Urban Legends in Iowa

Don’t believe in ghosts, hauntings, or curses? These 10 creepy urban legends in Iowa might change your mind about that. Be prepared to sleep with the light on tonight…

The Devil's Chair

The Devil's Chair in Guthrie Center, Iowa is a cement-cast chair located in Union Cemetery. It is strangely situated between two unmarked graves. Local legend claims that bad luck, even death, will follow anyone who sits in it.

Black Angel of Council Bluffs

At Fairview Cemetery in Council Bluffs, there is a black angel statue. She is said to follow people with her eyes and “bless” whoever touches her with sickness. It is also said that she flies away at night.

Stony Hollow Cliff in Burlington

There is a story that a young woman named Lucinda committed suicide by jumping off this cliff after suffering a heartbreak. Legend says that if you climb to the top of the cliff at night and say her name three times, she will appear. If she drops a rose at your feet, you will die the next day.

Vegors Cemetery in Stratford

At Vegors Cemetery in Stratford, there are Indians buried among the other graves. Legend says if you desecrate an Indian's grave you will be cursed. Apparently two people got in serious car accidents within weeks of visiting this cemetery.

Black Angel of Iowa City

At Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, the local legend says that if you kiss or touch the angel you will die. It is also rumored that if a pregnant woman walks beneath the statue’s stretched wings that she will miscarry.

Haunted house in Clarion

There is a legend about this old house in Clarion. The legend says to go upstairs and pick up one of the old photos on ground, then take the photo home with you and sleep with it. When you wake up, the photo will be gone. When you go back into the house, the photo will be back on the floor where you found it and there will be a dark figure in the picture.

Urbandale's Uncle Charlie

Supposedly in Urbandale there is this ghost named Uncle Charlie, who you can find running through woods at night. They say if you take a picture with the flash on, he will show up in background, looking ghostly and gruesome.

The Weeping Angel

There is a legend at Shellsburg Cemetery in Shellsburg, that if you walk up to this angel headstone at night, you can hear her softly crying and see the tears rolling down her face.

The Zodiac

Now that I have scared you with creepy and disturbing urban legends, the next few are lighter ones: There is a decorative Zodiac mural in the floor in the Memorial Union at Iowa State University in Ames. The legend goes that if you walk over it, you will fail your next test. But, the curse can be reversed by throwing a coin into the fountain outside.

The ghost of C.Y. Stephens

Another legend at Iowa State, this one says that the ghost of C.Y Stephens still wanders around the auditorium and can be seen sitting in the back corner of the third row balcony. It is believed that he brings good luck to those performers who see him before a show.

Too scared to visit Iowa, or is Iowa your place to visit?!