Battery Point Lighthouse, California:
It was built in 1856. It is registered as a California Historical Landmark number 951.
It was one of the first lighthouses on the california coast. Rugged mountains and unbridge rivers meant coastal travel was essential for the economic survival of this region. In 1855, Congreww appropriated $15,000 for the construction of a lighthouse on the tiny islet, which is connected to Battery Point by an isthmus at low tide. The lighthouse was automated in 1953. The 1964 Alaska earthquake, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the northern hemisphere, caused a tsunami which the lighthouse survived.
Theophilis Magruder was the station's first keeper; Wayne Piland was its last before automation in 1953.
The Del Norte Historical Society operates the Battery Point Lighthouse and Museum.
The Lighthouse is said to be haunted, but no one seems to know why or by whom. There is believed to be at least one resident ghost which is playful. A paranormal research group that investigated the Battery Point Lighthouse believes it is haunted not by one playful ghost, but by three: a child and two adult spectres.
Some of the things that happen here occur during tours, people report being touched on the shoulder by unseen hands, and sensing a presence. Caretakers report having their slippers moved at night while asleep, a rocking chair moving back and forth on its own, and sea boots trudging up the stairway, as if still on duty; especially during storms. Even cats have acted strangely during times of ghostly activity.
New London Ledge Lighthouse, Connecticut:
The lighthouse was built in 1909 on the southwest Ledge. It was originally called the Southwest Ledge light, but it was felt this could be confused with another lighthouse in New Haven. The United States Coast Guard took over in 1939 upon its merger with the Lighthouse service and the light was automated in 1987. In 1990 the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
New London Ledge is locally famous for the ghost of an early keeper, nicknamed "Ernie," who allegedly haunts the lighthouse. The Coast Guard crew on duty at the lighthouse, reported unexplained knockings taking place at night, as well as doors opening and closing repeatedly, the television turning on and off by itself sporadically, and the unexplained removal of sheets from beds.
Penfield Reef Lighthouse, Connecticut:
Constructed in 1874, it was one of the last offshore masonry lights.
Penfield Reef has been called one of the most treacherous areas of western Long Island.
Lighthouse Keeper Frederick A Jordan rowed a dory for the mainland, to join his family for christmas. The sea was rough, and about 150 yards northwest of the lighthouse, the boat capsized. Assistant Keeper Rudolph Iten said he was unable to launch a boat against a strong wind and an outgoing tide, and so he could only witness Jordan's disappearance into the water. Jordan's body was soon recovered, and Iten was absolved of blame for the death and became the next keeper.
According to a local legend, Jordan has haunted the place ever since. Iten wrote in the keeper's log that Jordan's ghost appeared two weeks later. Iten wrote that the ghost floated down the tower's stairs before dissolving into the darkness, and Iten said he found the log opened to the page that recorded the man's death. Iten also said the Penfield light began "behaving strangely" when the ghost appeared.
In one tale, Jordan was said to have pulled two boys from the water in 1942 after their boat capsized near Penfield Light. The boys said a man rescued them, but they couldn't find him when they went to the lighthouse to thank him. The boys identified Jordan as their rescuer after seeing his picture, the story goes.
Pensacola Lighthouse, Florida:
Built in 1825, this lighthouse has been through much.
At the start of the Civil War, Pensacola was controlled by Confederate forces, while Fort Pickens across the bay remained in Union hands. Confederate authorites removed the lens from the lighthouse, and most of the lighthouse supplies were requisitioned for the war effort. In November 1861 an artillery duel between the two forces damaged the lighthouse tower.
The lighthouse was automated in 1965.
The Pensacola light remains an active aid to navigation. The Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 17 had provided tours of the lighthouse, but they were discontinued in 2007. As of 2011 the lighthouse was reopened for public tours.
According to some archival records and maps, this "official" American lighthouse was placed on the site of an earlier watchtower built by the Spanish as early as the late 16th century.
On August 31, 1886 the Charleston earthquake caused the tower to sway violently, according to the keeper's log, but there was no recorded damage.
During World War II, Coast Guard men and women trained in St. Augustine, and used the lighthouse as a lookout post for enemy ships and submarines which frequented the coastline.
