Boo! Halloween fever has finally hit campus as the temperatures have dropped, and October has officially started. With October comes spooky stories, and I’ve done some investigating on Iowa City’s hauntings and local myths. From on campus to off, here are some spooky stories that you may or may not have heard.
Currier Hall
On the east side of campus, next to the infamous Dirty Burge, resides Currier Residence Hall. It has been on the University of Iowa’s campus for a little over 100 years. Any UI student can go into Currier to study, play pool or workout. Besides Currier’s elegant look there have always been rumors about the dormitory being haunted. For years, residents have reported paranormal activity. Reports of doors locking and shutting on their own and strange whispers in female voices are not uncommon. Apparently, Currier’s eerie feel comes from a threesome of women who were roommates. The three became good friends and were so similar that they all happened to catch feelings for the same man. After the girls found out that they are all in sync with this unnamed man, they went back to Currier and committed suicide together because of his betrayal. It is rumored that women committed these acts by hanging or poison and that they appear to fighting roommates to help resolve the conflict.
Black Angel
One of Iowa’s most notorious haunted stories comes from Oakland Cemetery, a three-minute drive from campus. The cemetery is home to the Black Angel. The statue has been there for over a century and stands about eight feet tall. Apparently, the angel was originally bronze and has transformed to black (hence the name). Though there are many myths about the statue’s history, many have claimed that the angel brings students to wonder about the legends of the cemetery and the statues curses and tales.
228 N Brown Street
What is now the Mission Bed and Breakfast can be found on the hill by Brown street. The house is hard to miss with its Spanish style. The famous Nile Kinnick used to reside in this haunted home. When the house began its remodel in 1984, the construction workers reported power tools turning on with no help, moving around to different rooms, and becoming possessed.
Maude the Ghost
The Alderman-Wilson Insurance Group is located on 319 E. Bloomington. The Victorian style building was built in the 1870’s. There is apparently a ghost named Maude who spends her time in the workplace’s bathroom. She appeared in 1988 in an old-style dress fixing her hair in the mirror.