Villiscaiowa.com archives
The Villisca Axe Murders of 1912
On previous versions of this website, we've used news blogs to keep our readers up to date on what's going on in Villisca. We decided to copy those blogs to the new site and will be adding additional information as it occurs. For those of you who are visiting the site for the first time, hopefully, this page will provide a little background information you may have missed over the years. We'll also add newspaper articles here as more often than not, the links are disabled over time.
FoxNews.com 10/31/2006
Ax and You Shall Receive
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An ax infamous for its role in Iowa's most notorious mass murder — the 1912 Villisca ax murders — will be donated to the Villisca Historical Society.
The killings of eight people at the home of Josiah Moore, including the entire Moore family and two other girls who were visiting, have never been solved. In 1917, a jury acquitted Lyn George Jacklin Kelly, the only person ever tried in the case, and the state's investigation ended.
The murder weapon, though, has long been notorious — an ax, which originally came from a coal shed behind Moore's home.
Since Kelly's acquittal, the ax has been passed from the state's chief criminal investigator on to a researcher-writer and then, most recently to another researcher, Ed Epperly, who is considered to be the foremost authority in the case.
The ax doesn't have a permanent home yet because the Villisca Historical Society does not have a museum building. Until it acquires one, the ax will be held by the State Historical Society in Des Moines.
NEWS FLASH ~ Sept. 1, 2007
The Villisca Axe Murder House segment on Court TV provided some amazing insight into the as of yet unsolved Villisca Axe Murders. According to Court TV's Haunting Evidence Show, The Axe Murder House is considered the "Holy Grail of Ghosthunting." Psychics on the show implicated both Blackie Mansfield and Senator Frank Jones in what to many was not a suprising conclusion! If you watched the show, use our guestbook to let us know what you thought of the visit!
NEWS FLASH ~ August 2007
The Villisca Axe Murders will be featured on Court TV's "Haunting Evidence" show on August 29th. The crew visited the Axe Murder House this spring. Be sure to tune in and let us know what you think!
NEWS FLASH ~ January 25, 2007
The online shop is finally online! Sorry for the delay folks. Had a few problems setting up the paypal shopping cart. Anywhoo - if you haven't seen the Untold Story, I strongly suggest you order your copy today. It's a fascinating dvd that chronicles the investigation of one of our favorite paranormal teams, the Millers Paranormal Research Group. Darwin's bored. It's winter time and a bit cold in the house so he's not seeing too many visitors. Hopefully, spring is right around the corner. We're currently doing some serious research regarding the possibility of adding a webcam to the Axe Murder House. Logistically it's a little difficult but with some luck you may all soon be able to pull it up on your computer and do a little ghostwatching. We'll keep you updated. If you haven't taken the time to sign up for our mailing list.. do it now... it's the best way to stay on top of everything that's going on and you'll get notices when updates are made to the website. Tour prices for 2007 are staying the same - if you're considering visiting in 2007 ~ it's a good idea to make your reservations now.
NEWS FLASH ~ December 1st, 2006
12/01/2006
Hmm, well... ahh, come on.... it's only been 6, yep.... 6 months since my last update. I have, however, been working on this new update to the website and can therefore provide a semi-believable reason for my lapse. Seriously though, I hope you and your families all enjoyed Thanksgiving and are currently deep in preparations for the Christmas holiday! For the first time in my adult life... I have actually already purchased a good majority of my Christmas presents. I LOVE ebay!
Okay, let's get down to business. What's been happening in Villisca since July? Well, Haunting Villisca had a preview at the Wild Rose Film Festival and initial response was very good. Darwin enjoyed seeing himself and Martha on the big screen and even admitted that even though he knew the story ~ he actually jumped a few times. Word is that James and Kim are still looking for a distributor and have been visiting a few film festivals. Keep your fingers crossed that this is one movie that makes it to the big screen.
Darwin and I stirred up a bit of a controversy a few months ago when we attempted to foster a letter writing campaign to return the axe used in the Villisca Axe murders to the town of Villisca. the end result was that last month, Dr. Epperly finally handed the axe over to the Villisca Historical Society via the Iowa State Historical Society. One small step for mankind, I guess. We still have to wait for the Villisca group to get enough money together to find a building in which to house their organization before the axe will really return home.
The house and museum are officially closed for the season but of course, Darwin will still do tours and overnights by appointment. Visit the tour page for information on how to contact him if you just can't wait until spring.
The Villisca story was recently on Court TV courtesy of Kelly Rundle, of course, but the house did get a mention on their website. The house was also featured in a Haunted House article on the Lifetime TV website in conjunction with a movie they did called The House Next Door. Villisca was named one of the six most haunted places in the United States.