The lighthouse and surrounding buildings have a long history of supposed paranormal activity. Allegedly, visitors and workers have seen moving shadows, heard voices and unexplained sounds, and seen the figures of two little girls standing on the lighthouse catwalk (who purportedly were daughters of Hezekiah Pittee, Superintendent of Lighthouse Construction, during the 1870s; the girls drowned in an accident during the building of the tower). Other reports are of a woman seen on the lighthouse stairway or walking in the yard outside the buildings, and the figure of a man who roams the basement. The male figure is said possibly to be that of a Civil War hero and former lighthouse keeper William A. Harn.
Point Lookout Lighthouse, Maryland:On May 3, 1825, the Federal Government decided that a lighthouse was needed at Point Lookout to warn ships of the shoals and to mark the entrance to the Potomac River, and was first lit on September 20, 1830 by keeper James Davis. Davis died a few months after taking the oath of office and his daughter, Ann Davis, kept the lighthouse until 1847.
Located on a point of land where the wide Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, Point Lookout was a place of numerous disasters and tragedies. It was once the site of a Civil War era hospital; a prisoner of war camp; a refugee camp for runaway and freed slaves; shipwrecks; and a hotel that burned to the ground.
Point Lookout Lighthouse is also known for strange and unpleasant odors emenating from several areas of the house, as well as for cold spots. People claim to hear the ghostly sound of moaning as well as the sound of men (or a man) snoring.
Shipwrecks, Murders, and Other Possible Ghosts at Point Lookout:
The Ark and the Dove were the two ships that brought the first European settlers under Leonard Calvert to Maryland. One of the passengers, Thomas Allen, was reported as shot and killed at Point Lookout.
- In July of 1864, the USS Tulip, exploded of the coast of Point Lookout. Despite problems with a damaged boiler, Captain William Smith gave the order to increase steam pressure. The boiler blew up causing the subsequent sinking of the shop. 47 souls were lost, that day. Ten lived, though 2 later died of injuries incurred at the time of the explosion and shipwreck. Eight mangled corpses washed up on the shore of Point Lookout.
In 1878, a hurricane, known as the Gale of '78, ripped the salon deck off a cargo and passenger ship named the Express. Waves rolled the ship just north of Point Lookout and 16 souls were lost. The Second Mate, Joseph (or James) Heaney has knocked at the door of the lighthouse during a storm. He sometimes appears on the beach in a sodden uniform before major storms.
Boon Island Lighthouse, Maine:Built in 1811, the lighthouse has the distinction of being the tallest lighthouse in both Maine and New England at 133 feet.
However the first tower along with a subsequent replacement were both washed away in storms.
The current cylindrical brown granite tower was constructed in 1855 and originally had a second order Fresnel lens installed.
Boon Island Lighthouse suffered extensive damage in a blizzard in 1978. Several stones that make up the tower itself were washed into the sea as were all of the keepers dwellings and other outbuildings that had been on the island. As a result the station was automated in 1980 and a solar powered beacon was installed by the United States Coast Guard.
It is most famous for the wreck of the Nottingham Galley, which crashed into the island in December of 1710. Some of the crew survived by cannibalism, eating the flesh of their dead shipmates before they were rescued by fishermen. There was no woman on the Nottingham Galley, though, so the ethereal young woman shrouded in white who is seen on the rocks at dusk may be Katherine Bright, who came to the 400 square yards of rock as a newlywed with her lightkeeper husband. A mere four months after arriving, a surge tide from a winter storm swept the island, and while trying to secure the island's boat, the keeper slipped on the rocks and drowned. Katherine somehow managed to pull his body ashore and dragged it to the lighthouse. She left his body at the foot of the stairs, and took over lighthouse duties for five days and nights, without eating or sleeping. On the sixth day, the light was out. Fishermen from York investigated, as the storm was over now, and found Mrs. Bright sitting on the stairs holding the frozen corpse of her husband. She and her husband's corpse were taken ashore, but by that time she'd completely lost her mind. She died only a few weeks after being rescued. Her screeches can still be heard along with her apparition.
Capt. Joseph Smith, petitioned Congress for a lighthouse at York Ledge where mariners were constantly lost to the treacherous Bald Head Cliffs. Congress allocated the money, but the cliffs remained dark, causing more loss of life. Nubble Light, built in 1879, came too late to save Leander Foss, Captain of the Isadore and his crew.
