Nora Springs History

[Angel]

Growing up I heard of the Gaylord family murder, but there is no record of this. Does anyone have any information regarding this?

[geniebuff]

Have lived here my entire life and have done extensive work on history of town, etc. Never heard of a murder in the Gaylord family.
Where did you hear this? and when?

[sevenquarters]

geniebuff-Do you have information on the building at 12 S Hawkeye which apparently was a bank (has a vault)? Vault has 'First National Bank' painted on inside of door. Would aprpeciate any info:
[e-mail]

[mae]

I would like to know more about the Gaylord murder to, I know a bit of the story through people and as i know a family lived in the Gaylord Mansion(house) and the father murdered his family and hid them in the walls of the house, then hung himself from a bridge down the road that is now a dead end.But i think it would be interesting to learn more

[Curiousgirl]

Yeah My Dad Said Somthing Happened In this House and Not to go into the basement at 12:15 I wonder If This Is the galord house or a house down the street from it Did they trun the house in to a funeral parlor????

[My Hometown]

Hello to all here,
I know most everything about the history of Nora Springs, the Gaylords, or anything else for that matter. As my Grandfather, father and most of my relatives worked with and knew the Gaylords personally, I can assure all of you that if there was a murder in Nora Springs, it wasn't in the old Gaylord Mansion. The old wives tale about the basement was a tale told to children to keep them out of the house because it was a dangerous place to explore yet irresistible to kids. The original Gaylord homestead was a log cabin located next to the spring house east of the brick house across the driveway. sadly the only remaining evidence of that is the stone chimney which has been restored and braced as it is an important part of the first settlers homesteading in Nora Springs.
I will post about the bank vault in a minute have to cook supper.

[My Hometown]

www.norasprings.org/Gaylord.htm

This site tells most of the history of Gaylord.

[i no this story]

i live in mason city like a 10 minute drive from nora springs...wat happened is that gaylord shot his wive in the head sideways and when she fell he shot her again in the head and idk how he killed the kids but i do no he did and then he hung himself on a near by bridge and these 2 places are supposidly haunted...i have some friends that when to the mansion and they saw his wife doing dishes and they heard the tractor start and they went over to feel it and it was warm like it just shut off some freaky stuff happens at the mansion now that ppl go there to tour it they put dogs in the basement to freak ppl out and they have done some stuff like that too it but everything is pretty much real like its not an image or shit like that...now the bridge you knock on the inside of the car the person who is the youngest and hasnt been there or been there the least starts and he or she knocks 3 three times until the oldest person who has been there the most knocks they do this one more time in this order and at the end of the last knock you should be able to hear gaylord walking on the bridge or on ur car or when u drive away there should be finger prints on ur car...

[aliciyia]

My Hometown wrote:

www.norasprings.org/Gaylord.ht m
This site tells most of the history of Gaylord.

well i went to the mansion, but didnt go inside just drove by..
&& there is a old farm house way way far from the mansion...&& i also went to the bridge..

[Dallas Dey]

I grew up in Nora Springs and there was never a mention of a murder in that house. I have been all over that property. The guy who used to own it in the 80’s 90’s would park his car and get drunk there and try to keep kids out (I remember sneaking by him while he was passed out in the back seat of his car). In the basement there are 2 huge pits that used to hold rainwater thus why they most likely wanted to keep kids out because if you fell in one you would need help to get out. It is a cool house though when I was last there you could still go upstairs. Its true the roof is gone in a section of the house and I could see in the attic there where some trunks up there but couldn’t find away to get up there with what’s on the property. There are 2 stair’s up to the 2nd floor one grand off the front door (someone took a chainsaw or something to it, the rail is just laying on the floor. And a second stair from the back witch was the kitchen).

The yard is littered with old cars. A Barn that collapsed along time ago. Some little brick building witch also is almost gone then the stone chimney of the cabin they lived in before the house was built (there is a model of the cabin in the public library). Also a pump house or something near the cabin.

