Point Wilson Lighthouse

A Shadow of a Woman

Coast Guard wives stationed at Point Wilson Lighthouse in Port Townsend, Washington, have had to live with another woman. At various times, and to various wives, a shadow of a woman has been seen and heard in the keeper's quarters. Many a time a movement out of the corner of the eye has been seen, and when the wife would turn, there was nothing there but a fleeting shadow. Footsteps would often be heard leaving the room as the wife would turn to look. The woman is apparently a little on the nosy side, as evidenced by hearing someone rummaging in the bathroom cabinet, but of course no one else was in the house.

Who is this woman in a long gown who has also been seen wandering the grounds and going up into the lighthouse? No one seems to know for sure, but it is felt it could be the spirit of a woman whose daughter was lost in one of the numerous shipwrecks around Puget Sound. On one occasion, a mantle full of birthday cards was swept clean,all of them scattered on the floor. Perhaps it was the anniversary of the daughter's birthday. The neighbors have also heard the sounds of rummagin coming from the upstairs, even going so far as to call over and ask if anyone was there.

Strangely enough, most of the men that were stationed at the light have never seen or heard anything, with one exception. A visitor staying there and sleeping on the couch, and awoke with the feeling someone or something was smothering him. He sat up, clutching his throat and gasping for breath, and saw a figure of a woman in the kitchen. As he got up to see if she was the one who'd attacked him, she vanished.

Saginaw River Range Light

The unknown footsteps

Saginaw River Rear Range Light CC Photo by Charles W. Bash

Believed to be the first range lights built on the Great Lakes, the Saginaw River Rear Range Lighthouse is the only light of the two left. The front range was demolished and only its crib remains. The concept for range lights was actually conceived of by the fifteen year old son of a lightkeeper at the original Saginaw River lightstation, which was demolished when dredging of the river made it obsolete. Range Lights allow mariners to line up two lights, one behind the other and when they are in alignment (when one beacon is above the other) they know they are in the center of the shipping channel. The house was left behind, though.

It's unknown which of the keepers haunts the old lighthouse. But footsteps have been heard by members of the Coast Guard who stayed there. And of course, that's when no one else is around, because the lighthouse itself is in the middle of private property owned by a large corporation (since 1940). It sits virtually in the middle of a marsh, where no one can go. Perhaps it's the ghost of one of the Keeper Peter Brawn, who died while in charge. Or perhaps it is wife was appointed Keeper after him, but later demoted. Whoever it may be, it's definitely an eerie place to be.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

The Drunken Lightkeeper

Although most people think of lighthouse keepers as never leaving their post, sometimes they did, since there were often assistant keepers to tend the light. That was the case in the early years of the twentieth century, at Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon. Keeper Smith went into town for some much needed rest and recreation, leaving behind two assistants to take care of things, Herbert Higgins and Frank Story. He had full confidence the two could handle anything that came up.

A few days after Smith left, Higgins took sick. Very weak, he took to bed and asked the second assistant to tend to the light. Story was less than conscientious, though, being addicted to the "demon rum," which he promptly began to consume with Higgins laid up. As night came on, Higgins realized that Story was passed out drunk, and realized he would have to light the beacon himself. He crawled out of bed, and made it up to the lantern room, where he collapsed and died.

From the mainland, Smith saw the light was out and hurried to get back to the lighthouse, where he found Higgins dead and Story drunk. Blaming himself, he never left the light again, but from that day on, he'd hear the sounds of footsteps trying to make their way to the lantern room. He never went up to the light again, without taking his bulldog with him, but until the day he was replaced, he was haunted by those footsteps.

Pensacola Lighthouse

The Jealous Wife

When one mentions jealous wife, one usually assumes the husband is messing around with some woman. Not so with Michaela Penalber, the newlywed wife of the first keeper, Jeremiah Ingraham. Shoddily constructed and poorly placed, the Pensacola Florida lightstation, was built in 1826, and the couple moved in shortly after. Michaela was the ideal lighthouse keeper's wife, constantly following her husband, helping him tend the light, and maintaining the house in impeccable condition. Perhaps she cared too much for the lighthouse, though. Jeremiah died in 1840 and Michaela was appointed keeper.

Some think that Michaela murdered Jeremiah by a violent stabbing while they were alone in the tower, but it was never proven. Official records only state he took ill and died. Michaela was as dedicated a lightkeeper as any, and she tended the light from 1840 until her death in 1855. The lighthouse, which was poorly constructed, was rebuilt in 1859. Apparently, this didn't sit too well with Michaela Ingraham. From that time on, objects have been hurled at visitors in the keeper's quarters. One of the workmen rebuilding the tower reported having a water hose yanked from his grip.

Moreover, when the lighthouse was refurbished years later, stains were discovered on the floor that looked suspiciously like blood. No amount of scrubbing could get rid of them and they remain to this day. A psychologist who stayed there a few years ago, however, thinks there are three ghosts haunting the tower, two of which are other unknown keepers. Many people have reported odd occurrences at the lighthouse. One tale tells the story of a father and his two children, ages 8 and 11 who were touring the lighthouse. While on the staircase the boy reported someone whispering his name "Alex" in his ear and he kept talking about seeing a ghost.

It is said that the presence of the old keepers can still be felt in the lighthouse and the adjoining buildings. A Pensacola resident, who was raised in the house said, "when I would go up to pull the chains to keep the lens turning, I could hear human breathing. I was certain that it wasn’t mine and I would stop and listen." He also told the story about the blood spot on the floor that refused to go away. He said, "I can remember my Mom scrubbing the floor trying to get rid of the blood stain and her getting upset because it would constantly return." He continued, "At night, we would hear footsteps coming up the stairs, but when we would look, no one would be there."