A few months ago, I paid a visit to the Edinburg Manor, about 45 minutes from Cedar Rapids.
100 years ago it was known as the Jones County Poor Farm, the place where homeless and mentally ill people were sent to reside. It was suddenly abandoned back in 2010.
But even stranger than the Manor itself is the Edinburg Cemetery that lies just up the road a few hundred yards away.
The graves date back to the 1800's and hold the remains of area landowners, those wealthy enough to be buried with tombstones, unlike the unmarked pauper's graves believed to be scattered about on the Manor's grounds.
It's hard to make out the names on many of the grave markers due to weather erosion. So it's a mystery to know for certain who really is buried there.
Visit the graves site and the Manor for an authentic Jones County history tour. Or if you're really brave, show up after dark.