As we embark on our journey, we'll explore a tale that continues to attract seekers of the paranormal to one Iowa town. The legend of the Children of Iron Hill. The tale begins with a fiery train crash. One car, filled with orphan children, became a tragic inferno. The story goes on to say their cries can still be heard, and the scent of smoke lingers in the air.
Since the time of the fire there have been sightings of a little girl in a white dress wandering the area, and another recently finding a burnt baby doll half-buried by the tracks. It's certainly an emotional tale that pulls at the heartstrings. After doing some research into historical records, railroad accident reports and newspaper archives: an orphan train did once safely make a stop in Charles City in 1917, unfortunately we couldn't find any evidence of a passenger train accident or fire. A nearby line carrying freight did have accidents but not during the time shared in the legend or at the location.
Charles City residents online are also quick to point out the tale didn't happen. If you do decide to explore this story yourself, know that the purported exact location of the accident is located on private property. So, if the crash never happened, where did this story come from? It's possible it was created to spark interest in the area, or even borrowed from another area's legend for internet attention? So, what do you think? Is the Children of Iron Hill legend a case of misremembered history, a deliberate local myth, or something else entirely?
We're left to consider the nature of history, storytelling, and the tales we choose to believe. The tracks Car 50 once traveled may be silent now, but you can still hop on for a ride at the Boone Scenic Valley Rail Road and ponder this spooky tale yourself.
