The Spookiest Box Set (3 in 1): Discover America's Most Haunted Destinations

About the Author

Introduction

St. Simon’s Lighthouse

Execution Rocks Lighthouse

St. Augustine Lighthouse

Point Lookout Lighthouse

New London Ledge Lighthouse

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Seul Choix Lighthouse

Port Boca Grande Lighthouse

Seguin Island Lighthouse

More Haunted Lighthouses

Titles by Terrance

About the Author

Award-winning author/photographer Terrance Zepke has lived and traveled all over the world during her career as a freelance adventure travel writer and ghost hunter. She has been to every continent and had all kinds of adventures—from dog-sledding in the Arctic to investigating all kinds of haunted places, from lunatic asylums to lighthouses. Even though she has lived all over the globe, including Honolulu and London, she calls the Carolinas her true home. She can’t decide which state she likes best so she divides her time between North and South Carolina. She grew up in the South Carolina Lowcountry, which is what ignited her interest in ghosts. The Lowcountry is full of haunted places and tales of boo hags, hoodoo, and haints. She has made numerous television and radio appearances, including NPR, Travel Channel, Around the World, Travel with Rick Steves, and The Learning Channel. Her articles have appeared in dozens of publications and she has written nearly two dozen books. Visit www.terrancezepke.com to learn more.

Introduction

I’ve been fascinated with lighthouses ever since my first visit to one, which was fifteen years ago. The first lighthouse I toured also happened to be the tallest beacon in America—Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

I had to climb 268 spiral steps to reach the top, but it was worth it. This beacon, which is equivalent to a skyscraper, is an engineering and architectural marvel. You can’t help but be impressed when you see it and learn all about how it was constructed. Since it was built in 1870, it was truly ‘manmade’ as there was no heavy machinery at that time. My first visit to a lighthouse ultimately led to my first book project, Lighthouses of the Carolinas: A Short History and Guide.

I remain fascinated with lighthouses for many reasons. One of those reasons being that they represent a bygone era that included lifesaving stations, wickies (a nickname for lighthouse keepers), nefarious pirates, and full-rigged sailing ships guided only by stars and lighthouses.

The earliest lighthouses were lit using fires and candles. The first lighthouse built in America was Boston Light on Little Brewster Island (Boston, Massachusetts) in 1716. Even though it is automated nowadays, they still have ‘keepers’, although just for us tourists. The last beacon built in the U.S. was Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse at Charleston, South Carolina in 1962. It has air conditioning and an elevator!

Lighthouses come in all shapes and sizes and are built using all kinds of materials, such as stone, concrete, wood, brick, steel, cast iron, metal, and tabby (a mixture of shells, sand, lime, and water). Most lighthouses were automated in the 1960s, making keepers obsolete. While many lighthouses are still lit and considered aids to navigation, they are not as relevant as they once were. Nowadays, boats come equipped with all kinds of modern technology to guide them.

But during the 1800s, mariners needed lighthouses to show them where to go—and more importantly, where not to go. Keepers manually activated the lights at dusk and extinguished them at dawn. It was tough being a keeper. They worked hard for little pay and they had all kinds of rules they had to follow, such as being required to wear a uniform including a cap, follow strict cleaning and maintenance protocols, keeping a logbook, and adhering to a probationary period. No one under the age of 18 or over the age of 50 was hired. They were not permitted to supplement their incomes with any part-time work and job transfers could happen at any time.

Lighthouses were often built in desolate locations with bad weather conditions. More often than not, keepers and their families were cut off from civilization. Yet despite all the drawbacks, keepers loved their jobs. Many only retired when forced to do so by the U.S. Lighthouse Board or when the lighthouse was deactivated.

So it’s not surprising that lighthouses are often haunted by the spirits of former keepers. Even in death they do not want to leave their beloved lighthouses. They linger at many of these stations still trying to perform their duties.

Spookiest Lighthouses discusses the ten most haunted lighthouses in the United Sates. Lighthouse and ghost enthusiasts will be happy to know that most of these places are open to the public seasonally. Visitor information is included in each chapter and includes a variety of options, including ghost tours and paranormal investigations. So go, if you dare, and see these historic beacons and maybe even glimpse a ghost or two…

To subscribe to my ghost blog or to check out my ghost gallery, visit www.terrancezepke.com.

