Haunted America: The Villisca, Iowa Axe Murders

Hidden deep within the fields of Iowa remains a haunting tale of misery, murder, and mayhem that wiped out an entire family, and left very few clues as to why it may have happened or even to whom may have committed such a heinous crime. The ominous dark cloud that firmly hovered over Villisca, Iowa in June of 1912 still lingers to this day, simply due to the fact that such a morbid act took place on what was once thought of as a close knit community.

On a warm dark night in early June six family members and two guests of the J.B. Moore family were brutally murdered. The senseless act shook up the small community, sending a rush of fear that a possible serial killer was on the loose.

News of this magnitude quickly spread throughout Villisca, and the town's people along with curiosity seekers descended on the Moore house. The town's small police force quickly lost control of the crime scene, and in virtually no time at all, hundreds of people had traipsed through the house to view the bodies, touching everything in their path, destroying any evidence that may have been left behind by the murderous madman.

Two children who had come home with the Moore family to spend the night after attending church layed in their own blood bath in a downstairs bedroom, and the remaining six bodies were located in the upstairs bedroom with crushed skulls that appeared to have been executed by a large axe.

The murderer was not selective about whom he killed as the victims ranged between the ages of a mere 5 years old on up to 43. To this day no one has ever been convicted of the murders despite the fact that there were several suspects. Prominent resident Frank F. Jones came under close scrutiny when the list of possible suspects surfaced, but nothing could ever be proved, and alibis never failed to be air tight.

It was believed that wealthy business man, once the employer of J.B. Moore was disgruntled when J.B. promptly left his company, taking with him a lucrative account worth thousands of dollars. Investigators felt that Frank F. Jones would not have committed the murders himself, but would have instead paid a crazed madman to do the dirty work for him. William Mansfield, a suspected killer from Blue Island, Illinois had nothing to lose as he was a known loner that would easily commit murder if the price was right.

Other suspects came into light from the Reverend George Kelly, who appeared to become obsessed with the Moore family murders to Henry Moore, a known drifter arrested some time later for the ax murder of his own grandmother in Columbia, Missouri. Unfortunately, nothing could be conclusively proved involving the list of suspects or why the deaths had occurred, and even with the aid of Federal investigators, the Moore murders remains unsolved, and all that is left of the family are the ghosts that many believe are active in the Moore home to this day.

The story of the Villisca ax murders is more mysterious than the Lizzie Borden case, and has become thought of as more intriguing than the Jack-the-Ripper story simply due to the nature of the senseless crime that included innocent children.

The white framed Moore house with the weather beaten welcome sign on the porch has been through many renovations during her time, but has kept the secret of the murderer's identity hidden within her cold, uninviting walls. The house has been the host to many paranormal investigations throughout the years, and audio as well as photographic proof has bared witness that life still exists within the home, just not the kind of life that we would expect to find.

Rental records of the Moore home dating from the early 1930's show that many tenants have come and gone over the years. Interviews with some of the prior tenants are proof enough that the Moore house is in fact haunted. Every renter moved out almost as soon as they moved in due to strange noises and sights within the home that included children crying, drawers opening and closing, orbs and large balls of light, and doors that would slam shut at all hours of the day and night.

One particular strange incident involves the odd plant that grew overnight during renovations. Appropriately named "Love Lies Bleeding", the plant appeared unexpectedly, blooming in bright hues of red during the period that the Moore home was being restored to its original state as when the murders took place. The plant mysteriously disappeared once the renovation was completed.

Film directors Kelly and Tammy Rundle teamed up with Dr. Edgar Epperly, a noted historian to gather footage featuring the infamous Moore house, the murder weapon, grand jury testimony, and over 50 interviews with other historians, eyewitnesses, and forensic experts, including former FBI Special Agent and profiler Robert K. Ressler, the man who coined the term "serial killer". There efforts eventually paid off when their award-winning and critically-acclaimed independent documentary film "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" that was released in 2004.

The Villisca Axe Murder House & Olson Linn Museum, owned by Darwin Linn, is located on 323 East 4th. Street in Villisca, Iowa. Overnight tours are a specialty for paranormal investigators and ghost lovers who dare to spend a full night in the Moore home. Lamplight and overnight tours must be scheduled in advance. The Villisca Cemetery is now the resting place for the Moore family, and a tour of the cemetery can be included with your tour of the Axe Murder House as well. Villisca is located in Southwest Iowa just a couple of miles south of the intersection of highways 71 and 34, off of Interstate 80.

The Villisca Axe Murder House and the Olson Linn museum are open for the 2007 season. To schedule a tour, contact Darwin Linn at 712-621-4291 or via email at dmlinn@mddc.com. The museum features buggies, cars and trucks from the 1940s, horse-drawn road equipment, tractors, a rare 1924 Maxwell truck, clothing and artifacts relating to rural Iowa history, newspaper clippings, photographs, and other items relating to the Villisca Axe Murders of 1912.

Museum Hours

Monday thru Friday: from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
Saturday: from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday: from 12:00pm - 4:00 pm

Overnight Tours

The Moore Axe Murder overnight tours are $275.00, and includes up to 5 guests.

Lamplight Tours

The tours begin at dusk on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings, and are 2 1/2 to 3 hours long. The cost of a lamplight tour is $22.00 per person.