Abandoned Iowa Waterpark Goes Viral With Devastating Photos

The story of the Wasserbahn is a long and confusing one. Many Iowans have great childhood memories there. Others remember a horrific murder in the area from the 80s. The recent suspicious closing is also fresh in many people's minds. These memories are what made a post about the spot go viral.

Ever since the Wasserbahn closed, many people have talked about why it closed, and how they were shocked about the lack of communication behind its closing. Some ghost hunters have also gotten some photos exploring the abandoned building over the last year. I myself took a look at the outside a few months ago and was shocked by how quickly it fell apart.

Still, none have gone as viral as these posts.

The Viral Post

This post shows off the decay of the building and also seems to mention a person or spirit in the building with them. The post was published by David Crowrad on a group called "Liminal Spaces"

You can see more here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2831073293773104/permalink/3501260063421087/?mibextid=oMANbw

You can also see the full Facebook post and group by clicking here.

*Reminder* Do NOT trespass onto this property it is not only dangerous... it is also illegal.

What We Know About The Closing

It appears that some employees and many customers didn't see this closing coming though some apparently did. The first public announcement was allegedly a deleted Facebook post about the closing made in February 2022. According to KCRG, the waterpark had a recent investment as well which made the story even crazier.

The closure came despite Smock Investments and Owner Thomas Smock receiving two rounds of COVID relief money for Wasserbahn. Records show the business got $141,500 in April of 2020, and then another $198,562 in February of 2021. Still, employees claim checks were bouncing.

Many rumors and speculations took over the internet about the situation last year and many left the situation with their own ideas on what brought the place down. The biggest one for many was the idea of alleged poor management.