St. Simon’s Lighthouse

Location: St. Simon’s Island, Georgia

Built: 1872

Visitor Information: OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

The St. Simons Island Lighthouse Museum is open Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. Visitors are permitted to climb the129 spiral steps to the top of the tower. There is a fee for everyone except children under the age of five years old are admitted free of charge. The beacon was automated in 1953. The government once used the house as office space, so the passageway that connected the lighthouse to the keeper’s house was removed. The keeper’s house is now home to the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. It also houses exhibits and a gift shop. St. Simon’s Lighthouse is still an Aid to Navigation.

101 12th Street, Saint Simon’s Island, GA 31522

www.saintsimonslighthouse.org

About The Haunted Lighthouse: The first lighthouse was destroyed during the Civil War. Confederate soldiers blew it up when they were forced to retreat. A second lighthouse was built in 1872 and equipped with a third-order Fresnel lens, which can be seen up to eighteen miles away.

The beacon and two-story keeper’s house were designed by renowned architect, Charles Cluskey. If you visit Savannah, you’ll notice that many of the historic properties were designed by Cluskey. Sadly, Cluskey and many of the construction workers died of malaria before the lighthouse project was completed.

The 104’ beacon had to be manually lit every day of every week. This required two keepers to share the workload. A large two-story red brick house was built to accommodate two families. The keeper and his assistant shared the residence. The head keeper and his family lived on the main floor while his assistant and his family lived upstairs. They happily shared their quarters and duties until one day when things went terribly wrong—deadly wrong.

The incident occurred in 1880. The head keeper, Frederick Osborne, got into an altercation with his assistant, John Stephens. It is unclear whether Stephens had an affair with Osborne’s wife or simply made some kind of pass at her. Some accounts indicate he said something inappropriate while others hint at something more.

Whatever happened to initiate the incident, it accelerated into a full blown argument. Both men quickly lost their tempers and came to blows. Osborne pulled a gun on Stephens but it misfired. Stephens ran and got his gun and shot Osborne, who died of the gunshot wound later that evening. The jury acquitted Stephens of the murder of Frederick Osborne, citing it was self-defense. He was set free and never returned to St. Simon’s Lighthouse.

A new keeper was hired, who soon moved in with his family. On their first night there, the keeper was in the watch room while the wife was preparing dinner. She heard footsteps on the staircase and assumed it was her husband coming down for dinner. When he didn’t appear, she went to investigate. She saw no one, so she climbed the stairs and found her husband still in the watch room. He assured her that he had never left the room. Many believe this is Frederick Osborne still minding the light. A figure in a keeper’s uniform has been seen on occasion that matches his description.

From 1907 – 1935, Carl Svendsen served as keeper at St. Simon’s Lighthouse. Both he and his wife often heard unexplainable footsteps in the tower and house. One year after the couple moved in, Mrs. Svendsen had her first ghost sighting. There was a problem with the lighting mechanism and she didn’t know what to do. Her husband was away and she had tried everything she could think of to get the light to work.

Suddenly, she recalled a promise that Frederick Osborne had once made to her. He would gladly help her anytime her husband was absent; all she had to do was ask. Figuring she had nothing to lose she said, "Frederick, come and fix this now!

She heard a click and a rattling sound and looked up to see a ghostly figure tinkering with the light. She promptly fainted! When she awoke, the light was functioning properly and the apparition was gone.

Other than sporadic sightings, nothing out of the ordinary has been reported with the exception of chronic [unexplainable] footsteps. The distinct footsteps have been heard by hundreds of people through the years. For this reason, St. Simon’s Lighthouse is considered one of the most haunted in America. Most believe that the ghostly footsteps heard climbing the tower steps is Keeper Osborne still trying to fulfill his duties.

