Villisca Ax Murder House - Villisca, Iowa

A sleepy little town today, but years ago Villisca was a bustling, busy place that was sadly made famous by a gruesome act of violence.

In June of 1912 Josiah Moore, his wife Sarah, their four children and two overnight guests were found brutally murdered in their beds, their skulls crushed in by an ax with the door locked from the inside.

Mary Peckham, the next door neighbor, grew suspicious the morning the family was found, as their house appeared unusually quiet and still, a remarkable feat for a family with four children all under the age of eleven. She went about her daily chores but with no change next door she began to really worry. She made a call to Josiah’s brother who promised to come over and take a look around.

When he arrived and unlocked the front door what awaited him was a horror unseen in such a cheery, pleasant town.

Local police were on hand to investigate, but morbid curiosity drew people in and control of the scene was lost. Even after the Villisca National Guard was called in precious evidence had already been lost.

Despite several prominent suspects no one was ever convicted of the terrible murders and the case remains unsolved to this day.

Over the years the house has had many different owners, but it wasn’t until renovations began in the early 1990’s that odd things started happening. The house was restored to how it looked in the beginning of the century and opened to the public, even inviting people to come stay the night. Children’s laughter and voices have been heard, objects have moved of their own accord, bangs and unexplainable noises have been heard, and some have even come away with photographic evidence of “something.”

No one can say for sure whether the Villisca Ax Murder House is haunted or not, but one thing’s for sure; a tragedy cut short the lives of eight people on a hot June night and because justice was never served, perhaps the spirits of those departed haven’t been able to rest.