Historical Record

Historical marker location:

Sheldon, Iowa

( Marker is at the intersection of 320th Street (U.S. 18) and Olive Avenue, on the right when traveling west on 320th Street.)

In the early 1900s, the town of Villisca, Iowa was the site of a gruesome murder that remains unsolved to this day. On June 10, 1912, eight people were bludgeoned to death with an axe in their home. The crime is known as the Villisca Axe Murders and has been the subject of numerous books, films, and TV shows.