Footsteps and voices Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
Property manager Kelly Mattson told KETV in 2025 that footsteps and voices have become normal in the house. During the crew's visit, REM pods went off from the crib to the attic, and a spirit box answered "Slowly," "Friday" and "Help." Source: KETV, 2025.
Facts below are drawn from the linked sources.
Real history
On the night of June 9 to 10, 1912, Josiah and Sara Moore, their four children and two visiting girls, Ina and Lena Stillinger, were killed with an axe; the bodies were discovered the next morning. No one was ever convicted. The house was restored in the 1990s and is known as the Villisca Axe Murder House (Wikipedia).
Ghost stories
These are reported legends, not verified events. The creepiness score (1–5) is Spook Atlas's own editorial rating, not a measurement.
Children at play Our creepiness rating 💀💀💀💀💀
Travel Iowa says visitors report a door opening and closing on its own, being pinched, and children laughing and playing with toys in empty rooms. Source: Travel Iowa.
Travel Iowa says visitors report a door opening and closing on its own, being pinched, and children laughing and playing with toys in empty rooms. Source: Travel Iowa.
Then and now
Public access
Open to the public The house's own site sells a daytime house tour, private guided tours, cemetery tours and overnight stays (Villisca Axe Murder House). Last checked: Nov 1, 2026.
Explore more
- More places in Villisca and Iowa
- More haunted & abandoned houses
- More haunted & abandoned museums
- Nearby: Malvern Manor (Malvern, IA), Rock Bluff (Murray, NE), Squirrel Cage Jail (Council Bluffs, IA), Captain Bailey House Museum (Brownville, NE)
⚠️ Please read: This information may be outdated and conditions change. Verify access with the owner or operator before you go. Spook Atlas does not encourage trespassing. Entering private, closed or condemned property can be illegal and dangerous. Report a correction.
Reader experiences
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