Villisca, Iowa

Villisca, Iowa
City
Nickname(s): V-Town

Location of Villisca, Iowa
Coordinates: 40°55′45″N 94°58′41″W / 40.92917°N 94.97806°W / 40.92917; -94.97806Coordinates: 40°55′45″N 94°58′41″W / 40.92917°N 94.97806°W / 40.92917; -94.97806
Country  United States
State  Iowa
County Montgomery
Area[1]
 • Total 1.90 sq mi (4.92 km2)
 • Land 1.90 sq mi (4.92 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 1,076 ft (328 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 1,252
 • Estimate (2012[3]) 1,230
 • Density 658.9/sq mi (254.4/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 50864
Area code(s) 712 Exchange: 826
FIPS code 19-80985
GNIS feature ID 0462574

Villisca is a city in Montgomery County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,252 at the 2010 census. It is most notable for the unsolved axe mass murder that took place in the town during the summer of 1912.

Geography

Villisca is located at 40°55′45″N 94°58′41″W / 40.92917°N 94.97806°W / 40.92917; -94.97806 (40.929115, -94.978162).[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.90 square miles (4.92 km2), all of it land.[1]

Demographics

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
1870457—    
18801,299+184.2%
18901,744+34.3%
19002,211+26.8%
19102,039−7.8%
19202,111+3.5%
19302,032−3.7%
19402,011−1.0%
19501,838−8.6%
19601,690−8.1%
19701,402−17.0%
19801,434+2.3%
19901,332−7.1%
20001,344+0.9%
20101,252−6.8%
20141,211−3.3%
20151,194−1.4%
Source:"American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau.  and Iowa Data Center
Source:
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 1,252 people, 525 households, and 331 families residing in the city. The population density was 658.9 inhabitants per square mile (254.4/km2). There were 614 housing units at an average density of 323.2 per square mile (124.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population.

There were 525 households of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the city was 42.6 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 22% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,344 people, 576 households, and 347 families residing in the city. The population density was 703.9 people per square mile (271.7/km²). There were 636 housing units at an average density of 333.1 per square mile (128.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.81% White, 0.07% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population.

There were 576 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,694, and the median income for a family was $34,345. Males had a median income of $28,500 versus $20,292 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,067. About 9.3% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Villisca Axe Murders

Main article: Villisca Axe Murders

On the night of June 9, 1912 the Moore family and two guests were brutally murdered with an axe. It wasn't until the morning of June 10, 1912 that they were found in their home by a neighbor and Ross Moore, the brother of Josiah Moore.[7]

Josiah B. Moore and Sarah Montgomery were married on December 6, 1899. They had four children: Herman, Katherine, Boyd, and Paul. Joe was a prominent and well-liked businessman. By 1912 the Moore Implement Company (a John Deere Company franchise) was a solid competitor with other Villisca and area hardware stores, including the Jones Store owned by his former employer, F.F. Jones. Sarah was active in the Presbyterian church and assisted with Children's Day exercises. On the morning of June 10, 1912, Joe (43) and Sara (39), their four children, and two visiting children (Lena and Ina Stillinger), were found bludgeoned to death with the Moores' own axe. Their unsolved murders began a chain of events that split the borough of Villisca and forever changed the course of the town's history and the lives of its inhabitants.[8]

The case has inspired two published books: Roy Marshall's Villisca and Stephen Bowman's fictionalized Morning Ran Red. Kelly and Tammy Rundle's documentary Villisca: Living With a Mystery also dealt with the incident. The case has also inspired a feature narrative project titled Haunting Villisca, co-authored by James Serpento and Kimberly Busbee, directed by Serpento and produced by Busbee for AriesWorks Entertainment. Haunting Villisca combines a fictionalized present-day scenario with scenes suggested by courtroom transcripts, folklore and current paranormal investigations of the house where the murders occurred. The picture premiered in Villisca in the spring of 2008. It is also the inspiration for the song "Villisca" by the band Strange Family.[9]

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  3. ↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  4. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. ↑ "Villisca Axe Murder House". villiscaiowa.com. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  8. ↑ Ramsland, Katherine. "Villisca: Mass Murder in Iowa". TruTv.com. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  9. ↑ http://strangefamily.bandcamp.com/track/villisca
  10. ↑ 'Death Takes Prominent Villiscan,' Villisca Review (Iowa), February 6, 1941, pg. 1, 4
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