Troy Taylor's book; The Haunted Field Guide Studies So there I was, More Confessions of Ghost Hunters, also features a story on the opening and closing of the closet door in the children's bedroom. This actually happened and was captured on film by the team at PRISM while Troy was visiting. He also claims that "I have come to believe that this house is haunted because of my own experiences there." Troy will be hosted a "Bump in the Night" Ghost Tour of Villisca in the summer of 2007.
We've had several other visits by paranormal teams and the results of their investigations are up to date and posted on the Investigations page. We were especially happy to hear from Joe at DIEPART regarding his second visit to the house. Joe's team didn't get much the first time and consequently their initial report pretty much discredited any paranormal activity in the house. Joe's team returned again, however, and managed to capture what they believed were some pretty incredible EVP's. Just goes to show that the ghosts don't also show up when we want them to.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you and your loved ones!
NEWS FLASH ~ July 2006
For the 2005 season, emails were sent to those on our mailing list regarding our latest news. I've decided a little late in 2006 that I'm going to try and get back to posting on the site so those of you who are new will be able to catch up. We'd still like you to sign up for our mailing list on the home page. It will keep you up to date when changes are made to the site or we have special news to share. Last summer the house was pretty full with the filming of the feature length film, Haunting Villisca. Kim Busbee and James Serpento have been sending updates and it looks like the film will be ready for their film festival. Check out the Movie page for more information.
NEWS FLASH ~ September 23rd, 2004
Sept. 23rd, 2004: Once more time seems to have passed more quickly than I expected. My last update was in June and I promised to stay more on top of this page. Again, my apologies. It appears, however, that the summer of 2004 got away from quite a few of us. Anyway, I'll try to bring everyone up to date quickly and not waste a lot of time waxing about the passage of days we cannot recapture. On the home front, for those of you who I've met personally, Chris and Sam both graduated from high school this year, Chris is trying to find his way and Samantha (who's always seemed wiser than her years) is studying film at Marlboro College in Vermont. Sam had a dream come true this summer when a film idea of hers won a contest sponsored by Wrigleys Gum. Her film is on display at www.winterfresh.com/films and will also be showing in the Wild Rose Film Festival sponsored by our friends at Ariesworks Entertainment in Des Moines. The festival will also include a screening of our newest video focusing on the paranormal investigations of the Miller Paranormal Research Team in the Villisca house titled "Villisca, the Untold Story." Sam's film, Going Down to Neverland, has a bit of a paranormal flair as well. I hope you'll all take a second to check it out. It should be on the site for awhile.
As for summer activities at the house, we did have two other paranormal teams complete investigations. To date, we have not received any official results from the Tennessee APS team but they've had some serious health issues befall their team since their visit. Check their page often and we'll send out an email update as soon as we have something to post. We enjoyed meeting these folks and hope things settle down a bit for them in Tennessee.
The results of the investigation conducted by the Southern Wisconsin Paranormal Team were published on the site last month. I must say I was not the only one that was a little disappointed with their observations. For a paranormal team, we expected a little more conclusive findings but they hesitated to come right out and post an opinion, opting instead to put the burden of belief back on Villisca's visitors and our website readers. You'll remember that Mike won the chance to join that investigation and Mike's report differed greatly from theirs. He's promised to write something up for us as well so as soon I get his report, it'll be posted on the website.
The filming in May of the Science Fiction Channel episode was a highlight of the summer and we're hoping to see the segment in October. We'll let you know as soon as we have a date.
The renovations on the museum are awesome and if you haven't had a chance to stop by and check out the murals, I urge you to do so soon. The house will be closing for the season in November and will reopen April 1st. Most of our weekend tours are booked but we're still doing lamplits, overnights and daytime tours on the weekdays. Activity in the house has stayed strong throughout the summer months and seems to intensify when we have more tours booked. We've got some new pictures and stories to post so check back often or sign up for our email list to receive updates and website changes. I hope you all had a wonderful summer and that we continue to hear from you. On a more serious note, our friends at Miller's Paranormal Research tell us that Joyce is continuing her battle with cancer. Our thoughts and prayers are with all them. If you haven't visited their site, I urge you to do so and drop Joyce an email of encouragement. I know they'll appreciate it. Keep those stories and pictures coming!
The above photograph was taken during a paranormal investigation of the Villisca Axe Murder House by members of the Millers Paranormal Research Team. According to the Millers, they've captured the first photograph of the man responsible for the Villisca Axe Murders. The man is shown standing in the middle of a bed in the children's room upstairs. You can even count the buttons on his jacket. The photo has been scrutinized by the Science Fiction Channel and will be featured in the upcoming "Proof Positive" show in . The information captured by the Millers that will explain who this man is and why he haunts the Villisca Axe Murder House will be revealed in the new video, Villisca, the untold story.
