Here is a growing list of investigation leads that I can not or likely will not be investigating more into.
The nearest Blackhawk County Ghost town is reported to be a town called Hicks. No reports of ghosts in the ghost town. It is reported to be an abandoned town with little to no residents in it.
Hicks Iowa
Mitchel Sand Pits. Located somewhere within the Waterloo area. multiple claims that there was once an abandoned house near these sand pits. That strange glowing lights were often sighted at night coming from within the house. Current reports say that this house is no longer in the sand pits area and was torn down by the city. The city uses the sand pits area as a land fill.
Eagle Grove Iowa is the nearest to Blackhawk to ever have the most popular claims on UFO and crop circle reports. This was around 2004. There has not been any other local claims to my knowledge since then.From google maps, looking south at the fields. There is many spots in the crop fields that are circular. There is also many spots in the crop fields that don’t. I do want to encourage you my dear readers to explore this on Google maps. Feel free to post your opinions on the Blackhawk P.I. Facebook page. I’ve yet to share this with my friends in agriculture for their opinion. There might be something interesting to this.
New hartford cemetary is reported haunted by Orbs that follow you. These orbs have been described as the mythical Will-o-Wisps. not the sort of dust particles found in crappy ghost photo’s. Will-o-Wisps have often been discovered to really be swamp gas.
unknown artist painting of a Will O Wisp
IA-55 Road between cedar falls and New Hartford is haunted by a hitchhiker that is not real and is claimed to be a undead ghostly spirit. The hitchhiker is reported to vanish either upon stopping to pick them up, Or to vanish once you let them in your vehicle. There is multiple stories like this around the USA.
Waterloo Iowa KWWL building has been reported as haunted with undead ghostly spirits on the second floor. With all the journalist investigators and camera equipment that they have. They should be able to prove or dismiss such a claim on their own.
UNI Strayer-Wood Theatre, Bartlett Hall and Lawther Hall is claimed to be haunted with undead ghostly spirits. With all the academic students and professors that they have. They should be able to prove or dismiss such a claim on their own. There have been haunted house attractions set up there before in the past. These tales could of been added for the thrills of the attraction. UNI has briefly discussed these haunting on it’s own website.
During the 2010 Haiti Earthquake events. The Waterloo Center of the arts was host to the largest collection of artwork from Haiti in the USA. during this period there were plenty of strange chalk like drawings on the roads of Waterloo. I regretfully did not take pictures of them. Assuming someone else would. I was not the only one to see these. Nor do I now as of this writing remember the exact art designs found throughout the city. Myself and others suspected them as Haiti voodoo artwork. The news of the Earthquake in Haiti over shadowed any talks about the local artwork, At the art museum or strangely throughout town on the roads. I had other life distractions at the time and Voodoo was not a subject I had the time or interest in to investigate this more. It was merely a suspicion. I now think I would of embarrassed myself if I was to try to find an expert on the subject during the art exhibit. Symbols tend to mean different things to different people. The most confusing aspect of Voodoo is how it has adopted many aspects from other beliefs to make it their own. It was a shock to me to find out that there is no such academic expert field for Symbology. As seen on TV. Plus I really did not want to insult anyone with looking into this. At the time, a popular TV Evangelist was distastefully blaming the tragedy in Haiti on it being the voodoo capitol of the world and the earthquake was a punishment from god. I recall the same like vial spew about Hurricane Katrina. I felt the grief through compassion and sympathy. This was a tale that got away. I regret not digging deeper into for some answers. Sometimes you can’t worry about being a nice guy in the pursuit of such. I would of been genuinely curious, without the intent to offend or concern anyone. I would of been ok with being considered a fool for my exploration, If I did get photo’s of these symbols along the waterloo roads and if those symbols really had nothing to do with voodoo. I still think them a little bit elaborate for kids to of done.
The summer of 2014 was an interesting one for events of strange animals. a Ball python attacking its owner was a very rare news report for a notable harmless critter. A massive Boa Constrictor was found on a bridge in the town. A coyote hunter accidentally killed the first gray wolf to been sighted in Iowa in the last 89 years. canine like howling noises have been becoming more common in the Blackhawk area lately.
