The Axe Murder House

Built originally in 1868, the Joe Family moved into the Villisca, Iowa house in 1903. Citizens Villisca, Iowa woke to a scene of terror when just hours earlier, On June 10, 1912, in between 12:00 and 2:00 AM, the family living in the house was murdered. Gauge marks in the ceilings of the parents and childrens' bedrooms indicate that the axe was at a very high angle. No one knows exactly who it was but Frank Jones and several others became potential suspects. It was later purchased in 1994 by Darwin and Martha Linn. They restored the house to its original condition. The house was then registered at the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The murderer still remains a mystery over 100 years later but while some believe it to be true, others deny it.