Thomas King, a seaman on the Isadore had a vivid nightmare of the ship and crew crashing on the cliff rocks and perishing. The captain, hearing his story was suspicious and scornful, and refused to relieve him of duty. King was not aware that a shipmate had a similar dream and saw seven coffins including his wash up on shore.
In spite of the crew's fears, they sailed on a bitterly cold November day with wind driven heavy snow swirling about, greatly reducing visibility. Shortly after leaving port, the Isadore, crashed against Bald Head Cliffs, killing everyone except Thomas King, who escaped to Kennebunkport.
Many fishermen reportedly have seen the ghostly shadow of the Isadore and her crew sailing along the coastline.
Hendricks Head Lighthouse, Maine:
It was first established in 1829. The present structure was built in 1875. It was deactivated in 1933, but relit in 1951. The two story wood keepers house is now a private summer residence. The light is on continuously, showing white to the west and red to the east.
The ghost of a beautiful young woman dressed in white walks the shores of the beach near Hendrick's Head Lighthouse, Southport, Maine. Is she the ghost of a woman who was found drowned there one morning, or is it the mother of a shipwrecked baby? In 1871, a vessel went aground on the ledge about a half mile off shore during a March gale. The keeper had no way of getting out there, so he watched helplessly as the ship went under. Some of the debris washed ashore, and the keeper and his wife went to pick through it. The keeper spotted what looked like two feather mattresses bound together with rope. He called his wife over, and they hauled it in. Untying the rope, they found a wooden box wedged inside, which was making strange noises. Opening it, they found an infant girl. Apparently the mother had done the best she could to save the baby, and succeeded. The keeper and his wife rushed her to the house where they dried her, warmed her and fed her, and kept her as their own. But the real mother, filled with grief and longing, may be the ghost who walks the beach.
Owl's Head Lighthouse, Maine:The lighthouse was established in 1826. It is operated by the United States Coast Guard and it is also part of Owls Head Light State Park.
In 1854 a keepers house was built separate from the lighthouse. The cottage now serves as Coast Guard housing. A fourth order Fresnel lens, in use until recently, was installed in 1856. A generator house and an oil storage building were added in 1895.
The light station was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Owls Head Light Station in 1978.
One of the most memorable events in the history of Owl's Head Light took place during the storm of December 22, 1850. Five vessels went aground in this storm between Rockland Harbor and Spruce Head. At nearby Jameson's Point, a small schooner from Massachusetts was anchored. The captain had gone ashore, leaving the mate, Richard B. Ingraham, a seaman named Roger Elliott, and one passenger, Lydia Dyer, who was engaged to Ingraham. The packet was to start for Boston the next morning.
Near midnight the storm intensified. The cables holding the vessel snapped and the schooner headed across the Penobscot Bay toward Owl's Head. It quickly smashed into the rocky ledges south of the lighthouse. The three on board huddled together on the deck and were soon practically frozen in the surf. They pulled blankets around themselves in an effort to stay dry.
As the schooner broke apart, Elliott escaped the vessel and managed to climb over the ice-covered rocks to the shore. Practically dead from exhaustion, he reached the road to the lighthouse. The keeper happened to be driving by in a sleigh, and he took the dazed Elliott to the keeper's house where he gave him hot rum and put him in bed. Barely able to speak, Elliott was able to tell the keeper about the others still on the schooner. A dozen men were rounded up, and they headed for the shore.
The rescue party soon found the schooner and got on board. There they found a block of ice enveloping Ingraham and Dyer. From all appearances the couple was dead, but the rescue party was determined to leave nothing to chance. The men brought the block to the kitchen of the keeper's house. They chipped the ice away, keeping the pair in cold water. Then they slowly raised the temperature of the water and began to exercise the limbs of the victims. After almost two hours of this massaging and exercising, Lydia Dyer showed signs of life. An hour later Ingraham opened his eyes and said, "What is all this? Where are we?"
By the next day Dyer and Ingraham were able to eat, but it was months before they were fully recovered. They eventually married and had four children. Roger Elliott never fully recovered, but his struggle to reach safety had resulted in the rescue of the other two. Lydia Dyer and Richard Ingraham will always be celebrated as the "Frozen Couple of Owl's Head."
