Spooky Locations: The Black Angel of Iowa City

The Black Angel of Iowa City

by J.S. O’Connor

If you were to take a stroll through one of Iowa City’s cemeteries you might be greeted by a nearly ten-foot black statue with large wings. The cemetery in question would be the Oakland Cemetery and the ten-foot statue would be the Black Angel. A lesser-known local legend, but a legend that is just as frightening and deadly. 

The legend of the Black Angel is relatively young, as the statue was built in the early 1900s and the origins of the legend are a mystery.

The legend is as follows, if you give the angel a kiss or deface the statue in any way, you will be greeted by death. It is also said that the angel gets darker in color every Halloween for every victim it has taken.

The color change could be easily explained by the statue being made of bronze and bronze gets darker when left outdoors for extended periods of time. If the color of the statue has an explanation, then what about the image of the statue itself? Despite the color of the angel, the angel itself is not what you would expect to see. The angel’s wings are not extended to heaven but rather turned inward almost folded in and the angel is looking down instead of towards the sky. The artist commissioned to make the statue was born outside of America and gave the depiction of an angel that Americans are not used to seeing. As for where the angel is looking it is looking to the artist’s son who is buried near the angel. 

Even though the image of the Black Angel is grounded in reality, this legend has still persisted since the early 1900s. It’s true that the Black Angel is rather sinister-looking, but once you know the reasons behind its appearance, the Black Angel is more beautiful than sinister. With that being said, I wouldn’t suggest tempting fate and giving the Black Angel a kiss any time soon. 

Work Cited:

The black angel, Iowa City, Iowa. RoadsideAmerica.com. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16409 

 

Merrill’s Musical Musings : Black Angel / Kiss of Death

Merrill’s Musical Musings – Black Angel: Kiss of Death

Greetings HorrorAddicts! I’ve got some killer music to share with you this month, but first I hope you and yours are healthy and safe, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. I’d say I hope you’re happy, too, but since we are HorrorAddicts, maybe a better description would be macabre, melancholy, morose, murderous, or mysterious. But I digress. We’re here to talk music, and this month I’ve got a fantastic band to share with you.

Black Angel is a UK-based goth/darkwave outfit, and their latest release, Kiss of Death, is a balm for the black-souled folk. From the title track’s opening notes, I was hooked. The album has great production quality, and its nostalgic numbers pay tribute to goth forerunners like The Damned, Peter Murphy, and Gene Loves Jezebel while never sounding like a weak imitation. This music would have been perfectly at home in the 80s and is just as relevant today. Jangly guitars, moody atmosphere, and vocals that hit that seductive sweet spot all make for a pleasurable listening experience. “Prisoner of Love” has a great vibe, and then you get a “punkabilly” tune like “Put Your Lips On Me” that is a total jam. You won’t be able to resist their allure. Their songs stand on their own, appealing to us goth kids from the 80s but in a new and fresh way that will make them frequent plays on my sound system.  

I hope you’ll check out Black Angel on Spotify or Bandcamp. I love discovering new-to-me music and I’m so grateful for the artists who created inspiring works during The Great Pause, and Kiss of Death is one of those creations. Thanks for joining me this month and Stay Tune for more Merrill’s Musical Musings and Ro’s Recs… 

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R.L. Merrill writes inclusive romance with quirky, relatable characters full of love, hope, and rock ‘n’ roll. You can find her at https://www.rlmerrillauthor.com and on the socials as @rlmerrillauthor. You can also find her Hope, Love, and Queeromance posts over at www.queeromanceink.com. 

Merrill’s Musical Musings : Black Angel / Kiss of Death

Merrill’s Musical Musings – Black Angel: Kiss of Death

Greetings HorrorAddicts! I’ve got some killer music to share with you this month, but first I hope you and yours are healthy and safe, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. I’d say I hope you’re happy, too, but since we are HorrorAddicts, maybe a better description would be macabre, melancholy, morose, murderous, or mysterious. But I digress. We’re here to talk music, and this month I’ve got a fantastic band to share with you.

Black Angel is a UK-based goth/darkwave outfit, and their latest release, Kiss of Death, is a balm for the black-souled folk. From the title track’s opening notes, I was hooked. The album has great production quality, and its nostalgic numbers pay tribute to goth forerunners like The Damned, Peter Murphy, and Gene Loves Jezebel while never sounding like a weak imitation. This music would have been perfectly at home in the 80s and is just as relevant today. Jangly guitars, moody atmosphere, and vocals that hit that seductive sweet spot all make for a pleasurable listening experience. “Prisoner of Love” has a great vibe, and then you get a “punkabilly” tune like “Put Your Lips On Me” that is a total jam. You won’t be able to resist their allure. Their songs stand on their own, appealing to us goth kids from the 80s but in a new and fresh way that will make them frequent plays on my sound system.  

I hope you’ll check out Black Angel on Spotify or Bandcamp. I love discovering new-to-me music and I’m so grateful for the artists who created inspiring works during The Great Pause, and Kiss of Death is one of those creations. Thanks for joining me this month and Stay Tune for more Merrill’s Musical Musings and Ro’s Recs… 

---

R.L. Merrill writes inclusive romance with quirky, relatable characters full of love, hope, and rock ‘n’ roll. You can find her at https://www.rlmerrillauthor.com and on the socials as @rlmerrillauthor. You can also find her Hope, Love, and Queeromance posts over at www.queeromanceink.com.