In 2012 two girls went missing in Evensdale Iowa. The local news filled with reports of psychics aiding the police and offering their in the search. Those psychics still remain useless today. The two girls were later found dead and it is suspected that we still have a murderer on the loose in the Blackhawk Area, Likely someone these girls knew or trusted. Most of the community reports that it was likely a crime related to illegal methamphetamine drugs that one of the parents is involved with. I have sadly encountered many people that have said things that like they expect psychics to solve the crimes and the wicked problems in the world. The problem with that is if you know anything importantly related to the case. Don’t wait for a psychic to bring those responsible into justice. Contact the authorities immediately!
http://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/lyric-cook-and-elizabeth-collins/
Midway Iowa near an old cow pasture. There is a tale that upon private property that a school bus crashed. The bus was left in the location for a long time and the bus has since been removed. But the location remains haunted by ghostly undead spirits with full body apparitions. If it really was a bat shit insane haunted area. I doubt someone would want to keep it as their property.
local Historical Houses seem to all have something in common. The claim that all of them are haunted by ghostly undead spirits. The Snowden house, the Rensselaer Russell house museum. A good question would be is every historical house in the Blackhawk area haunted? I think it depends on your definition of the word haunting. These places might have some memories and history attached to them. that should not mean that all of them are really haunted by ghostly undead spirits. There has been other ghost hunting groups that might try to host over night stays at these places ….trying to confirm they are haunted…. selling tickets…. and maybe I’m a fricken idiot for not doing that also. Not likely to ever happen. So I wont be investigating these locations.
The most popular and most talked about haunted house in the area is the The Litchfield Mansion. also known as the Mandalin or Mandalay Manor. the Litchfield’s were known well for spreading shit all over. Literally. They had the Waterloo based manure company. Rich people don’t seem to insult easy and I hope they do not mind the joke that they likely heard worse of and more humorously told. . The tale is that in the 1970’s there was a series of wicked murders that happened in the house. As everybody knows, murders always equal to ghost evidence right? right? or maybe not…. The only wicked report in the 1970’s was a fire that got out of control and burnt the place from the inside pretty good. Many Ghost hunters have sought to enter into the place. New owners have taken over the place, and they are pretty knowledgeable to the history of the mansion. They will insist that there never was any murders in the house there. Also that it is disappointingly not haunted. I think the only manure spreading has been the rumors of the haunting there. I’ve no interest in investigating it more.
Graveyards…. is every graveyard haunted by undead ghostly spirits? I am doubtful of that. I’ve heard a Grave yard in Nashua Iowa has spirit activity. no other details then just that. Chickasaw Corey graveyard… claims of a lot of orbs, even in cold weather not fireflies, and visible without a camera to pick up dust and moisture particles. Ok I like that kinda lead with a little more details. Problem is if this stuff was so common in places like that. How come no one gets any evidence of these things there. Also that is a little bit of a distance for me. I would like to stick within the Black Hawk Area. I have offended some with a sense of disbelief that I am not willing to travel far for such a Paranormal investigation. I do not personally identify as an Atheist. Nor do I think such is a dirty word. If I was to ever to put the conflict of belief and disbelief to the test about graveyards being haunted. I would like to round up a variety of people of different beliefs and non-belief views, to go on a fun road trip together to the Devil’s Chair in Guthrie Center, Iowa Union Graveyard! After they sign a waiver to not hold me responsible for any supernatural related death that is rumored to happen, from sitting in this chair. Tale is that people will die within a week from sitting on this chair. When I tell folks that I would be willing to put that claim to the test, their eyes bug out in shock. If you dislike disbelievers in every single graveyard claim, then you wont mind that I might be able to find sum supportive atheists for my experiment and have them sit into the Devils chair. I have often then been told a change of story about this. that the chair will really give some very bad luck for sitting within it. Without me putting myself at risk I could then keep in a following contact with these volunteers to tell the tale of any untimely deaths in a week after sitting in that devils chair.
image from google maps
Skunk
Blackhawk Paranormal Investigations 