NEWS FLASH ~ June 21st, 2004
June 21st, 2004 - Wow! I can't believe June is almost over. When I look at the last post on this page - I have to hang my head a little. Obviously time has gotten away from me. Going forward - I promise to update this monthly! Lots going on since the last post. Our barn-raising was a semi-success. We accomplished quite a bit but didn't have quite as many volunteers as we expected. The barn has been put on the back burner for a little while so Darwin can concentrate on the renovations in the museum. The murals are almost complete, the floor is almost finished, exterior has been painted and soon we'll be moving things into place. I think you'll all be amazed at the transformation. The overnight auction on E-bay was a bit of a disapointment as we didn't get quite as many bids as we'd hoped for. The winning bidder was Mike from 1-2-4- Music in Maryville, Mo. Mike and his guest had an "interesting" time with the Southern Wisonsin Paranormal Research Team. We're anxiously awaiting the results of their investigation. Unfortunately, our raffle winner had to give up her overnight. Her son was diagnosed with cancer and the prognosis is not favorable. Darwin opted to put the night up to the highest bidder and to donate the funds collected to the family of the young boy. We were very suprised when we received an email confirming a $600.00 donation and quickly disappointed on the day of the tour when the donor turned out to be a hoax. For the others that offered legitimate bids - thank you. Unfortunately we didn't have enough notice to contact anyone else.
We had a little rough weather for our Anniversary Event and thought for a few minutes we were actually going to be in the middle of a twister. Our friends from APS who drove from Tennessee to conduct an investigation were a little amused. This was the first year we offered the event free of charge and were happy to see some familiar faces. Thanks to all of you who shared during the program. Roy Marshall was on hand to sign books and Kim and James from AriesWorks stopped by to give us an update on "Haunting Villisca".
NEWS FLASH ~ January 25th, 2003
1/25/03 Ghosts in the Museum??
Darwin is up and running again after his surgery in November and recently began indoor renovations on the museum. He is currently working to remove the false ceiling and expose the tin tiles underneath. They're absolutely gorgeous as you can see in the photos below. He has also obtained flooring from an old roller skating rink in Corning and will be redoing the floor. For those of you who have been in the museum - you can relate to the enormity of this task. The museum at one time housed the Sutphen Funeral Home and visitor's have, on occasion, captured orbs in their pictures. One of the psychics with the Miller's paranormal team also had contact with a spirit in the museum. Visitors often hurry through the museum in their excitement to see the house but it looks like maybe we should be spending a little more time there. There is no smoking in the museum and as you can see on Darwin's photos below, he's definetely captured some type of mist as well as some very bright orbs. Guess he had a little more help than he thought!
Photos above and immediately below were taken by Darwin in the musuem during renovation work.
The photo below is a close-up of the tin tiles that were hidden by the false ceiling in the museum.
A quick response from one of our visitors regarding the museum photos: "Omg I forgot to tell you...yes, when we were watching the video the seat next to us creaked like someone was sitting down. I jumped, mark heard it too!" - Rachel
The Science Fiction Channel arrived in May to shoot a segment for a new fall show called "Proof Positive". The team from Millers Paranormal participated in the shoot as well as a visitor to the house that apparently has some amazing video footage. I haven't seen the tape but everyone says it's unbelievable. We'll let you know when the show is going to air. We were also recently contacted by the National Geographic Channel regarding a show they're planning but unfortunately Villisca didn't make the final cut. Joe and Stacy Pate from Movie Memories also attended our Anniversary Event to provide updates on their video "Villisca, the Untold Story." According to Joe, the video should be ready for advance copy sales in August of 2004. The Rundles film, "Villisca, Living with a Mystery," opened in Des Moines during the Anniversary Week. I didn't have a chance to make the Villisca showing but the reviews seemed favorable.
We've had lots of visitors to the house and the website over the last few months. According to reports, the activity in the house remains high. Check out our visitor's page for current stories. If you haven't done so, sign up now for our email list. It's the easiest way to stay on top of developments, coming events and updates to the site. Until next month..... Carol
NEWS FLASH ~ January 15th, 2004
01/15/2004 --Barn Raising Date Set! Calling all carpenters, handymen and women and not-so-handy folks!!!
We've set the date for the barn-raising in Villisca and are hoping all of you who promised your help last summer and fall will be able to make it! We plan to start early on the morning of Saturday, May 1st and hopefully have the barn completed by evening on May 2nd. We've reserved the community center for an overnight stay and everyone is welcome to pitch a sleeping bag on the floor. We'll provide the meals and refreshments and even a band for Saturday night. Of course, you're welcome to visit the house and we'll be raffling off several overnight stays. Everyone who attends will also be entered in the drawing for the Anniversary Overnight and free tickets to our Anniversary Event. We'll be showing some of the videos we've accumulated and hope anyone who attends will bring theirs if they have them as well. We're working on a few other things to make the evening one you'll never forget and will post them here as soon as they're confirmed!