Execution Rocks Lighthouse

Location: Execution Island in Long Island Sound, New York

Built: 1848

Visitor Information: OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

The lighthouse is open to the public seasonally. Tours are available through the non-profit group that owns the tower, Historically Significant Structures. It is a forty-minute boat ride across the sound to get to the island. As of 2013, overnight visitors are allowed but conditions are primitive. Visitors must be able to climb a ladder from the boat onto the island and back down the ladder onto the boat. Visitors should wear tennis shoes and bring whatever they need while on the island, such as a jacket, bottled water, and a snack. No tobacco products, drugs, or alcohol are permitted on the island. Reservations are required and the trip will be cancelled if the boat is not full. Their schedule is posted on their website, http://www.lighthouserestorations.org. Trips depart from the Port Washington Town Dock on Main Street.

About The Haunted Lighthouse: Although Congress approved the $25,000 needed to build the light in 1847, it wasn’t lit until 1850. It was another eighteen years before the keeper’s house was built. Until that time, the keeper slept inside the tower.

Normally, lighthouse keepers were appointed and had to sign contracts when they took the jobs. Because of the alleged haunting and remote location, this was the first and only time that the U.S. Lighthouse Board let a keeper take the job without having a contract. This is because the only way to entice applicants was to let them know that they could leave whenever they wanted.

The light was later manned by the Coast Guard until 1979. That’s when it became automated and the fourth order Fresnel lens was replaced with a modern solar panel lamp. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Two years later, the U.S. government transferred ownership of the light to a non-profit organization, Historically Significant Structures.

This group began restoring the lighthouse and attached keeper’s house, which had not been properly maintained since it became automated in 1979. Historically Significant Structures has partnered with the Science Museum of Long Island for this long-term restoration project.

The 60’ beacon is still an active Aid to Navigation. The harbor light can be seen as far as fifteen nautical miles.

With its dark history, it is no surprise that this lighthouse is haunted. Coast Guard personnel swear they have smelled fresh flowers inside the building when there are none to be found (and none have ever grown wild on the rocky island). The alarm often went off while the Coast Guard men were on duty, but they never found any reason for the alarm being tripped.

At some time or other, most of the men stationed here experienced extreme pressure on their chests while lounging in the living room at night. They were unable to get up due to an invisible presence holding them down. They were powerless to do anything until it eventually relinquished its hold and the pressure subsided.

A psychic was once called in to investigate and the psychic sensed an aggressive male spirit. Some believe it could be a serial killer named Carl Panzram. He claims to have killed twenty-one people (including boys) during the 1920s. He took the bodies of his victims out to the island and dumped them in the water near the lighthouse. He was tried and convicted of these crimes. While serving his time at Leavenworth Penitentiary, Panzram killed a man. He was hanged on September 5, 1930. Some think his spirit—or one or more of his victims—haunt the island.

But it is more likely the men who were executed here that haunt this place. During the Colonial era, the British brought those who had been convicted of a crime here to die rather than conduct a public execution. They were afraid that public executions would further incite the colonists. It would have been far more humane if they had been given a quick execution. Instead, they were brought here and chained to the rocks during low tide. It was ten to twelve hours before they finally drowned during high tide. Locals across the harbor claim they could hear often hear their anguished screams and wailing as they waited to die.

Or maybe it is those who have shipwrecked on these treacherous rocks. Some say that’s how the island got its name. When the ships wrecked, all those aboard were executed on the rocks. We may not know for certain who haunts this place, but we do know where the most paranormal activity has been reported: in the first floor bedroom, on the stairs, attic, and around the execution rocks.

There has only been one official paranormal investigation permitted to date. Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures investigated recently and picked up a disembodied voice on their digital recorders that sounded like a growl. They also heard banging and whimpering sounds near the old helicopter pad, which is near the execution rocks. Their EMFs (electro-magnetic field detectors) spiked wildly a few times, which is a good indicator of paranormal activity. With such a dark history, it is no wonder that Execution Rocks Lighthouse is among the most haunted places in our great nation.

St. Augustine Lighthouse

Location: St. Augustine, Florida

Built: 1874

Visitor Information: OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

This lighthouse is still operational as a private aid to navigation and is open to the public year round. Approximately 200,000 people visit annually. There are a variety of ways to explore it, such as self-guided tours, Dark of the Moon Tours (ghost tour), Behind the Scenes Tour (see areas normally closed to the public), Sunset Moonrise (once a month), and Lost Ships Tour (includes a presentation on area shipwrecks and underwater excavations). Reservations for