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What is it about lighthouses that seems to make them ideal settings for hauntings? Perhaps it's the isolation or the extreme age of many of these magnificent structures. Or perhaps it's because the lighthouse keepers, who are often said to be the ones haunting the buildings , lived in solitude for long periods of time, often cut off from other people for weeks, even months at a time. Perhaps this solitude leaves a shadowy imprint of their lives within the stone and mortar of these wind and wave-swept beacons.

Here is a mini-directory of haunted lighthouses around North America.

Heceta Head Lighthouse                                                                                          
Location: Florence, Oregon
When Built: 1894.

Said to be haunted by the ghost of the "Gray Lady," who is perhaps the mother of an unknown baby whose grave has been found on the grounds. Also known as "Rue," the ghost is known for moving objects, opening and closing cupboard doors and other strange occurrences. One workman claimed to have come face-to-face with Rue in the attic and fled in terror. Days later, while working on the exterior of the building, he accidentally broke one of the attic's windows, but refused to go up there to repair it. He instead repaired it from the outside, leaving the broken glass scattered across the attic floor. That night, workers heard scraping noises in the attic. When they checked it out the next morning, all of the broken glass had been swept into a neat pile. Even today, some report that they have seen an elderly woman looking down from an attic window.
More information: Website.

New London Ledge Lighthouse                                                                           

Location: New London Harbor, Connecticut
When Built: 1909.
The Haunting: This lighthouse's ghost is named Ernie. In 1936, when Ernie learned that his wife had run off with the captain of the Block Island Ferry, he jumped to his death from the roof of the lighthouse. He has since haunted the lighthouse, and his ghost has been known to open and close doors, wash the decks, turn off televisions, turn the fog horn off and on, and untie secured boats to let them drift away.
More information: Website.

Old Port Boca Grande Lighthouse                                                                       

Location: Gasparilla Island, Gulf of Mexico, Florida
When Built: 1890.
The Haunting: This lighthouse might have two ghosts. The first is the young daughter of one of the lighthouse's keepers, who died in the building, perhaps of diphtheria or whooping cough. Tour guides say that she can be heard playing in one of the rooms of the building's upper floor. The second ghost is reputed to be the headless spectre of a Spanish princess named Josefa. According to the legend, when Josefa rejected the love of the Spanish pirate Gasparilla, he lopped off her head with his sword. Her headless spirit has allegedly been seen wandering the beach... looking for her head.
More information: Website.

 

Bob was awakened in the middle of the night by the apparition of the upper portion of a woman's body floating above his wife's head and staring at him.

Plymouth Lighthouse                                                         

Location: Gurnet Point, Plymouth, Massachusetts
When Built: 1769; replaced in 1803, rebuilt in 1843 and 1924.
The Haunting: Built on the property of John and Hannah Thomas in 1769; they became the lighthouse keepers. John was killed during the Revolutionary War, leaving Hannah as America's first woman lighthouse keeper. The 1924 incarnation of the lighthouse is still standing, but is automated and no longer needs residents to keep it running. Yet some believe Hannah Thomas is still there. Bob and Sandra Shanklins, professional lighthouse photographers, decided to spend the night in the house adjacent to the tower. Bob was awakened in the middle of the night by the apparition of the upper portion of a woman's body floating above his wife's head and staring at him. He described the ghost as wearing old-fashioned clothing that fit close around her neck, and had long dark hair that fell to her shoulders. Was it Hannah Thomas, thinking that her husband had finally returned from the war?
More information: Website.

Point Lookout                                                                                                      

Location: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
When Built: 1830; 1883.
The Haunting: Point Lookout has been called "America's most haunted lighthouse," mostly because of its unfortunate past. In the years of the Civil War, a prison camp was established next to the lighthouse by the Union Army. It was terribly overcrowded and became a breeding ground for disease, despair and death. Many signs of haunting have been reported since the 1860s: strange noises and disembodied voices, some of which have even been recorded on audiotape. The ghost of the first lighthouse keeper, Ann Davis, has been seen standing at the top of the stairway. Other figures have been seen in the basement and searching outside for graves that were moved a century ago.
More information: Website.

