Lighthouses in peril

Thanks to everyone who joined us last night for the opening performance of our third Opera Annex, The Lighthouse. Join us tonight for another stunning performance and prepare yourself with this video of lighthouses in peril. The music is Mozart's Requiem, but perhaps it should be Verdi's Requiem ...

Know of other haunted, perilous lighthouse locations? Share them in the comments.

The Ghost of the Lady Light Keeper

Fourth and final in our series of haunted lighthouses:

Location: Gurnet Point/Plymouth Bay
Station Established: 1768
First Lit: 1843
Operational: Yes
Automated: 1986

Near to where the Pilgrims came ashore in the New World, stands one of America's earliest lighthouses, at Gurnet Point in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Originally two towers were built and were first lit in 1769.  John and Hannah Thomas were appointed the keepers of both lighthouses since the towers were constructed on their land.  Shortly after taking the post John left to fight in the Revolutionary War and left Hannah to keep the lights burning all by herself.

John never came back from the war, and in 1790, Hannah was appointed the first female lighthouse keeper in America. In 1801 both towers caught fire and burned to the ground.  The towers were replaced, but the northeast one was dismantled in 1924. Hannah loved the lighthouse and remained as keeper until 1790. Ever since Hannah’s death people have said they have seen her ghost in and around the tower. 

Night at Gurnet Point – Lighthouse Photographers Bob and Sandra Shanklin had the opportunity to stay the night in the keeper’s house on Gurnet Point. 

Told in their own words: At some point, something woke Bob. He raised up on his elbow and watched the light come around, illuminating the windows for a few seconds each time. Then he looked over toward me (Sandra), who was sleeping soundly. Above me, he saw the head and shoulders of a woman. He described her as being a green blue electric spark color. He said she had an old time hairdo, sunken cheeks and the saddest face he ever saw. Bob told me that she wasn't wrinkled and he didn't think she was an old woman. He said he felt no threat from her, but only her sadness. As he watched her, out of the corner of his eye he could see the rays of light from the lighthouse come around several times, brightening the room. He looked toward the light, then looked back to where she had been and she was gone. While there is no way to ascertain with any degree of certainty the identify of the Gurnet Point ghost, Shanklins claimed he had a "feeling" it was Hannah Thomas.

--Kalina Schloneger, Education & Community Programs Intern

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Resources/for more about this haunted lighthouse visit:

Haunted LighthousesLegends and Lore by Sue Clark

United States Coast Guard

Ghosts of theMassachusetts Lights by Lee Holloway

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See our haunting production of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' The Lighthouse, Feb. 8--12

The Ghost of a Pirate's Wife

Third in our series of haunted lighthouses:

Location: Sippican Harbor off of Buzzards Bay
Station Established: 1819
First Lit: 1889
Operational: Yes
Automated: 1997

William S. Moore (alleged pirate) took the post as keeper of the Bird Island Lighthouse in 1819 after having fought in the War of 1812. Supposedly he owed the U.S. government money and this position repaid his debt.  He brought with him his wife, who was a heavy tobacco user, and suffered from tuberculosis. Mrs. Moore was forbidden to leave the island by her husband, since he feared she would be unfaithful.

The lighthouse was damp and lonely which worsened Mrs. Moore’s illness and need for tobacco.  The townspeople said they could hear her cries of desperation and would sneak bags of tobacco out to the lighthouse when they could.  One evening Moore raised the distress flag and when the townspeople arrived to help they found Mrs. Moore dead.  Moore insisted that his wife had died from her disease but some townsfolk believed otherwise.  Moore demanded that his wife be buried on the island so she was laid to rest right next to the lighthouse.  Moore was always blamed for the death of his wife and for holding her captive on the island.  Legend has it that keepers have been haunted by Moore’s wife ever since, the ghost of a hunched-over old woman, rapping at the door during the night.

--Kalina Schloneger, Education & Community Programs Intern

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See our haunting production of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' The Lighthouse, Feb. 8--12

A Haunted Tower Built on the Sea

Second in our series of haunted lighthouses:

Location:  COHASSET ROCKS
Station Established: 1850
Current Tower First Lit: 1860
Operational: YES
Automated: 1947

Minot's Ledge lighthouse was a place no sane person wanted to live. It is just a tower coming out of the sea on a reef located off Scituate, Massachusetts.  In fact, the first tower was destroyed by the sea only a year after it was completed!  In April of 1851 keeper John Bennet went ashore leaving his two assistants in charge of the lighthouse.  While Mr. Bennet was on land, winds kicked up to more than 100 mph and he could not return to the lighthouse until morning.  When keeper Bennet finally made it back to the lighthouse there was nothing left of the tower.  The bodies of his two assistants washed up later on Nantasket Beach and Gull Island.  Since this tragedy fishermen say they hear cries coming from the island and swear they have seen a man hanging from the ladder screaming to passers by “Stay away! Stay away!”

After the tragedy on Minot’s Ledge other strange things began to happen.  When an assistant was ordered to clean the lighthouse the windows would always be sparkling clean by the time they reached the top to complete the task.  Other keepers heard taps echoing up through the stairs.  This was the signal for the two assistants that they could leave their post. Most keepers learned to live with the ghosts but others lost their minds.  One keeper could not handle it and slit his own throat another went insane and had to be taken from the lighthouse in a straight jacket.

--Kalina Schloneger, Education & Community Programs Intern

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Resources/for more about this haunted lighthouse visit:

Haunted LighthousesLegends and Lore by Sue Clark

United States Coast Guard

Ghosts of theMassachusetts Lights by Lee Holloway

-------------------------------------------------------------

See our haunting production of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' The Lighthouse, Feb. 8--12

Haunted Lighthouses

The lighthouse of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' opera is not the only lighthouse with a scary and mysterious tale.

Discover the haunted lighthouses near you as we take you on a tour of the haunted lights of Massachusetts. Tales of other haunted lighthouses will appear each Monday until our production of The Lighthouse opens on February 8.

Stop back for all the spooky details.

The Haunting of America's Oldest Lighthouse

Location: LITTLE BREWSTER ISLAND/BOSTON HARBOR
Station Established: 1716
Current Tower First Lit: 1783
Operational: YES
Automated: 1998

The first lighthouse in America was built on Little Brewster Island and was completed in 1716.  Later the original tower was destroyed during the Revolutionary War. The present tower was constructed in 1783 with 14 additional feet added in 1859. The Lighthouse is said to be haunted by its first two keepers, George Worthylake and Robert Saunders. Both gentlemen died within months of accepting their jobs at the lighthouse. After two disasters, some people believed that the island and its lighthouse might be cursed.

The other tale of the old lighthouse on Little Brewster Island is about its very large bell to help warn ships of the dangerous shore line ahead. Despite the size of the bell the ring will not reach a stretch of water several miles east of the lighthouse. The mariners call this area of sea the “Ghost Walk” because ships can not be reached by the guiding sound of the bell. No one has ever been able to explain the Ghost Walk, not even a team of MIT students who spent an entire summer on Little Brewster Island studying the mystery.

--Kalina Schloneger, Education & Community Programs Intern

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Resources/for more about this haunted lighthouse visit:

Haunted LighthousesLegends and Lore by Sue Clark

United States Coast Guard

Ghosts of theMassachusetts Lights by Lee Holloway

-------------------------------------------------------------

See our haunting production of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' The Lighthouse, Feb. 8--12