Oddly enough, the hauntings of Owl's head Light don't appear to be linked to either of these tales. The keeper's house is said to be haunted by an "old sea captain" - who is most likely a former keeper, although no one is sure. According to local legend, one night the three-year-old daughter of a keeper woke her parents and announced, "Fog's rolling in! Time to put the foghorn on!". The parents had never brought up that subject with their daughter and had no clue where she would have picked up the lingo. They soon discovered that she apparently had an imaginary friend who resembled an old sea captain. He has been seen by other former keepers and likes to leave his footprints in the snow outside the lighthouse and polish the brass. He also may be responsible for lowering the thermostat and keeping the place chilly, perhaps in an effort to conserve energy.
The second spectre in the lighthouse is known as the "Little Lady". The lady spirit is frequently seen in the kitchen. She seems to like to slam doors shut unexpectedly and rattle the silverware. Everyone who has encountered her has stated that her presence brought about a feeling of peace. Most agree that she is probably a wife of one of the many former keepers of the light who loved the place so much she decided never to leave.
Wood Island Lighthouse, Maine:
Is an active lighthouse on the eastern edge of Wood Island in Saco Bay, Maine. The lighthouse is just outside the entrance to Biddeford Pool and the end of the Saco River.
Constructed in 1808 under the orders of President Thomas Jefferson. The original tower was an octagonal wooden structure that had rotted by the 1830s. In 1839 a granite tower was erected replacing the original wood structure. The current tower was constructed in 1858. Also built in 1858 were the current keepers dwellings which are still standing.
The lighthouse is now automated and has an alternating green and white beacon every 10 seconds.
In the 1890s Wood Island Light and Wood Island were host to a grisly murder-suicide. A local squatter and part time lobsterman was living on the west end of the island. The squatter had been involved in an earlier altercation on the mainland and was approached by a sheriff's deputy in his squatter shack on the island. The squatter murdered the sheriff's deputy. Realizing what he had done he attempted to turn himself in to lighthouse keeper Thomas Orcutt who, in fear, turned him away. The squatter returned to his shack and committed suicide. Legend has it that the ghost of the murdered deputy still haunts the lighthouse and island.
Big Bay Point Lighthouse, Michigan:
The Lighthouse was built in 1896.
Today it is the only operational lighthouse with a bed and breakfast. It is reputed to be haunted and the novel and movie Anatomy of a Murder were inspired by a murder rooted at the lighthouse.
There have been at least two notable deaths associated with the lighthouse, which have given rise to the belief that the light is haunted.
Red haired William Prior, who was the first lighthouse keeper at Big Bay Point, was devastated when his son, Edward, died of a leg injury. He vanished in 1901 and his body was found almost a year and a half later hanging from a tree about a mile from the lighthouse. He may have committed suicide, or have been murdered. His red haired ghost has been seen in mirrors, and doors have a tendency to bang in the middle of the night.
The second incident took place in 1952, when the assistants house was used to train an anti-aircraft battalion. An army officer stationed at the house murdered the owner of a local tavern, inspiring Anatomy of a Murder.
New Presque Isle Lighthouse, Michigan:It was built in 1870. It is one of 149 lighthouses in Michigan, more than any other state.
A sixteen foot covered passageway connected the tower to the two story keeper's dwelling,allowing for extra protection when the keepers would go to the tower in harsh weather. A full cellar was built uder the house, and here the keepers would store personal items as well as oil for the lamp.
It is said that this lighthouse is haunted by the spirit of one of the keepers George Parris, after his death his wife said that she would often smell beacon and eggs being cooked in the kitchen something he always did. After that a little girl climed up to the tower and returned giggling, she told her parents that while she was up there she was entertained by an older man, when she seen a picture of George she said that that was who entertained her.
Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse, Michigan:
Located in the northwest corner of Lake Michigan in Schoolcraft county, Michigan. The station was established in 1892 with a temporary light, and started service in 1895, and was fully automated in 1972. It is an active aid to navigation. There is now a museum at the light and both building and the grounds are open for visitors.
