Paranormal researcher Chad Lewis will present his strangest cases at the Fort Dodge Public Library and let you decide for yourself what’s real and more than normal.

“This is really a visual roadtrip to the weirdest stories around Iowa from ghosts, UFOs and mysterious creatures,” he said.

Using his own primary and secondary research, eyewitness interviews and personal visits to the disturbed corners of Iowa, Lewis shows that the paranormal maybe isn’t quite what most expect it to be.

“For me, it’s always subtle things,” he said. “Never people speaking in tongues.”

-Submitted photo
“Terror Bridge” is a place said to be haunted for decades by the spirit of a murderess and decapitated railroad worker.

Right down the road at Terror Bridge, locals have believed for the last 20 years that the spirit of a murderess and decapitated railroad worker continue to haunt. Now, some tell stories of a giant werewolf creature as well.

“That’s what I love about these stories, is that they progress and morph,” Lewis said. “I find that quite a bit of these locations seem to be paranormal portals.”

Lewis’ job, which starts from separating fact from fiction through historical society research and interviews, attempts to get to the heart of tales before visiting for himself.

“That’s important,” he said of the visits. “So many in this field are armchair researchers.”

He says witnessing or knowing someone who has witnessed paranormal activity is more common that one might think, and that those reporting such activity –contrary to popular belief — often aren’t out to seek attention or make money for themselves.

“Most people are down to earth, rational, logical people who have had or seen something happen that they can’t explain,” he said.

The Wisconsin native is eager to show Iowans the unexplainable phenomenons in their own backyard, from Terror Bridge and the Van Meter Visitor to the bloody Palo cemetary and the haunted Davenport hotel.