In 1912, the brutal ax murders of eight people shocked the small town of Villisca. What was discovered the next morning became one of the most famous murders in Iowa’s history. It wasn’t until later that strange happenings at the murder site were reported, but since they have begun, many overnighters – who leave shaken up – have toured the house. I was one of them.

Several friends and I decided to spend a night in the Josiah and Sarah Moores’ household where the eight victims were supposedly murdered in their sleep to see if the rumors of lingering spirits are true. The events of that night still creep me out, and I’m left wondering what really happened.

The house was creepy just to look at. It was a two-story house with faded white paint and warped wood. The sight of it made me shiver. As soon as I entered the building, I had to explore.

The house was very small. The downstairs consisted of a kitchen, a living room and a guest bedroom. The parents’ and children’s bedrooms were both upstairs, along with the attic. There was no electricity in the house, so a lantern in each room served as our lighting.

The guest bedroom downstairs made me feel a little uneasy. That was the bedroom where 8-year-old Ina and 12-year-old Lena Stillinger were killed. The ax was found here.

The upstairs was a very frightening place in general. I got chills as I walked up the small, constricted stairway. The first room I saw was the parents’ bedroom. The ax marks can still be seen on the ceiling.

As I walked further into the house, I had a very strong, unsettling feeling of not wanting to be upstairs. This feeling was especially violent in the crawlspace where it is believed the killer hid.

The feeling was even stronger in the children’s room where toys were placed everywhere. I felt very solemn looking at the tiny beds, knowing they were the spots where the four young Moore children were brutally murdered. Herman was 11 years old, Katherine was 9, Boyd was 7 and Paul was 5.

As I came downstairs, my other friends were listening to the story of the murders. The family and Stillinger girls went to church that night. It is believed that it was at this time the killer hid in the crawlspace.

At 2 a.m., the killer supposedly came out after the entire house had fallen asleep. A train went through the town at that time, and the killer used the noises of the train to his benefit as he went from room to room, brutally murdering the family with an ax.

The strongest reports of spiritual activity have taken place after midnight. We picked up a crystal device people use to communicate with the spirits and tried twice downstairs, both times getting Sarah, the mother, who said she was happy to have us there.

The crystal was simply a small crystal ball attached to a string that hangs from your finger. You start by asking the spirit for a sign for yes and one for no. After you’ve established yourself with the spirit, you can ask questions.

We went upstairs to the parents’ bedroom to communicate with Sarah again, hoping the activity would be stronger upstairs. We sat on the bed where a bar on the footboard of the bed came out of its place. I put it back as my friend Katie asked for a sign for yes and no. After Katie established yes and no with Sarah, we began.

“Are you OK with us being upstairs, Sarah?” Katie asked, which was responded with a clear yes. She then asked if anything was going to happen to us that night, which was again responded with a strong yes. I began to feel very uneasy at that answer.

“Are we going to communicate with any other spirits tonight?” Katie asked Sarah, to which the crystal swung back and forth very strongly, indicating no. We were planning on taking the crystal to every room of the house and wanted to be very respectful before entering a room.

“Is it OK if we go into the children’s room, Sarah?” Katie asked in a very respectful manner. The crystal ball, which had been swinging back and forth like crazy from the last answer, stopped abruptly.

The answer barely had time to register as the bar on the footboard sprung up with a loud bang. I felt something hit me in the back, pushing me toward the stairs. The room went wild with panic and we all ran downstairs.

With that, half the group said they had had enough and left. Before they did, they reminded us to blow out the lanterns. Nobody wanted to do it, so I quickly ran upstairs, fixed the bed, blew out the lantern, and apologized for anything that may have offended Sarah.

On my way downstairs, I felt a hand on my back again, trying to push me down. The rest of the night passed without incident. We stayed in the warm barn outside for most of the night, and I went upstairs at 2 a.m., shaking with fear and waiting for something to happen. I didn’t see anything.

Could everything that happened be my imagination? I’ve asked myself several times. I’m not sure, but I know I will always be afraid of that house in Villisca.