PHASM

Villisca Axe Murder House

Villisca, Iowa, United States

Historic house · established

The Story

The restored Moore family home in Villisca holds the memory of an unsolved 1912 crime and a later body of haunting accounts. Visitors describe footsteps, moving doors and voices heard on recordings. This privately operated Iowa house offers arranged tours and reserved overnight experiences.

The Hauntings

Villisca’s most widely known haunted house is small enough that its history remains uncomfortably domestic. The rooms were part of a family home before they became a place of mourning, restoration and investigation. Today the operator presents the building in a setting intended to evoke 1912. The haunting stories belong to a later layer of its life, gathered from visitors and overnight groups rather than supplied as a solution to the crime. The operator’s collected accounts include unexplained footsteps, doors opening or closing, and mist-like forms said to move between rooms. Some visitors describe a sudden weight of sadness or unease. These reports vary: the house’s FAQ also acknowledges that some guests experience an uneventful visit. The stories are best read as individual encounters, not a promised sequence that every overnight stay will reproduce. Writer Julie Jordan offers a separately published firsthand account of visits in 2020 and 2022. Her group reported an activated motion detector and a childlike word noticed on playback rather than heard in the room. On the return visit, a companion described a tug at her hair. Her account records the group’s experiences without identifying a particular person behind them. The house’s reputation often brings together true-crime interest and paranormal investigation. Keeping those strands separate protects the story as well as the people in it. An apparent recorded response does not establish who committed the murders, and no proposed suspect is named here as their perpetrator.

The History

In June 1912, Josiah and Sara Moore, their four children and two visiting Stillinger sisters were killed in this house. The crime remained without a conviction. The National Park Service identifies the property as the Josiah B. and Sara Moore House and records its significance in relation to 1912. Its National Register metadata is dated December 1, 1997. Darwin and Martha Linn acquired the property in 1994 and restored it for public visits. Commercial stewardship later changed, with the current operator describing a completed transfer in January 2024. Tours and overnight stays continue the building’s role as a historic visitor destination. Its exact construction year remains uncertain.

Visitor Experiences

Have you experienced something here?

This future chapter will bring together stories from the PHASM community. An unexpected encounter, a lingering feeling, or a quiet visit—your experience will be welcome.

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Sources & further reading.

Plan Your Visit

Arrange the visit through the official website before traveling. The operator offers daytime access, private guided tours and overnight reservations by room or for the whole house. Confirm the specific experience, bedding, group limits and facilities directly: the published pages are not fully consistent on those details. Follow the house rules, including no candles or indoor smoking, and do not leave toys or candy. A reservation does not authorize access beyond its agreed areas.

Official visitor information

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