Presque Isle Lighthouse                                                                                      

Location: On Lake Huron, Presque Isle, Michigan
When Built: 1840.
The Haunting: Said to be haunted by the ghost of George Parris, the former lighthouse keeper. The lighthouse is now abandoned, yet an amber light is occasionally seen still flashing from the tower. George and Lorraine Parris moved into the small house attached to the lighthouse in 1977, where they looked after the grounds and provided tours to vacationers. The lighthouse was actually taken out of service in 1870, but it wasn't until 1979 that George and the Coast Guard removed the wiring. Yet after George died in 1991, the mystery light began to appear. "I knew right away that it was George," said his widow, who continued the caretaker duties alone. "He used to cook breakfast for me in the morning. Bacon and eggs. There were many mornings when I'd wake up to the smell of breakfast, but naturally no one was there. I knew that it was him." According to one story, a little girl touring the lighthouse with her family had climbed to the top of the tower and returned giggling. When asked who she had been talking to up there, she said, "To the man in the tower." She later identified the man as George Parris from a portrait of him in the cottage.

 

The music allegedly drove the lighthouse keeper mad and he destroyed the piano - and his young wife - with an axe.

Sequin Island Lighthouse                                                         

Location: Georgetown, Maine.
When Built: 1797; rebuilt in 1820 and 1857.
The Haunting: Reputed to be haunted by the bride of the lighthouse keeper who murdered her there. According to the legend, to help her fight the loneliness and depression of the isolated island, the lighthouse keeper had a piano shipped there for her. Unfortunately, she only had one piece of sheet music, which she learned and played over and over again. This allegedly drove the lighthouse keeper mad and he destroyed the piano - and his young wife - with an axe. Some say her piano music still can be heard floating out over the waves.

Seul Choix Point Lighthouse                                                                                

Location: On Lake Michigan, about 14 miles east of Manistique, Michigan.
When Built: The light was placed into service in 1892, but the tower had to be rebuilt and the station was not entirely completed until September, 1895.
The Haunting: "Visitors and workers at the lighthouse complex have reported strange happenings, including moved silverware and other items, footsteps, the strong smell of cigars and the sound of someone climbing the lighthouse steps. Many believe that a lighthouse keeper is still at work."
More information: Website.

 

A large, dark male figure has been seen in the basement, possibly the spirit of a former caretaker who hung himself in the lighthouse.

St. Augustine Lighthouse                                                          

Location: St. Augustine, Florida.
When Built: 1824; 1874.
The Haunting: Several ghosts are said to haunt this lighthouse. The voice of the 12-year-old daughter of the lighthouse's builder, who drowned near the building, can sometimes be heard. Footsteps from some unseen presence can be heard shuffling on the gravel and on the steps outside the lighthouse. A large, dark male figure has been seen in the basement, possibly the spirit of a former caretaker who hung himself in the lighthouse.
More information: Website.

St. Simons Lighthouse                                                                                         

Location: St. Simons Island, Georgia.
When Built: 1810; 1872.
The Haunting: The keeper's house was the dwelling place of the lighthouse keeper, his assistant and their families. In 1880, an argument broke out between lighthouse keeper Frederick Osborne and his assistant, leaving Osborne dead. Since then, many witnesses have claimed that his heavy footsteps can still be heard climbing the tower's staircase.
More information: Website.

White River Light Station                                                                                    

Location: On Lake Michigan, Whitehall, Michigan.
When Built: 1876.
The Haunting: They say the ghost of White River's first lighthouse keeper, Captain William Robinson, still haunts the structure. He lived there for 47 years with his wife Sara, where they raised their 11 children. When he reached retirement age, his son was appointed keeper, but the Captain refused to leave, keeping up with his daily duties well into his 80s. At 87 he was finally being forced to vacate the lighthouse, and on the evening before he was to leave, he died in his sleep. Those who know the lighthouse well say that the ghosts of the Captain and his wife both haunt the place. In his later years, Captain Robinson walked with a cane, the the distinctive sound of his footsteps and thumping cane still can be heard making his rounds late at night. His wife Sara occasionally leaves signs that she is helping to keep the place tidy.
More information: Article.