    Iowa State University - Memorial Union

    Ames, Iowa

    99.5 miles from Ruthven, 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

    99.9 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Iowa State University - C.Y. Stephens Auditorium

    Ames, Iowa

    99.9 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Blackbird Hill

    Ruthven, Nebraska

    101.3 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Union Cemetery - The Devil's Chair

    Guthrie Center, Iowa

    102.3 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Mt Hope Cemetery

    Madrid, Iowa

    103.3 miles from Ruthven, 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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    Montgomery Golf Club

    Montgomery, Minnesota

    112.8 miles from Ruthven, IA

    Montgomery Golf Club is home to two ghosts, maybe more. One's identity has been traced to a farmer who once lived on the land and is said to be buried on the first hole of the golf course. His apparition has been spotted in a hat and overalls. The other ...


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    Old Taunton Catholic Cemetery

    Taunton, Minnesota

    116.4 miles from Ruthven, IA

    Reports say that the apparition of a 12-year-old girl in a rocking chair was seen rocking next to her grave.


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    Merle Hay Mall

    Des Moines, Iowa

    120.3 miles from Ruthven, 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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