Weirdest Things About Kirksville

Okay, so even though this whole website is dedicated to the charming things Kirksville has to offer, admittedly, there are a few weird things about it, too. Hey, some people think weird is the new charming. If you agree, then buckle down! Let’s take a look at some of the strangest things Kirksville has to offer.

The Supernatural

Okay, before you say "Nope," and skip town, try your best to keep reading. Folklore is important to the culture of any town, and small towns seem to have the best stories. In the past, Kirksville residents could enjoy taking a haunted tour of this spectacular city. That isn't around so much anymore, and especially not with the haunted Baldwin Hall under construction. Baldwin and Grimm Hall are the two haunted buildings on campus. Many ghosts are said to roam the buildings, scaring the easily excitable and sleep-deprived college students. In addition to the haunted buildings, Kirksville also has some haunted chairs. There is one that is supposed to be in Grimm Hall, and another in, you guessed it, a cemetery. The formal name would be Baird's Chair, but it is more commonly known as the "Devil's Chair." Legend has it that if you sit on this chair in the cemetery on Halloween (or New Year's Eve...or any day at midnight, really), then you will be dragged down to Hell by a zombie-like hand rising from the grave. Personally, I've never seen this happen, but maybe these events just don't get much media coverage. Finally, we have one of our most famous curses to originate from Kirksville: the Dibbuk Box. To be fair, this one might keep you up at night--especially if you have seen the 2012 film, The Possession. That movie was based off of a real item that exists somewhere in Kirksville. A Dibbuk or Dybbuk Box is basically a wine box with a spirit in it. This spirit has some unfinished business that it must attend to. In Kirksville's case, there was once a man named Harry Laughlin who was a farmer and a teacher at Truman State University (way before it got the name), and this man had a philosophy of exterminating the lowest 10% of his livestock. Eventually, he became a eugenics figure and was instrumental in passing a law that allowed his practices to be used on people. These practices were then picked up by Nazi Germany, and was the cause of countless Jewish lives. Now, Laughlin's soul apparently resides in a Dibbuk Box in Kirksville. The current owner of the box reported having weird symptoms that led him to believe this box was cursed. As of now, this box is buried in a secret location.

The Skin Lamp

Okay, this one is not much better than the stories above in terms of creepiness. Much like the plot thread of "Bloody Face" in American Horror Story: Asylum, Kirksville is home to a bona fide HUMAN skin lamp. Back in the day, this object was proudly displayed in the Truman library. Of course, this was made by the Nazis who seem to pop up in a chilling amount of stories. It was said to be one of the only items of its kind. Eventually, this item was removed and is now said to be somewhere in ATSU.

Rainbow Basin Ski Lodge

While some say this abandoned ski lodge is haunted, we are moving farther away from the creepiness of Kirksville. The haunted element of the Rainbow Basin Ski Lodge is not really the main attraction. Oddly enough, most people just enjoy the journey to the abandoned ski lodge. Some have trouble finding it, but the trek over there has become a rite of passage for many Truman students. The building itself is broken down and vandalized. It's definitely a sight to see...although I'm not really sure why.

Forest Llewellyn Cemetery

Kirksville seems to be famous for its folklore about soldiers on the wrong side of history. This particular cemetery is the resting place of many Confederate soldiers. These men were executed in 1862 after a battle for Northern Missouri to be in the Union. Now, the same place they passed is the same place they will stay. The whole lot is a mass grave for the fallen soldiers.