Amana

Amana Colonies

The Amana Colonies were formed in 1854, when a group of mystical Lutherans called the "Community of True Inspiration" moved from New York
to Iowa. The devout Germanic settlers moved away from the temptations of the East Coast to take up the simple life of the Iowa prarie. But their
lives were complicated by ghosts. Geiste Ecke, or "Ghost Corner", was believed haunted by a variety of spirits whose white apparitions have been
reported by many witnesses over the years. The Indian Dam site was built three hundred years ago by Sauk Indians and is still haunted by their
spirits. During a full moon, the sounds of drums are sometimes heard there. After a while, the members of the colony avoided the area altogether.
The ghosts of children buried in the Main Amana Cemetery are said to rise up on Christmas to claim pine boughs left on their graves by living
children. A blue aura is seen above Mary Wright's grave at the Sprague Cemetery. The light is said to appear during the last minute of every year.
Mary died of an infection in 1854 at the age of six.

Earling

Convent of the Franciscan Sisters

A twenty three day exorcism here finally freed Emma Schmidt of the demon that had terrorized her for twenty six years. Emma spoke and
understood languages which she had never been taught, blasphemed when religious relics were brought near her, levitated to the ceiling in front of
several witnesses, was able to detect and reject blessed food, and foamed at the mouth in uncontrollable rage. When doctors gave up on her, her
parents appealed to the Catholic Church for an exorcism. The rites took place on September 1928 and were conducted by Father Theophius
Riesigner, a Capuchin monk an experienced exorcist. The exhausting ritual required the attendance of dozen nuns, who were kept busy removing
buckets of foul smelling excrement and vomit. Although Emma hardly ate, she spewed forth a greenish vomit and often as thirty times a day
during the exorcism. Many strange voices and the howling of a variety of animals seemed to originate from her chest, and a strange, pea sized
lump moved all over her body just under her skin. her body was completely distorted, swollen so badly that the nuns feared she would burst.
Emma's head swelled and turned red, her eyes bulged from their sockets and her lips protruded to twice their normal size. Sometimes she
seemed to float above the bed, other times, her weight became so great that it bent the bed's iron frame. Curious people from miles around lined
up outside the brick convent building to hear the horrible sounds coming from the frail woman's body. Finally, on September 23, 1928, Father
Riesinger expelled the last of several demons who inhabited the body of Emma Schmidt. She cried "My Jesus Mercy!" and slept soundly for the
first time in twenty six years. The nauseating odor of the room immediately dissipated.

Iowa City

Oakland Cemetery

The ghost of a dead woman rose from a grave to comfort a troubled man. Recently, David Lenier was going through a divorce and often went for
long walks in the cemetery. He was strangely attacked to the tombstone of Annie Oliver (1889-1921) and spent many hours sitting on her grave
deep in thought. Then one day, according to Lenier, the ghost of Annie rose from her grave and danced with him to ease his mind. The experience
so relaxed him that he slept on the grave overnight. But the most famous presence in Oakland Cemetery is not so friendly. The Feldevert
Monument, better known as the Black Angel, is said to kill anyone who touches it, with the exception of virgins. Vandals who try to deface the
monument come down with odd ailments that are sometimes fatal. The nine-foot-tall bronze statue of an angel with outstretched wings turned
black shortly after being erected, and legend says it turns a shade darker every Halloween. The cold stare from the angel's eyes has unnerved
many visitors, although it has been the site of a few moonlight weddings. The statue was commissioned in 1911 by Teresa Feldevert as a
monument for both her teenage son Eddie and her husband Nicholas.

Bibliography: Hauck, Dennis. Haunted Places: Ghost abodes, sacred sites, UFO landings, and other supernatural locations. New York: Penguin
Book, 1994.

Iowa