Supernatural Research Society of Iowa

 

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Kris Doepp, Team Member at HillTop ManDuring the business day shoppers at the Newton Hy-Vee might see him dressed in the tradition white shirt and tie, supervising employees, stocking shelves or assisting other customers, but at night Kris Doepp leaves the retail world for abandoned farm houses, salvage yards and even condemned prisons.

A shift manager by day, by night the 32-year-old is a paranormal investigator.

“I first got into it as a kid reading ghost stories,” Doepp said. “I’d have the Haunted Heartland books, reading about old haunted houses. My grandma Pat had a bunch of old Time-Life books on the paranormal, and when we’d go to Chicago to visit her it wasn’t cool to hang upstairs in the kitchen with grandma and grandpa, so we’d go down in the rec room and look through all these books. All the old ghost photos were in the books. I’d read these stories, and it got me completely intrigued with it.”  READ MORE...

CLICK PHOTO FOR ALBUM

 

The team was invited to investigate the Mason City Library and give a presentation to the community about the paranormal.

 

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The team co-investigates the notoriously haunted prison in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Left to right: Kris Doepp, Brian McGilvra, Brian Agnitsch, Dani Rogers, Mark Eckhoff, Vicki Stinson, Drew Claseman, Daniel Abbott. Missing members: Kate Lydon & Randa LeJuene.

Click the photo above for more shots of the team at Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines!

 On Thursday, October 13th at 7 pm, SRSOI will give a presentation on the paranormal at the Polk City Library, and answer questions from the audience. Those who are interested in the are invited to attend!

(L to R) Dani, Kate & Vicki pose with some characters from Scarefest!

Click the photo for an album of photos from our awesome time at SCAREFEST 2011!!!

Vegor's Cemetery near Stratford, Iowa has long been rumored to be haunted.  The most popular story is of the ghost of Arizona Jones, a 12 year old girl who died 6 days before her brother in 1871.  There are no other Jones in the cemetery, so it is assumed that the children died while the family was moving through the area and they had to leave their bodies.  The story goes that that you can see her sitting on her headstone out of the corner of your eye.  She will follow you throughout your visit, and you will hear children laughing!
 
Ghosts of Native Americans are also seen in the area as this was their sacred burial ground before the white man came.  Originally there were 5 burial mounds, which settlers dug into, releasing the spirits to walk the earth because of the desecration.  No doubt, the mounds were destroyed, just like the ones in the downtown Des Moines area.  Fifty years ago, Native American bones, found in another location, were interred in the Cemetery and a sign was built on what would have been the most northerly mound.  You can see 4 mounds plainly; took photos of those too.
 
We will plan a night investigation there next summer with just our team.  It is very cool.

The night photos featured in the gallery above are from Scott Wallerich, the daytime Photos by SRSOI's Vicki Stinson. Enjoy. 

Vicki, Dani and Mark with the Mystery Machine in Buxton. CLICK FOR PHOTO ALBUM ^^^

The most notable coal community in Iowa was Buxton. Located in northern Monroe County, Buxton contained almost 5,000 people. By contrast, most coal camps averaged around 200 residents. Consolidation Coal Company owned and operated Buxton and instigated many progressive policies. Perhaps most unusual, Buxton had a high black population, at one time almost 54 percent. Most social and economic institutions were racially integrated and the town contained many black professionals. Buxton existed from 1900 to 1922 when coal seams around the area were depleted. Black families then moved on to Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and to communities outside the state.

 

Tone Mansion in Sherman Hill. CLICK PHOTO FOR ALBUM^^^The team had the honor of being the first to investigate the Tone Mansion in the historic Sherman Hill neighborhood of Des Moines, Iowa.

Travae, the owner who runs an upscale hair salon out of the home, reported numerous accounts of paranormal activity. These included:

- Windows being mysteriously opened

- Pet dog being locked inside the bathroom door several times, when locking the door from outside isn't possible

- Objects disappearing. Combs from the salon would vanish and be found in areas of the large house that didn't make sense.

- Keys of the owner went missing and were found months later in a closet in a bag, which didn't make any sense because the bag went on a trip with the owner since the keys went missing.

- An apparition of a man's head going through the large front picture window where the main salon is now.

The team had some success with the Frank's Box, but little other evidence was found. Clips will be posted soon.

 

 

The team enjoyed their time in Dubuque, Iowa at the century-old Grand Opera House. Here is one EVP caught so far from the investigation. It was taken in the basement of the old building. You will here silence, then a voice maybe saying "See people" then a loud 'SNIFF', then a few seconds later a very loud bang. This strange series of noises came from the basement of the Grand Opera House in Dubuque, IA. All 5 team members were on the stage upstairs (and not directly above this room). As far as we can tell, these sounds are unexplainable, as they are surrounded by total silence for 10 minutes on either side. GOH- "See People, Sniff, Bang" by SRSOI

Farrar Abandoned School House

Farrar, Iowa, 2010

 

SRSOI will be featured on Saturday night, October 30th at 9 pm on Fox 17, and at 10 pm on Channel 13!! The news crew followed our paranormal team while they held an investigation at Hilltop Manor. Our clip will run an extraordinary FOUR MINUTES!  We hope you can tune in!!

Filming went very well; we brought out our arsenal of electronic equipment including our very successful, team built, Ghost Box !! We hope to post the news clip here and on Facebook after it airs, just in time for our favorite holiday!!!



The team did a great job at presenting at our first major presentation. It was in a newly renovated auditorium and we had a good turn out.

Once the presentation was over, (and after an unexpected fire alarm!) many people stayed to ask questions and hear stories.  By 8:30, we basically had to "kick" them out....we were literally packing and talking at the same time!

Mercedes was the lovely volume control assistant and Vicki a comical side kick! ;)

Diane greeted people and made sure they took pamphlets & business cards.

We hope to do more of these, so if you know a library or school that would like to have us, let us know! Contact@SRSOI.com.

A lady approached Kevin with some supernatural occurrences. Her family was seeing shadow people all the time and they were scared.  He did some EMF readings and found higher than normal levels of electromagnetic energy.  He recommended that they contact MidAmerican to check the electrical connections to the house.

Kevin heard back from her today.  Below is her message….

"I am happy to report to you that since MidAmerican fixed our bad connection to the front of the house we have not had sightings of any unwanted anythings. But things are better than it has been in years.

Thanks so much Kev!

Chin "



On May 25, SRSOI team members Vicki and Kate took the opportunity to explore one of Des Moines’ little-known treasures, the Glendale Abbey.

Built in 1912, the abbey was one of three built in the state, but is the last to remain standing. It was thought that the large tombs would be the way of the future for burials, but the idea apparently never caught on. When the final few plots within Glendale Abbey are filled, the building will hold the remains of more than 700 Iowans within its walls. It is still one of the largest mausoleums in the nation.

Video Slideshow:

On May 25, SRSOI team members Vicki and Kate took the opportunity to explore one of Des Moines’ little-known treasures, the Glendale Abbey. Built in 1912, the abbey was one of three built in the state, but is the last to remain standing. It was thought that the large tombs would be the way of the future for burials, but the idea apparently never caught on. When the final few plots within Glendale Abbey are filled, the building will hold the remains of more than 700 Iowans within its walls. It is still one of the largest mausoleums in the nation.

The abbey is eerily silent and dark. Dusty stained-glass windows allow some light to sneak through, but not much. Though the cemetery outside was bustling with people on Memorial Day, few chose to take advantage of the rare opportunity to go inside.

There is a small chapel in the front, with park benches for pews, and a marble pulpit for memorial services. The building is larger than expected, with a high, domed ceiling and two wide corridors that coax visitors into their depths. The halls produce echoes that seem to go nowhere, and house the dead, five-high, within their walls.

Some sections are specifically for “cremains”, or the cremated remains of the dead. Many of these 90 cremains were interred when the building first opened, and are visible through panes of glass. Each urn is unique, and many share the tiny space with dusty, framed photos of the deceased held within.

Jetting off of the corridors are small, tall rooms with graves stacked five high, either horizontally or “feet first”. The lower, eye-level crypts are more costly, while the lofty graves 15 feet above are less expensive, and less visible to visitors.

The abbey at Glendale is the last one of its kind standing in Iowa, but unfortunately, it now lies in disrepair. Its massive sandstone walls, pillars, and ceilings are proving difficult to maintain. The roof, which has allowed moisture to seep in, was recently fixed for tens of thousands of dollars, but unfortunately it was too late for several of the marble headstones.

In some areas, the freeze-thaw cycle of tough Iowa winters has all but disintegrated the soft marble markers. The names of several of the entombed have been washed away, now anonymous to visitors, and more than one stone has eroded into a pile of white dust. Spots of mold grow where the ceiling has cracked.

A fundraising campaign is underway for the city-owned structure, with a goal of $40,000 for restoration. Donations can be made by contacting Des Moines’ Parks & Recreation Department.

Though the abbey is rarely open to the public, opportunities may arise more often due to the fundraising efforts. Also, In November of 2012, a time-capsule is to be removed from within the abbey’s stone pulpit, revealing the culture of Des Moines in 1912. The event will also mark the 100th anniversary of the tomb being opened; a reason to celebrate compared to the fate of its sister structures. So visit Glendale Abbey while you can… no one can be sure how many more years the old abbey will hold up.

To make a donation or get additional info, contact the Glendale Cemetery office at 515-248-6320.

© Supernatural Research Society of Iowa 2009.

 

SRSOI has been looking for a way to get involved in the community, and we think we’ve found it!

When the City of Des Moines put out a request for volunteers to help tend to cemetery grounds, Vicki grabbed the opportunity and signed the Scoobies up!

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to break ground on our “Adopt-a-plot” project at Woodland Cemetery. The sun was out and we enjoyed warm breezes as we raked and clipped our way to a successful Earth Day.

 

Vicki, John, Kevin and I took on a small section of headstones with peonies planted next to them. As we were cutting back last year’s plant growth, and raking out all the leaves that covered up the pink baby plants, the little peonies seemed take a deep breath to say, “Thank you, thank you! Now we can breathe and see the light!”

 

As we worked and chatted in the sun, we noticed a whirlwind building up in the next section over. A wind funnel had sucked up a ton of dead leaves and was whipping them around in the form of a HUGE cyclone! As we watched the twister spin the leaves, it headed toward us… and toward our piles of the leaves we worked so hard to rake!!

As the 40-foot high tornado crept toward our work site, Kevin cast out his hand. “Be gone! By the power vested in me, I cast you out!” With his outstretched hand, he directed the twister around our site, and it seemed to obey!

Unfortunately, he accidentally sent the cyclone straight into the path of the parked cars. With doors open and windows down, dozens of leafy flakes made themselves at home in Kevin’s car and the back seat of Vicki’s Mystery Machine. But hey, At least our leaf piles were spared!! =)

Twister aside, the SRSOI Scoobies had a productive afternoon and managed to rake and clip NINE yard bags worth of debris from our adopted plot! We can’t wait to go back and take care of “our” section again, and watch those baby peonies grow up into big, puffy, ant-loving flowers. Because like Vicki says, “If we don’t take care of the dead, who will?”

People in the southern Iowa town of Centerville said they were heartbroken after vandals ransacked a local cemetery, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage.

Centerville police said they arrested four boys on Thursday afternoon in connection to the case and that all four have since confessed.

Families came to the cemetery throughout the day on Thursday to see if their family gravesites had been among those attacked. Many said they could only shake their heads as an expression of their sadness and disbelief.

“It’s a pretty sad sight to see,” said Centerville Police Chief Tom Demry.

He said it is also sad to think that three 14-year-old boys and one 10-year-old boy could be responsible for destroying more than 160 tombstones.

“I assume it just took them all to knock over some of them,” Demry said. “Some of them probably weigh about 1,500 pounds or more.”

Mary Rosencrats said she had to hold back tears walking through the cemetery after seeing the headstones of many family friends destroyed.

“It just makes me sick in the pit of my stomach,” she said. “I grew up in an age where a cemetery was a place of respect, you know? It’s the last thing you do for your loved one and to just come out and tear it up for no reason? I don’t understand.”

Police said they suspect that the four boys also broke several glass windows in the greenhouse at the wastewater treatment plan. Demry said it could take months to clean up the mess.

“There’s been a lot of emotions that have been out here today,” he said. “It’s a pretty emotional time for people, anyway.”

He said the three 14-year-olds were taken to a juvenile detention center and the 10-year-old was released to the custody of his parents.

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It just makes me sick when I hear of stupid acts of vandalism in any cemetery!  Here are my thoughts on punishment.

Any kid or adult who is found responsible for damaging monuments should not only pay for AND help with repairs but should also be part of the crew who opens and closes new graves

Please share your thoughts!

Vicki