VILLISCA, IA
“In the picturesque rolling hills of southwest Iowa is a small town of 1300 known as Villisca. It’s located on the east side of Montgomery County near the intersections of highways 71 and 34. The town square, the tree-lined Fifth Avenue Boulevard, the Victorian homes and the abundant fresh air make it the perfect place to visit.
Locals prefer their town to be known as the “Bacon and Egg” center of southwest Iowa–largely because of a nearby hatchery and numerous livestock farms near the town. However, despite the efforts of the local citizens, Villisca is best known as the site of Iowa’s worst mass homicide; the 1912 axe murders.”
~ Dr. Edgar Epperly
On the night of June 10, 1912, eight people–Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Moore, their four daughters, as well as two neighbor girls who were spending the night as guests–were savagely murdered in their sleep. It has been purported that a traveling evangelist, George Jacklin Kelly, a man who was befriended by the Moore family earlier in the day, was responsible for the crime. Despite a confession, two separate sets of jurors believed otherwise.
Remarkably, after almost a century of attention, the murders still remain unsolved. What may be even more disturbing is the fact that some psychics believe that, not only do the souls of the victims still reside in the house, but that the spirit of the killer has now returned as well.
Routinely studied by paranormal investigators, the Moore house can be leased for overnight stays. It is reported to be one of the most haunted places in America.
