Josiah B. and Sara Moore House

The Josiah B. and Sara Moore House is a Queen Anne residence in Villisca, Iowa, with detailed trim and wooden cladding throughout. The rooms contain original wallpaper and simple furnishings that show how a family lived in the early 20th century.

The Moore family moved into this house in the early 1900s and lived there until the night in June 1912 when an intruder killed eight people. The crime was never solved and remains one of the most discussed unsolved cases in Iowa history.

The house name honors the two homeowners whose lives ended in a crime that still prompts conversations about safety in rural America. Villisca residents keep the memory of this place alive as somewhere visitors can reflect on loss and the vulnerability of small communities.

The house sits on East Second Street in a quiet residential section of Villisca and is easy to reach on foot from the town center. Tours run at set times, so checking availability and booking ahead helps ensure a visit.

The 1994 restoration brought the interior back to how it looked on the night of the murders, with furniture and everyday objects from that time. Visitors see the house as the Moore family knew it over a century ago.

Location: Villisca

Architectural style: Queen Anne style architecture in the United States

GPS coordinates: 40.93060,-94.97140

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:24