Haunted Lighthouses Guide – Massachusetts

Known for Plymouth Rock, where the first pilgrims landed and the Salem witch trials, Massachusetts is also home to five of the most haunted lighthouses in America.

the enchanted bell
Baker Island Light

Baker’s Island Light, just six miles off the coast of Salem, home of the infamous witch trials, is said to be haunted by a ghostly siren bell.

This mechanized bell sounded a warning to sailors of impending danger and rang only once, before being struck by lightning which destroyed it. The lighthouse keeper had to go out during the storm and manually hit the bell with a hammer at precise intervals to keep the sailors safe. The bell was replaced, but the new bell repeatedly failed and the frustrated doorman abandoned his post.

Seventeen years later, while visiting the lighthouse on a steamboat, the keeper and his fellow travelers heard the bell ring. After dropping off some passengers at a nearby port, a waterspout suddenly arose from the sea, capsizing the boat and drowning all but a few passengers. The former caretaker, who survived, believed that the bell was sounding a warning.

According to legend, this bell, also destroyed by lightning, can be heard sounding the alarm even when there is no apparent danger.

the ghost ride
boston harbor light

Boston Harbor Light on Little Brewster Island was the first lighthouse built in the antebellum war colonies. The original cone-shaped structure, lit first by candles and then by oil lamps, was destroyed by the British Army garrisoned in Boston after colonial militiamen attacked it twice.

When the war ended, a new tower was erected, rising 75 feet above sea level and prevailing against hurricanes, gale-force winds and high seas for more than 200 years. In 1859 a new Fresnel lens was installed, making the Boston Light visible for sixteen miles.

Little Brewster had its share of shipwrecks, although not as many as other lighthouses. Sailors still speak of a “ghost walk” several miles from the island, where the signal from the lighthouse is not heard. New Englanders and others believe that this area is haunted.

the guardian of the pirates
Bird Island Lighthouse

Bird Island’s first lighthouse keeper was alleged pirate William Moore. Moore, who fought against the English in the War of 1812, owed the government enough money to justify banishing him to the lonely life of a lighthouse keeper.

He was assigned to Bird Island Light in 1819, taking his wife with him, who apparently married him when he was financially prosperous. Mrs. Moore, who suffered from tuberculosis and was addicted to tobacco, was forbidden to leave the island, as her husband feared that once she left, she would never return.

The dampness of the lighthouse aggravated her condition, and her desperation for tobacco distressed her so much that people on the mainland could hear her cries. The local doctor implored Moore to allow him to smoke, but he adamantly refused. The townspeople, disturbed by her cries, took pity on her and smuggled tobacco to her, despite fearing her husband.

When she finally died, Moore raised the distress flag and a minister went to the island, performed the funeral rites, and buried her. The angry townspeople blamed Moore for his death and he, in turn, blamed them for not respecting his wishes. Rumors spread that Moore murdered her and covered up the real cause of her death.

According to legend, several of Moore’s successors reported seeing the ghost of an old woman, hunched over, knocking on their door late at night.

the long goodbye
Light Brown (Plymouth)

Gurnet, or Plymouth Light, the oldest wooden lighthouse in the United States dating back to the Revolutionary War, is also one of the most haunted.

Today, the Coast Guard operates the Plymouth Light, but many believe the spirit of a former caretaker’s wife haunts their quarters, awaiting her husband’s return.

Hannah stayed behind to watch the light while her husband left to fight for America’s Independence from Great Britain. Her neighbors noted her standing vigil at her window every night, waiting for her husband, who unfortunately was killed in action.

Some say that Hannah still keeps her faithful vigil, briefly appearing at the window and then quickly disappearing from sight.

Warning Cries – Night Shadows
Minot cornice light

Minot’s Ledge Light is nothing more than a tower that sits on a reef jutting out into the sea off the coast of Scituate. The first tower lasted less than a year before a rough sea claimed it.

Isaac Dunham, the first caretaker of Minot’s Ledge, urgently warned his superiors about the lighthouse’s instability to no avail, retiring after fourteen frustrating months.

One day, Dunham’s successor, John Bennett, waved a flag from the lighthouse indicating that he needed to be taken ashore. He left his two assistants, Joe Wilson and Joe Antoine in charge, when suddenly a wild wind from the north with winds of a hundred miles per hour attacked them. Bennett watched helplessly from the shore as the storm destroyed the lighthouse and killed his two assistants.

Several fishermen reported seeing Antoine swinging from a ladder, yelling and “Get away!” in his native Portuguese. Later keepers reported seeing shadows in the lantern room, hearing ghostly whispers at night, and hearing or feeling light tapping on the shoulders. The two Joes used these touches to signal the end of a turn. One guard, hearing the beating, committed suicide, and another went mad and was dragged to shore in a straitjacket.

Then there are the windows… It usually takes a whole day to clean the gull-fouled windows, however, every new caretaker’s assistant reported that the windows were sparkling before they got to them.

Are these stories true or legend? Visit one and find out.