Iowa’s Most Enduring and Puzzling Mysteries

If you were born and raised in the Hawkeye State, or even if you have lived here for a long time, there's a good chance you've heard about some of these sinister and spine-chilling mysteries.

For one reason or another, Iowa has been a breeding ground for the unexplained and unsolved. Recently, a popular YouTube video took a closer look at some of these mysteries and offered up its own theories and explanations. Let's take a look.

Last year, Marked Terror released its video on the 6 Most Enduring Mysteries in Iowa History. Here's a look at a few of the standouts:

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Iowa's Most Enduring Unsolved Mysteries

The Villisca Axe Murders of 1912

On June 10, 1912, six members of the Moore family and two of their guests were found bludgeoned to death with an axe in their residence. The horrific crime occurred in the small Southwest Iowa town of Villisca.

A lengthy investigation took place, and several suspects were brought forward. However, police honed in on Reverend George Kelly, who vehemently proclaimed his innocence. Two trials were held on the matter, with the first ending in a hung jury and the second ending in an acquittal. The murders remain unsolved to this day.

The Van Meter Visitor of 1903

Over several nights in September and October 1903, the small Iowa town of Van Meter (20 miles west of Des Moines) experienced one of the strangest phenomena in the history of the state. Multiple witnesses reported seeing a large "bat-like" creature over this time period. The witnesses stated that the creature was approximately 9 feet tall, with wings like a bat. Perhaps, most eerily, the animal, or demon, or whatever it was, reportedly had a large, glowing horn that would light up the surrounding area in the night sky. This glowing horn was made even more ominous, since it was said to be unaffected by bullets, as reported by numerous farmers who attempted to shoot the mythical being.

Things came to a head one night when the creature was encountered by several townspeople, who confronted it, forcing it to flee into an abandoned mine. The mine was then sealed off by the townsfolk, and the Van Meter Visitor was never seen again.

Over time, the legend of the visitor only grew. These days, that legend is celebrated with a yearly festival, held each year in late September.

The video itself actually has six mysteries in total, and the four we didn't cover in this article just might be even more bizarre than the Van Meter Visitor or the Villisca Axe Murders. Take a look at the YouTube link below for yourself.

Story Sources: Travel Iowa Website