From an obsession with vampires at a young age to seeking out haunted history with my mom, I’ve always been a big fan of the spooky and supernatural. Because of this, Halloween tends to be a favorite holiday for me.
There are many aspects of Halloween that I enjoy, from the decor to dressing up and everything in between. As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, I have enjoyed going to supposedly haunted locations during this time of year as well.
Despite my enjoyment of it, I can’t say I believe in ghosts. That doesn’t stunt the interest I have in these places or the shiver of fear they can sometimes evoke.
When I first moved here, I asked if there were any haunted locations near here. The first and main spook I was pointed toward was the Villisca Axe Murder House, likely one of the most well-known haunted houses in the country.
In this area, everyone knows about the house in Villisca and seems to be over it. To be fair, it likely seems over-hyped to everyone who lives there. Because of that, I wanted to highlight some other haunted locations in southwest Iowa that aren’t as well known, at least not to an outsider like me.
Clark Tower in Winterset
I couldn’t find a ton of information on Clark Tower, but have been assured it’s haunted. The Des Moines Haunted Stories and Tours page on Facebook explains that this tower, found in Winterset City Park, was built in 1926 on the 80th anniversary of the founding of Madison County. Made of limestone and 12 feet in diameter and 25 feet, tall, the tower is commemorated to Caleb and Ruth Clark, the first white settlers of Madison County.
It is well known in the paranormal world that limestone supposedly attracts the supernatural. According to the Facebook page, “Many locals believe the tower is haunted. Some believe it is by Caleb and Ruth, because of their love for the tower. There have been reports of seeing an apparition at the top of the tower, as well as lights coming from inside the tower at night.”
Clarinda Treatment Complex - Clarinda
Built in 1884 as the Clarinda State Hospital, this center was the third of four state asylums built in Iowa.
Iowa PBS reports that it was built to house “alcoholics, geriatrics, drug addicts, the mentally ill and the criminally insane.” As was common at that time, patients at these hospitals were seen as no longer human, with treatments involving lobotomies, starvation, surgery and other forms of abuse.
Also on the complex campus was the Clarinda Academy, which opened in 1992. This space was opened as a residential foster care facility and treatment place for troubled youth.
The Treatment Complex closed in 2015 due to a lack of state funding, while the Clarinda Academy closed in February 2021 for a variety of reasons, including numerous reports of sexual abuse.
Many places with history such as this have reports of fitful spirits, and the Clarinda Treatment Complex is no different. Iowa PBS says former employees and residents have both reported hauntings.
The property also contains a cemetery, where at least 1,200 previous residents are buried. Much supernatural activity is reported here as well.
Malvern Manor - Malvern
Built in the 1880s as Cottage Hotel, Malvern Manor was a popular family run hotel for two decades due to the proximity to the railroad. About 1900, the rise in car usage led to the closure of the hotel.
According to Brown Paper Tickets, for the next century, the building was used as “a nursing home, a convalescent halfway house and most recently as a group home and care facility for those with developmental challenges and those suffering mental illnesses.”
Horror website Bump in the Night says that “the owners barely eked out a living and care for the patients was neglectful, at best. Horror stories circulated about abuse and mistreatment during the years when Malvern Manor was in operation.”
The manor closed its doors in 2005, supposedly due to patient mistreatment.
Malvern Manor was featured on TLC’s “Paranormal Lockdown” in 2017 and Travel Channel’s “Destination Fear” in 2021.
Tours of Malvern Manor, now owned by Josh Heard and located at 103 E. 3rd St. in Malvern, are available for $10 per person for an hour tour.
Squirrel Cage Jail - Council Bluffs
The Pottawattamie County Jail, more well known as Squirrel Cage Jail, in Council Bluffs was built in 1885 and became one of 18 jails in the United States to have “squirrel cage jails.” It is now one of three the remain standing today.
According to the Council Bluffs Visitor’s Bureau, “The jail’s pie-shaped cells revolve inside a cage that only has one opening. To let prisoners out, jailers would have to revolve the cells around until the desired cell was flush with the one door. That architectural concept alone gives the jail a certain chill.”
Kat Slaughter, the director of the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County Museum, explained in an interview with Omaha’s Channel 3 News Now that the cages would sometimes get stuck.
“When it would get stuck inmates could go days without food and water,” Slaughter said. “Some inmates even lost limbs when the jail rotated.”
While there were only four recorded deaths, the historical society believes there were likely more.
Squirrel Cage Jail was also home to serial killer Jake Bird. Bird believed he could hex people using his name and claimed to place it on all who tried to punish him. (Several people connected to his trial even died unexpectedly.) Many believe that the jail itself is cursed due to Bird being held there.
The jail was featured on two shows on the Travel Channel, “Most Terrifying Places” and “Ghost Adventure’s Serial Killer Spirits.”
Squirrel Cage Jail is now open as a museum at 226 Pearl Street in Council Bluffs. Open Thursday through Sunday, adult tickets cost $10.