NEWS FLASH ~ January 10th, 2004
01/10/03 Happy New Year from all of us at villiscaiowa.com! Now that the holidays are over, we're gearing up for our re-opening this spring. Darwin is recovering from his surgery and no doubt will be ready to get back to work soon. Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season. We've got some exciting things going on and are already receiving requests for tours. Reservations can be made via email. Let me know the type of tour and date you'd like to visit. We do require a $50.00 deposit on the overnights.
I received an email inquiry from another Paranormal Investigation team that is hoping to visit the house in June. Donna Marsh, founder of the Adsagsona Paranormal Society, seems to be drawn to Villisca much in the same way many of us are. Donna wrote: " I honestly can't tell you how I found your Website. I was researching another subject and ran across a link to your site, and once I started reading what was there I just felt called to arrange an investigation if at all possible."
I think I've written those same words about this house on a few occasions.
Tentative plans are to have Donna's team conduct their investigation and share their results during our commemorative weekend in June. We'll let you know the exact date.
I'm still compiling stories from visitors to the house and would love to include from those of you who visit us on the web. The concept is fairly simple. As Donna states above, there is something about this house, this story... that draws people and holds them. I'd love to hear from you - how you came to this site and why you feel you come back. For those of you who have visited or hope to visit - what is the attraction? Send your stories to villisca@cox.net.
We also had a visit this fall from Robert Baca, a well-known psychic in the Des Moines area. Robert stopped in at the house and did a walk-thru with Darwin. He indicated he'd like to come back and spend a little more time in the house. We're hoping to hear from him soon. You can visit Robert's website at http://www.voicesfromheaven.com
Don't forget to sign up for our mailing list!
NEWS FLASH ~ November 30th, 2003
11/30/2003
I received this photograph today. When we entered the house on the Friday the 21st, I noticed the chairs were facing the back door but were left on Thursday morning pulled up to and facing the table. One of the Jen's in our group snapped a photo of the chairs from where she was standing in the parlor. As you can see, we obviously interrupted something. I sent the photo to the Miller's and will let you know what they have to say about it.
We've had several requests from folks who have enjoyed the website and/or visited the house that would like to donate funds to help complete the barn/museum. We're also currently trying to come up with funds to purchase archive photos and articles from local newspapers to be posted here. If you'd like to contribute, we've added that option on our home page. The Villisca Axe Murder House and Olson Linn Museum are non-profit and all monies collected will go toward the museum and the artifacts we hope to house there. If you'd prefer something a little more "hands on" check back for our barn raising in the spring. Hope to see you then!
NEWS FLASH ~ November 22nd, 2003
11/22/2003
Hello everybody! Wanted to share an experience I had in the house last night. As you know, Darwin had surgery last week so I was on tour duty for the weekend. I and a group of friends stayed in the house overnight on Friday. I was conducting a few experiments, hoping to get some good experiences I could use on the website. Friday night was fairly calm. It was colder in the house than it was outside. We heard footsteps upstairs and watched the attic door open and close on it's own - got some good orb and mist video but other than that it was pretty quiet.
Saturday, however, was a entirely different story. I did a daytime tour between 2:00-5:00 and returned to the house at approximately 6:00 pm to light the lamps and check the heaters for an overnight tour. The house was very warm, I had a friend with me who settled into the chair in the living room while I was cleaning lamps - she got some great video of several orbs following me around the house. Very suddenly the atmosphere in the house shifted and the air seemed to get very heavy. We both felt extremely lightheaded and were having trouble breathing. Jen needed to step outside so I put my camera on the cupboard in the kitchen - pointed it into the living room, turned it on to record and stepped onto the porch. The battery was fresh and new. We were outside for a few minutes and Jen did not want to go back into the house. I went back inside, checked my camera because the light was off and found it had turned off. The battery was completely dead. I picked up the camera and we headed out of the house, we had two lamps lit in the living room, the one closest to the kitchen was flickering wildly. As I struggled to lock the door, I felt something lift up my hair on the back of my head and start to twist it. My first thought was that the screen door had a chain and my hair had gotten tangled. As I ducked and attempted to get away from it - whatever it was suddenly let go. I looked up and there was nothing there. Jen was standing behind me and told me that my hair had been lifted up and was twisting by itself. She was a little freaked out. We finally got the door locked and headed back to the museum. In the years I've been visiting the house, I've heard things, seen things and felt things. This was the first time I'd ever been physically touched by a ghost or spirit. Wow!