18 haunted cemeteries in Iowa
With cursed angel statues, graveyard spirits, and glowing headstones, a trip to these haunted cemeteries in Iowa may send a chill down your spine.
A cemetery is meant to be the final resting place for those who have died, where family members of the deceased can visit and reflect on the lives of their lost loved ones. However, cemeteries have a reputation for being creepy, with some being labeled as haunted because of supposed supernatural occurrences, lurking spirits, and other strange sightings.
The Hawkeye State is home to many cemeteries—some of which are rumored to be haunted. Here are the most chilling cemeteries in Iowa, where you might just spot a spirit or two.
1. Villisca Cemetery
Victims of the unsolved 1912 Villisca Axe Murders are buried in the Villisca Cemetery. Eight people—including six children—were killed in their sleep in what is now called the Villisca Axe Murder House. The house, along with the backyard cemetery, is said to be haunted, with people reportedly feeling chills, seeing doors open and close on their own, and hearing kids play in empty rooms.
Tours of both the house and the cemetery are available, and those seeking the full experience can book an overnight stay at the home.
2. Oakland Cemetery
Iowa City’s Oakland Cemetery is best known for its eight-foot-tall Black Angel statue. The statue was reportedly commissioned by a woman named Teresa Dolezal Feldevert after the death of her son and husband, who were both buried in the cemetery near the statue. The statue is said to watch over the family burial plot, and several superstitions surround it, including the belief that anyone who touches or kisses the statue will die instantly. Cemetery visitors have also reported seeing strange lights and hearing voices.
The notoriety of the winged statue led to the opening of a restaurant in Iowa City called The Black Angel in 2023.
3. Fairview Cemetery
Fairview Cemetery is also home to a Black Angel statue that leaves some who see it feeling haunted. The statue, commissioned by the daughters of a woman who died, is believed to curse anyone who touches it. People who visit the cemetery have also reported feeling as if they’re being watched or followed.
4. Greenwood Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery in Muscatine is also home to an angel statue that’s reportedly haunted. The statue, referred to as the Blue Angel statue, once held a rose in its hand, and legend has it that if the statue dropped the rose in your presence, you would die. Eventually, the statue’s hand was cut off, but cemetery visitors claim that at night, the hand is still there holding the rose. Other visitors have reported hearing footsteps when no one else is nearby, experiencing a feeling of being watched, and hearing a scream so intense it hurts their ears.
5. Woodland Cemetery
Woodland Cemetery is Iowa’s oldest cemetery—and apparently one of its most haunted. Located in Des Moines, the cemetery was the site of two murders and multiple grave robbings. It’s also reportedly home to the Weeping Angel, who cemetery visitors claim has tears running down her face and makes crying noises. Others claim that gypsy wagon trains buried dying travelers in a fenced-off part of the cemetery, and anyone who enters the area will be cursed and die.
6. Vegors Cemetery
Vegors Cemetery, located in Lehigh, was once a burial ground for local Native Americans—until settlers dug up the graves and moved the bodies to various mounds in the cemetery. To retaliate, Native Americans killed a woman named Mrs. Lott, whose husband was known to steal from the Native Americans. Now, ghosts of the Native Americans and Mrs. Lott reportedly haunt the cemetery, and if you desecrate one of the mounds where the Native Americans were moved, legend has it that you’ll be cursed.
Vegors Cemetery is also the burial site of some individuals who were killed during the 1857 Spirit Lake Massacre, which many believe also contributes to the number of supernatural occurrences reported at the cemetery.
7. Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
Many supernatural occurrences have been reported at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, also known as 13 Stairs, because of the 13 stairs leading to a hill in the cemetery. People have reported seeing a red-eyed, growling dog, a witch, and floating light orbs. Some claims also mention electronic voice phenomena (EVP) recordings and being touched by an unseen person or object.
8. Riverside Cemetery
People who have visited Riverside Cemetery in Charles City describe it as an eerie place where figures can be seen standing over graves. Some say they’ve seen pairs of glowing eyes, presumably belonging to graveyard spirits, as they drive past the cemetery.
9. Elk Grove Cemetery
This cemetery is said to be home to a headstone with supernatural abilities. If you stand in front of the headstone for a few minutes, it reportedly starts glowing.
10. Oak Hill Cemetery
Oak Hill Cemetery is believed to be home to—and haunted by—a young girl named Tillie who died while her family was traveling through Cedar Rapids. Tillie is said to wander throughout the cemetery at night, carrying a lit candle and trying to lure people into a nearby mausoleum.
11. Calvary Cemetery
If you visit Calvary Cemetery in Sioux City, you may experience a strange ringing in your ears or feel as if your face is covered with cobwebs, according to some past visitors. Make your way toward one grave in particular—featuring a headstone carved from a tree that was reportedly used for hangings—and the spooky sensations will get stronger.
12. Mars Hill Church and Cemetery
Bloomfield’s Mars Hill Church and Cemetery was once an active stop on the Underground Railroad, and it’s believed that the area is haunted by slaves who were unable to escape to freedom. The cemetery is also allegedly a popular location for spotting UFOs.
13. Evergreen Cemetery
It’s rumored that Evergreen Cemetery is haunted by a woman in a white dress who rides a horse on the railroad tracks. Apparitions of military men have also been reported around the section of the cemetery dedicated to unknown soldiers. In that same area, there is a statue whose right eye is missing at night. It’s believed that both eyes follow visitors.
14. Hickory Hill Cemetery
Some visitors at Hickory Hill Cemetery have reported meeting the ghost of a young girl who points at the cemetery’s gates, implying that the unwelcome guests should leave. Other visitors have heard babies crying in the cemetery.
15. Mount Hope Cemetery
Madrid’s Mount Hope Cemetery is also believed to be haunted by the ghost of a young girl. This girl, named Sara, was buried near the back of the cemetery alongside four of her siblings. It’s been said that Sara follows cemetery visitors around and asks them about someone named Ree. If the visitors ignore Sara, she may touch them or tug at their clothing.
16. Terre Haute Cemetery
Terre Haute Cemetery in Lamoni is also said to be haunted by a child—a young boy whose name is unknown. The boy is often seen playing on a swing set located behind a cabin next to the cemetery. He reportedly motions to visitors, asking them to follow him to the spot in the cemetery where he was buried—only to disappear once they reach the grave.
17. Stoneking Cemetery
Stoneking Cemetery in Williamson has inspired many spooky stories. Toward the back of the cemetery, where there’s a plot for members of the Stoneking family, some trees are assumed to be cursed. The story goes that anyone who walks behind the trees will see a man sitting on his grave, and that they will die shortly after spotting him. Rumor has it that there is also a set of stairs leading to the Stoneking family’s abandoned home, and it’s impossible for anyone to climb them. (Although the Des Moines Register reported in 2024 that the remains no longer exist.) Apparitions of people with bad burns or missing hands have also been reported.
Additionally, some people think that the cemetery is home to the headstone of Joseph Stoneking, which was reportedly featured in the original “Children of the Corn” movie, though this claim has been disputed.
18. Davis City Cemetery
Upon entering Davis City Cemetery, many visitors report sudden feelings of pressure. Others have mentioned seeing lights shooting across the cemetery late at night.
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