This is the only harbor of refuge in a long and dangerous stretch of coast.
one of its former keepers Captain Joseph Townsend, is said to haunt this place. He died in the keepers house in the early 1900s. For months they could not bury his body because of the winter weather, so his body was kept in the basement. Today visitors and staff alike have reported the strong stench of cigars throughout the buildings. Some people have even reported seeing a man peering through the window.
Waugoshance Lighthouse, Michigan:The lighthouse is located in Emmet County, Michigan, United States.
This area is highly dangerous to boats because its so shallow, boats cannot approach the light closer than a few hundred yards. The lighthouse was built in 1850 and deactivated in 1912.
It is said to be both a "nautical gravestone" (because of the many wrecks in the vicinity) and on the "most endangered list" of lighthouses, being on the Lighthouse Digest "Doomsday List." It is one of six in Michigan.
It is reportedly haunted by a spirit. In 1900 a man worked there as a keeper his name was John Herman, he was known to be an alcoholic and loved to play practical jokes on his assistants. One time, he locked an assistant in the lantern room and left him. While the assistant yelled and pounded on the door to be let out, no one ever came. John was gone. It was assumed he staggered and fell off the pier and drowned. From then on, strange things began to happen at the lighthouse. Doors would open and shut at random and between the loneliness and the legends, keepers came and went with amazing speed.
During World War II, Waugoshance was used as a strafing target by navy pilots, yet it survived the bombing runs, although one of the heat seeking missiles caught the keepers house on fire and burned it to the ground. The interior of the tower was also damaged. Since then vandals have taken the spiral staircase, and the weather has done further damage.
Minot's Ledge Lighthouse, Massachusetts:
It was constructed between 1847 and 1850.
In 1843, lighthouse inspector I.W.P. Lewis compiled a report on Minot's Ledge, showing that over 40 vessels had been lost due to the ledge from 1832 to 1841, with serious loss of lfe and damage to property. The most dramatic incident was the sinking of a ship with ninety-nine Irish immigrants, who all drowned within sight of their new home land.
One night in April 1851, the new lighthouse was struck by a major strom which strom which caused damage throughout the Boston area. The following day only a few bent pilings were found on the rock. The two assistant keepers who were tending the lighthouse at the time both perished. Since the tragedy, people have reported seeing two shadowy figures, people also say that when a strom comes you can see a man hanging from a ladder shouting "stay away, stay away." lighthouse keepers report hearing tapping from the stairway at the end of a shift, just like the two former light keepers used to do.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, North Carolina:
The first tower was constructed in 1803, the current tower was constructed in 1870.
The lighthouse is one of several on the North Carolina Coast that are still operational. The area of Cape Hatteras was given the nickname of "Graveyard of the Atlantic." Because a large number of ships that ran aground because of shifting sandbars.
One of the strangest stories ever told concerning the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the story of the sailing ship, " The Carroll A Deering ". On a mid winter morning in 1921 the coast guard men stationed at the lighthouse woke up to a strange sight. The Sailing Ship was stuck just off shore on Diamond Shoals and all her sails were up. It really would have been quite a sight.
When the Coast Guard boarded the ship later that morning they found that the ship had been abandoned and other than a few half starved cats not a living soul was aboard the ship. A meal had just been cooked and served on a table on the ship but no sign was ever found of what happened to the people on the ship. The ships life boats were missing but they were never found.
Several government agencies eventually investigated the Carroll A Deering mystery but no sign was ever found of the people that were supposed to be on the ship. Why did they simply get into the life boats and leave the ship and why did they not lower the ships sails before leaving the ship. What happened to cause them to leave a perfectly good ship.
The ship eventually broke up and washed ashore. But the life boats were never found. Some people over the years especially at the edge of dark or daylight have heard screams coming from just off shore there on the beach just down from the lighthouse. When people try to discover who ever is making the screams no one is ever found.
And all up and down the outer banks of North Carolina you will be told stories of ghosts and paranormal activity. Many people on the outer banks lost their lives in accidents and many of the spirits of these people hang around because they feel they have something left to do here on earth or they may not even realize they are dead.
Ocracoke Island Lighthouse, North Carolina:
The lighthouse was built in 1823 and is North Carolina's oldest that is still in continuous service, it is the second oldest in the U.S. that is still in continuous service.
It is believed to be built on an old indian village.
