October is here, and with it, thoughts of Halloween and darker nights.  With that in mind, DLS invites people to brush up on their local haunted lore via the Irving Weber’s Iowa City Digital Collection. Perhaps the most recognized haunted feature in the area is the Black Angel of Oakland Cemetery.

I had heard of the Black Angel even before coming to Iowa City, but I was not aware of the history surrounding the monument until reading several of the stories in which it is referenced: 

 — Black Angel trivia
 — from “25 Biographical Sketches of Earliest Pioneers…”
 — “‘Red, White and Blue’ Decorates City…”

Irving Weber also focuses on Johnson County ghost towns.  These places may not be as nefarious as they sound since their disappearance was mostly due to the rise and fall of the railroads, but I’d bet they’re still spooky after midnight: 

— “Ghost Towns of Johnson County”
— “Curtis Could Be Called Ghost Town”
— “Rough and Ready?”

The Libraries will be featuring these and other artifacts in our upcoming “Ghost From the Stacks” Halloween event — check this blog soon for more info.

–Mark F. Anderson
Digital Initiatives Librarian