I knew a guy who had been in the house when still lived in. He said it was split into 2 at that time Think 50’s 60’s (like apartments). Due to growth it’s in a bad location (train tracks right in front of house and city swear/dump next to it). From what I remember late 70- late 90’s no one has lived there.

There is a creek to the east of the house that flows into the shell rock river. Its feed by springs (thus nora Springs).

The bridge talked about isn’t big enough to hang yourself off of. Its part of old hi-way 18.

Now for a murder it was the house before the old Kum&GO off Quimby street on 18 but the south side ( the 2 story white house (if still white)). The daughter there Killed I think her mom and maybe the dad. She was crazed. This was before my time but my mom told me about it. The house is still lived in.

Nora Springs has allot of cool things but this is by far the coolest building in town. I wish the people there recognized that and would restore it before it’s to late.

[Dallas Dey]

bank vault on main.

Yes the white Again if still white building on the south side of main street 45 degree angle from caseys parking lot. Has a bank vault. the building had allot of things when I was a kid. Mainly a furniture store, gift shop/barber shop and thus Ive been in that vault. Why the bank moved accross the street to the west for a new location I dont know. The new bank building was already there my whole time growing up. The vualt is kind of small thus maybe why make the move.

Nora Springs also has a beer cave. filled with snakes if you know how to find it.

[Dallas Dey]

http://morpheweb.com/gaylordsglade.html

Guess this is what the site looks like today.
Hopfully they will do something with it. Hope they remmeber what the front porch looked like etc.. Cleaned up but allot is gone. Its better than nothing.

[sara]

i no this story wrote:

i live in mason city like a 10 minute drive from nora springs...wat happened is that gaylord shot his wive in the head sideways and when she fell he shot her again in the head and idk how he killed the kids but i do no he did and then he hung himself on a near by bridge and these 2 places are supposidly haunted...i have some friends that when to the mansion and they saw his wife doing dishes and they heard the tractor start and they went over to feel it and it was warm like it just shut off some freaky stuff happens at the mansion now that ppl go there to tour it they put dogs in the basement to freak ppl out and they have done some stuff like that too it but everything is pretty much real like its not an image or shit like that...now the bridge you knock on the inside of the car the person who is the youngest and hasnt been there or been there the least starts and he or she knocks 3 three times until the oldest person who has been there the most knocks they do this one more time in this order and at the end of the last knock you should be able to hear gaylord walking on the bridge or on ur car or when u drive away there should be finger prints on ur car...

hi my names sara...i live in mason too and experienced all the same shit! who are u do i know u??!!!

[chris muessigmann]

the Mansion is a piece of crap that people have added myths to over the years, and a drunkard owned it for so long, there is not even a point to discuss it anymore. Burn it to the ground and build a Casey's there.

[Lorra]

I live in Mason too and have visited both the bridge and last night, the mansion. The stories of the murders are fake, that or the records are. Gaylord's wife and two of their kids outlived him, so obviously, he couldn't have murdered them.
BUT. There is still something off about that house.
There's now a fence around it and two of the upstairs windows are no longer covered. The back door is on the floor inside the house, so getting in is fairly simple.

[Baseball boy]

I live in this town with galords massion and I won't to no if there is acully a vault in the basement so it would be nice if you will reply to this web page and tell me the truth

[kuuu]

where is the cave located?

[caitlin]

yes the gaylord mansion, i have gone by it many times for fun and it is very scary, there is also a haunted bridge and cemetery. Look up the gaylord masion im mora springs iowa.

[kuu]

Does anyone know anything about the cabin that is in the middle of nowere

[Mason City Boy]

k well its all really messed up i went to school in nora springs and hang out there all the time but its all fucked up we go under the bridge and when we tried to leave the car didnt work right but in the mansion we heard voices it may have been cause i was paranoid but still creepy but it is very old i wouldnt reccomend trying it but if you want to go ahead its only like 200 yaers old...