Haunted Places in West Bend, Iowa



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    Grotto of the Redemption

    West Bend, Iowa

    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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    Little Africa - Geigel Woods

    Algona, Iowa

    14 miles from West Bend, 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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    Gypsy Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Algona, Iowa

    15.6 miles from West Bend, 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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    Lot Behind Nauss Oil

    Emmetsburg, Iowa

    15.7 miles from West Bend, 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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    Plum Creek Pits

    Algona, Iowa

    15.9 miles from West Bend, 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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    Humboldt County Historical Museum

    Humboldt, Iowa

    20.6 miles from West Bend, 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

    31.6 miles from West Bend, 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 Community Theatre

    Fort Dodge, Iowa

    33.4 miles from West Bend, 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

    33.4 miles from West Bend, 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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    Oak Hill Cemetery

    Estherville, Iowa

    36.9 miles from West Bend, 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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    Moose Pond

    Spencer, Iowa

    37.1 miles from West Bend, 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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    Swope Hall - Buena Vista University

    Storm Lake, Iowa

    44.6 miles from West Bend, 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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    Vegors Cemetery

    Lehigh, Iowa

    50.9 miles from West Bend, 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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    Loon Lake Cemetery

    Jackson, Minnesota

    51.2 miles from West Bend, 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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    Rainbow Bridge

    Lake City, Iowa

    52.7 miles from West Bend, 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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    Buddy Holly Memorial

    Clear Lake, Iowa

    56.5 miles from West Bend, 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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    American Theatre

    Cherokee, Iowa

    58 miles from West Bend, 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

    59.4 miles from West Bend, 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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    Thompson Hall Dormitory

    Iowa Falls, Iowa

    66.5 miles from West Bend, IA

    The dorm at Ellsworth Community College and Union Cemetery across the street are both said to be haunted. The spirit of town benefactor Mr. Ellsworth himself has been seen, and footsteps and voices have been heard in the dorm's basement.


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    Kate Shelly High Bridge

    Boone, Iowa

    66.5 miles from West Bend, 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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    Stage Coach Inn

    Ida Grove, Iowa

    67.1 miles from West Bend, 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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    Boone County Historical Society - Masonic Temple

    Boone, Iowa

    68.1 miles from West Bend, 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

    68.9 miles from West Bend, 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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    Farm House Museum

    Ames, Iowa

    76 miles from West Bend, IA

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


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    Friley Hall - Iowa State University

    Ames, Iowa

    76 miles from West Bend, 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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    Hazel Green Cemetery

    Ackley, Iowa

    76.1 miles from West Bend, IA

    The gazebo in this old cemetery seems to be the central spot for the spiritual activity. In it, visitors have reported seeing an elderly woman's ghost sitting in a rocking chair, holding a baby. It is said that those who see her feel sadness, rather than fear. Reports say that ...


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    Iowa State University - Memorial Union

    Ames, Iowa

    76.2 miles from West Bend, 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

    76.5 miles from West Bend, 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

    76.6 miles from West Bend, 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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    J L Reece Memorial Park

    New Providence, Iowa

    79.9 miles from West Bend, IA

    According to reports, a young woman committed suicide in the cornfield at this site. Witnesses have seen her appear in the field and have heard her screaming.


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    Mt Hope Cemetery

    Madrid, Iowa

    81.9 miles from West Bend, 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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    The Historic Klondike Hotel

    Manilla, Iowa

    84.1 miles from West Bend, 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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    Elk Grove Cemetery - Union Township Cemetery

    Coon Rapids, Iowa

    85.1 miles from West Bend, 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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    Minnesota State University Mankato

    Mankato, Minnesota

    85.2 miles from West Bend, 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

    86.1 miles from West Bend, 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

    87.4 miles from West Bend, 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

    88.2 miles from West Bend, 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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    Lambrecht's Gift Store

    New Ulm, Minnesota

    93.8 miles from West Bend, 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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    Le Sueur County Historical Society Museum

    Elysian, Minnesota

    94.1 miles from West Bend, 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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    Van Fossen Cemetery

    Adel, Iowa

    95.2 miles from West Bend, 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 Earling Exorcism

    Earling, Iowa

    95.6 miles from West Bend, 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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    Farrar Schoolhouse

    Maxwell, Iowa

    96.6 miles from West Bend, 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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    West Hills

    Owatonna, Minnesota

    98.8 miles from West Bend, IA

    Ghosts of orphaned children are rumored to linger in this former orphanage, laughing audibly. Witnesses also have seen the floor move and warp and smelled phantom cigar smoke. Books also have moved, temperature has been known to change drastically, and phone calls have been made to the police department from ...


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    It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere

    Owatonna, Minnesota

    98.8 miles from West Bend, IA

    The bar called It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere is said to be haunted. Reports say the apparition of a man in old-fashioned duds and a puddle of blood appear out of nowhere. The bar was a funeral home and a used furniture store in past incarnations.


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    Merle Hay Mall

    Des Moines, Iowa

    99.2 miles from West Bend, 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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    Green Lawn Cemetery - CSAH 20 Cemetery

    St. Peter, Minnesota

    100.2 miles from West Bend, 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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    Old Red Horse Armory

    Des Moines, Iowa

    100.8 miles from West Bend, 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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    Smelly Ghost of University Avenue

    Des Moines, Iowa

    101.1 miles from West Bend, 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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    Spooky Table at the Weaver House

    Des Moines, Iowa

    101.3 miles from West Bend, 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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    Drake Municipal Observatory

    Des Moines, Iowa

    101.6 miles from West Bend, 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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