1. Owls Head Light, Owls Head, Maine
Owls Head Park, open year-round, provides lovely views of Penobscot Bay. The pretty little lighthouse and keeper’s residence are part of the park but not accessible, though that doesn’t prevent a ghost from trespassing. The 3-year-old daughter of previous keepers once awakened her parents and announced, “Fog’s rolling in! Time to put the foghorn on!” They discovered she had an “imaginary friend” who resembled an old sea captain. Current residents recognize his footprints in the snow and welcome his services—polished brass and frugally lowered thermostats; 207/941-4014 or lighthouse.cc/owls. In nearby Rockland, Maine Lighthouse Museum displays the country’s largest collection of Fresnel lenses; 207/594-3301 or mainelighthousemuseum.com.
2. Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, Gasparilla Island, Florida
This lighthouse and the assistant keeper’s dwelling stand on a sunny Gulf of Mexico beach near Fort Myers. A museum in the lighthouse building and the surrounding Gasparilla Island State Park make the island’s southern tip a nice place to visit—by day. By night, as one worker put it, one might encounter “some things that are a little bit weird.” A young girl, presumably the ghost of a keeper’s daughter who died in the building, can be heard giggling and playing upstairs. More ominously, the headless body of Josefa, a Spanish princess decapitated by a pirate, wanders the sand; 941/964-0060 or barrierislandparkssociety.org.
3. St. Simons Island Light, St. Simons Island, Georgia
Above the waves at this quiet beachfront on the southern tip of St. Simons Island, you may still hear the echoes of a decades-old killing. In 1880, an argument between head keeper Frederick Osborne and assistant John Stevens ended with a fatal gunshot. John, never charged in the case, continued to tend the light. But legend says he often heard the accusing sound of Frederick’s footsteps at night in the vacant tower. Over the years, many others have claimed to hear the footfalls. The tower invites climbing the 129-step spiral staircase—if you dare; 912/638-4666 or saintsimonslighthouse.org.
4. Point Sur Lightstation, Big Sur, California
Who wouldn’t want to linger at such a lovely location? Maybe that explains the gentleman in the 19th-century keeper’s uniform seen inside the visitors center. Point Sur’s beacon has shone since 1889 atop a massive volcanic rock just offshore in the amazingly scenic Big Sur area. Non-spectral beings can visit during scheduled tours—weekends year-round, plus Wednesdays April–October, and Thursdays July–August. For the most deliciously spooky atmosphere, take a “moonlight tour,” which finishes the 2006 season October 6–7; 831/625-4419 or pointsur.org.
5. Big Bay Point Light, Big Bay, Michigan
Here on the north shore of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, William Prior, who became this station’s inaugural keeper in 1896, finally may have given up his duties. Surveying Lake Superior from atop a 60-foot bluff, the light station now operates as a romantic bed-and-breakfast with fireplaces, a sauna, even spa services. William, dead these past 105 years, apparently still insisted on “helping”—until innkeeper Linda Gamble angrily told him off when his slamming of kitchen cabinet doors awakened her one night a few years ago. Neither William nor the other five resident ghosts have been heard from since. Well, so far, anyway; 906/345-9957 or bigbaylighthouse.com.
