Est. 1857 · National Register of Historic Places · Underground Railroad (Local Tradition) · Iowa Log Architecture · Civil War Memorial
Mars Hill Church stands on a 1.5-acre property in Davis County, Iowa, in the rolling farmland between Ottumwa and Bloomfield. The building was constructed between 1850 and 1857 from dovetail-notched hewn logs under a gable roof — a rectangular structure that represents the most durable vernacular construction technique available to early Iowa settlers.
Barbara Clark donated the property to the Baptist Church, which was the congregation's original affiliation. The church's name, according to one tradition, derives from its elevated position in the landscape, though this connection cannot be verified with certainty. Over time, the congregation became interdenominational, and the building now hosts a single annual worship service on the second Sunday of June.
The property was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 — one of the earliest such recognitions for a rural Iowa religious structure. Local oral tradition holds that the church served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, providing shelter to enslaved people moving northward. This claim, while consistent with the church's geographic position and construction period, has not been formally confirmed.
On an unspecified night in 2006, an arsonist set fire to the building. The community responded with a coordinated fundraising effort. Reconstruction preserved the surviving original logs, including some that still carry charring from the fire. The restored building was rededicated on June 8, 2008. The cemetery on the grounds contains the grave of a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, though the name was not confirmed in available sources.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Hill_(Iowa)
- https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/39913
- https://www.meetottumwa.org/explore/mars_hill
Phantom soundsOrbsResidual haunting
The paranormal traditions at Mars Hill divide into three separate categories that appear to have developed independently.
The Crybaby Bridge legend attaches to a span on the county road near the church. According to the story, a woman had her infant baptized at Mars Hill and then, for reasons no account specifies, walked to the bridge and threw the child into the water below. The sound of a baby crying is said to be audible on the bridge at midnight. This is a category of legend that appears widely across rural America; the Mars Hill version does not differ substantially from the broader tradition, though the baptism detail adds a specific local character.
In July 1991, American Ghost Society team leader Nancy Napier visited the site and reported physical evidence of occult activity inside the church building: inverted pentagrams painted in red on the floor, and multiple gravestones stained with rings of candle wax consistent with ritual use. These findings were documented at the time, though subsequent access and the 2006 fire and reconstruction have changed the building's condition.
UFO sightings have been reported in the area around the church, with documented incidents occurring in 2012 and 2013. The elevated position of the site and its distance from light pollution may be contributing factors, though no explanation for the sightings was established.
The Underground Railroad tradition, if accurate, adds a layer of genuine historical weight to the site. Several enslaved people who died on the journey toward freedom are believed by some to be buried on the property.
