Iowa's foremost spiritualist home, built 1872 for séance-holding owners who believed spirits entered through the third-floor ballroom — now a NRHP-listed tour venue
931 1st Ave N, Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Tour fees apply; see website for current rates and availability
Access
Limited Access
1872 two-story Victorian home with original staircase; third-floor ballroom access requires stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1871 · National Register of Historic Places (1973) · Iowa's foremost documented spiritualist residence · Built by committed spiritualists James and Adeline Swain · Victorian-era séance history
The house at 931 1st Avenue North in Fort Dodge was constructed in 1871, commissioned by James and Adeline Swain. The Swains were practicing spiritualists at a time when the spiritualist movement was near the height of its American cultural influence — the 1870s saw widespread acceptance of séance practice in middle-class households, with figures ranging from Abraham Lincoln's widow to prominent politicians consulting mediums.
The Swains designed their home with the intent to hold regular séances, particularly in the third-floor ballroom. The ballroom's position and spatial design were considered optimal for the type of gatherings the Swains hosted, and they reportedly welcomed what they understood to be spirits into the household. The home passed to the Vincent family, who continued the spiritualist tradition.
Two deaths occurred in the house during the Vincent family's occupancy — those of Helen and Charles Vincent — contributing to the building's dual identity as both a site of deliberate supernatural invitation and a place of genuine grief and loss. A visiting medium reportedly claimed at least 25 spirits inhabited the property, a figure that circulated in Fort Dodge for generations.
The National Register of Historic Places designation in 1973 recognized the home's architectural and historical significance. Subsequent paranormal investigators conducted audio documentation sessions at the site, and Iowa PBS featured the home in coverage of Iowa haunted locations. Fort Dodge's official tourism office has listed the Vincent House as a distinctive regional attraction.
Sources
The Vincent House is unusual among Iowa paranormal sites because its supernatural identity is not an accretion of later legend — it was intentional from the start. The Swains built the third-floor ballroom specifically to host séances, meaning the space was designed to attract and contain spiritual presences. This deliberate invitation, maintained across two occupying families, distinguishes the site from buildings that merely accrued a haunted reputation.
The medium's claim of 25 resident spirits has circulated in Fort Dodge for long enough that it functions as a fixed element of the property's identity — a quantified version of what might otherwise be described vaguely as 'a presence.' The number is specific enough to be memorable but impossible to verify, a combination that gives it unusual staying power in local tradition.
The two deaths in the house — Helen and Charles Vincent — provide the biographical anchor that paranormal investigation accounts focus on. Audio recording sessions conducted by investigators have reportedly captured anomalous sounds, though the specific recordings are not publicly archived. Iowa PBS's coverage of Iowa haunted locations cited the house as among the state's better-documented examples of sustained paranormal reporting over a long period.
Notable Entities
Guided tours of the 1872 Vincent House cover the home's unusual history as a site of deliberate spiritualist séance activity, the Vincent family's belief system, and documented paranormal investigation findings. The tour includes the third-floor ballroom where séances were regularly conducted.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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