Ocracoke Island itself is said to be very haunted.
It's believed that Theodosia Burr Alston who was the beloved daughter of Aaron Burr who lost her life when the ship she was on sunk just off the North Carolina Outer Banks is said to haunt this place. People over the years have claimed to see her often in the vicinity of the Ocracoke Lighthouse. Be sure to see the photos of the lighthouse above. She is often seen in a long white flowing dress and is often seen wet with water dripping off of her and even with sea weed in her hair. Some people also claim to smell a strong musky smell when they see her.
An old lighthouse keeper with black and gray striped pants and a white shirt is often seen around and in the Ocracoke lighthouse. He is said to have long hair tied back with string and a full heavy beard. He has been known to walk straight through people. And it is said he appears to be a solid living person until the point where he walks through you.
Black Beard , " Edward Teach " is Ocracoke's most famous ghost. He is seen all over the village of Ocracoke including the little beach just down the street from the lighthouse. People have seen him walking there on the beach and thought he was someone in costume. Some have even tried to talk to him but he quite often walks straight by them with out saying a word. Legend has it that this little beach was one of Blackbeard's favorite places on Ocracoke Island.
A very pretty girl in a light blue long dress has also been seen in the vicinity of the lighthouse. No one has ever been able to figure out who she is but she is quite often seen walking after a evening summer thunderstorm has ended and she has even waved and talked to some people but she quite often simply vanishes and people are left there scratching their head wondering where the pretty girl went to. It is said she has dark hair and olive skin and a beautiful smile.Some people say she makes comments about the party that night. When they start to question her about what party that night she vanishes. Some people have claimed to see her with a lantern.
Execution Rocks Lighthouse, New York: It was constructed in 1849.
It is rumored that the lighthouse's site got its name before the American Revolutionary War when the British colonial authorities executed people by chaining them to the rocks at low tide, allowing he rising water to drown them. Though the rumors are true, the name for this island was actually chosen to reflect the historically dangerous shipping area created by the rocks' exposure during low tides. It was automated in 1979.
A serial killer named Carl Panzram is also connected to the lighthouse. In August 1920, Panzram started out as a thief and arsonist. He robbed former president William H. Taft's home, stealing a .45 colt revolver in Connecticut. He moved on to boats and yachts in New York before setting his sights on more gruesome crimes. He would tie rocks to his victims' bodies and row them out in to the Long Island Sound, dumping them about 100 yards from the Execution Rock lighthouse. Panzram claimed to have killed 21 people in total. He lured sailors in New York away from bars, got them drunk, shot them and dumped their remains into the river (ten). He claimed to have raped and killed an 11- or 12-year-old boy in Africa. Hired a rowing boat, shot the rowers and fed them to the crocodiles. In America, he allegedly shot a man trying to rob him. Raped and killed two small boys, one in Massachusetts and the other in Connecticut, in 1922. He also claimed to have committed murder while burgling homes between Baltimore and Washington D.C. and an August 1928 murder in Philadelphia. Only three of the last five killings were confirmed. After being arrested in 1928, he was sentenced to 25 years at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. On June 20, 1929 he killed Robert Warnke, foreman of the prison laundry in Leavenworth, battering him to death with an iron bar. This murder got him a death sentence by hanging. His last words on September 5, 1930 were "Yes, hurry it up, you Hoosier bastard! I could kill ten men while you're fooling around!"
The last keeper, who retired in 1970, claims he never saw any ghosts or had any abnormal experiences. However, paranormal activity has been reported by many travelers passing by. Some have allegedly seen spirits wandering the rocks. Apparitions, footsteps, voices and strange sounds have also been reported by many eyewitnesses including US Coast Guard personnel who took night shifts there until the automation was finished.
the Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta, who explored the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century.
The whole thing consisted of the lighthouse, Houses for the head lightkeeper, the two assistant lightkeepers and their families, a barn and two kerosene oil storage buildings.
The keepers quarters are purported to be haunted by the ghost of an elderly woman, nicknamed Rue. Several incidents have been reported, including a visible apparition, moved objects, and occasional housekeeping. Most reported sightings of Rue occur in the attic, with many from the outside looking up into the attic.
Point Lookout Lighthouse, Maryland:
