Sawse - Stir it Up!

Fuel for ghostly stories, and spooky tales, the isolation and darkness associated with life in a lighthouse is a prime reason for these desolate places are the birthplace of some very interesting, if not dark, stories. Many legends about lighthouse keepers and their families along with tales of a supernatural nature have developed over the years. A lighthouse keeper’s life was fraught with danger and loneliness in some of the harshest possible environs, hardly the romantic adventure that people often associate them with. It was a hard life, with continual work even with assistants around. Being around people they don’t cherish for extended periods of time can drive some to insanity. Not only light keepers, their families suffered too. Children died of lack of access to mainland doctors, land based pirates known as mooncussers hunted you down mercilessly, with the sea often raging about all around you. It’s no wonder that with all of the residual energy left behind, that their spirits still remain long after they are gone. There hardly exists a lighthouse that didn’t have tales of haunting or odd happenings. When the coast guard took over from the US lighthouse service in 1939, the old style civilian lightkeepers who were (mostly) dedicated to their work came to an end. What really brings ghosts and lighthouses together? Perhaps the lighthouses are haunted by the residual energy from the past, or spirits of their former keepers who are unable to cross over and leave their lights unattended.

The Great Lakes and the shores of Michigan have more than their share of haunted lighthouses. These lighthouses have guided the way for sailors for generations, and may still be guiding the way today, for their ghosts. These storm-tossed bodies of water and great stretches of woods have claimed more than their share of human victims, creating scores of ghostly tales to tantalize, and frighten those who would hear the stories.

The most commonly haunted spot in an old lighthouse is invariably the stairs to the tower. Why? Many say that the path worn into the stairs from repeated use of the light house keepers leaves behind an energy that can ultimately be the source of paranormal activity. When the human occupants of the lighthouse try to track down the source of the sounds, there usually is none. The tower of Michigan’s old Saginaw River Light in Michigan is also reported as a place where one might have a ghostly encounter. This lighthouse is said to be haunted, but no one really knows who the ghost might be. Some surmise that the ghost might be that of a lighthouse keeper that perished in this old structure. It is said that before he died, he pleaded with his family to continue to display the light for as long as they were able. By all accounts, the family did just that and the light was kept burning for many years. Shortly after the Coast Guard took over the light, strange things started to be reported. Most common was the sounds of heavy boosts on the iron staircase.

But, when checked on, there was nobody there.

The Presque Isle Light close to Alpena, Michigan, is another notable haunted place of interest. The tale is that of a lighthouse keeper’s wife who went insane because of loneliness. It is said that he imprisoned the madwoman in a cell below the lighthouse and she rotted to death in the cold dark prison. It is said that her violent screams can still be heard today. During the 1930’s and 1940’s at Thunder Bay Island, east of Alpena, Michigan, “Morgan” a former lighthouse keeper, was responsible for various spooky encounters. He died of loneliness in this desolate spot, a place so remote that the lighthouse was automated back in 1980 so that it would basically run itself. Aside from the haunting of Morgan, who still roams the island’s shore, the island is basically devoid of inhabitants. Loneliness is a tragic thing to die with and it’s not much of a surprise that all the pent up energy is left behind by these ghosts.

Point Lookout located in St.Mary’s County Maryland, is widely regarded to be “America’s most haunted lighthouse” due to 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 the breeding ground for disease, despair and death. Many signs of haunting have been reported since the 1860’s; bizarre noises and disembodied voices, some of which have been recorded on audiotapes. Lighthouse visitors have experienced chilly air pockets in parts of the building, along with a rotten smell emanating from one particular room. Strangely, as soon as the news of the rotting smell was made public it disappeared. Strange sounds and foul smells where not the only indicators that something unusual was afoot. A variety of ghostly visions have been reported, the ghost of Ann Davis being one of the more common. According to lore, she was supposed the first lighthouse keepers wife. It is reported that she can be seen standing at the top of the lighthouse stairs in long blue skirt with a white blouse.

At the northern end of Anastasia Island in St.Augustine, Florida, one can see The St. Augustine Lighthouse. This lighthouse and its surrounding buildings have had a long history of paranormal activity. There have been seven people who have died on the lighthouse grounds, three young girls, three lightkeepers and a keeper’s wife. The three girls died in a tragic drowning accident. The story goes that there was a rail car that went from the light station to the ocean. The children used to play on it and ride it for fun, On July 10, 1873, the cart somehow ended up in the water. Five children fell into the water. While some of the workers managed to save a boy and a girl, the others perished. Two of the construction superindent’s daughter and a young black girl were drowned. It is said that the girls can be heard laughing in the tower late at night. The eldest, Mary was spotted wearing the same blue velvet dress and blue hair bow she was wearing when she died.