Bloomfield, Iowa: Mars Hill Church: Haunted Bridge, UFOs
The largest log building in Iowa is best known as a stop on the Underground Railroad, but a nearby haunted bridge and UFO reports are part of the local lore.
- Address:
- 100th Ave., Bloomfield, IA
- Directions:
- From Ottumwa drive south on US Hwy 63 for 4.5 miles. Turn left onto Copperhead Rd/H47 (Hickory Grove Community Church is at the turn). Drive 3.5 miles. Turn right onto 100th Ave. Drive two miles. The church will be on the left. If you reach Monarch Trail you drove too far.
- Admission:
- Free
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Just southeast of Ottumwa is the oldest log cabin church west of the Mississippi River; they have an annual meeting in June. There is a cemetery on the grounds. The church was also used during the Underground Railroad for slaves seeking safety in the north. The church was built in 1856 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Near the church is the infamous Cry Baby Bridge, and there have been UFO and ghost sightings in the immediate area.
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The church was almost entirely rebuilt in 2008 after vandals torched it in 2006. According to local lore, a mother had her baby baptized at the church, then threw it off Cry Baby Bridge, where its wails can still be heard. UFOs were reported nearby in 2012-2013.