Haunted Lighthouses is a guide to reportedly haunted lighthouses across the United States. Each article covers one light station: where it actually stands, what the record says about its building and its keepers, and what keepers, Coast Guard crews and visitors are said to have seen or heard.
The ghost stories are told as local folklore, not as proven fact. Where no record backs a story up, it is described as a legend or a rumor.
Featured lighthouses
Start with the latest reports. Older entries stay on the site as we expand them.
St. Simons Island Lighthouse, Georgia: The 1880 Shooting and the Keeper on the Stairs
In 1880 the keeper of the St. Simons Island Lighthouse was shot by his assistant. The shooting is on record; the footsteps…
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, Oregon: The “Haunted Light” and the 1899 Story Behind It
Oregon’s “Haunted Light” worked for only three years. Its ghost story comes from a fictional 1899 magazine tale, and the history behind…
Point Sur Light Station, California: Keepers’ Families, Volunteer Ghost Stories and the Record
Point Sur’s keepers’ families are said to still walk the rock. The ghost stories come from a few volunteers; the isolation, shipwrecks…
Visiting a Haunted Lighthouse This Halloween: A Practical Guide
Lighthouses and ghost stories belong together. They stand alone on cliffs and ledges, they were kept by families who lived through storms…
Pensacola Lighthouse
History Pensacola Light was the lightship Aurora Borealis. A lightship is a permanently moored ship that has a light beacon mounted on…
Owls Head Lighthouse
Photo: JacquesDemien / CC0 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons History The booming lime trade of the 1820’s on Maine’s mid-coast led to the…
Browse by place
These category pages have published lighthouse reports. Empty state and shop categories are left off this list.
How we research
Documented history is kept separate from legend. Lighthouses stand on cliffs, rocky points and islands where the footing, tides and weather can be dangerous, so please enjoy the stories from a safe distance: stay behind railings and on marked paths, respect posted hours, and never trespass on restricted or private property. Many lighthouses are museums or parks, and some can only be reached by boat, so check access before you travel. About this site
New reports
Get a note when a new article is published. There is no shop pitch on this list.