Stories

Stories are just that. Stories and personal accounts that have been reported about the location.

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According to the lighthouse's official website, there have been seven people who have died on the lighthouse grounds: three lightkeepers, a keeper's wife and three young girls. Several of these are said to have died of natural causes. One man fell to his death from the original lighthouse in 1859, and the three girls died in a tragic drowning accident.

The lighthouse and its surrounding buildings have a long history of paranormal activity and stories of the hautings have been passed on and have been featured in popular television shows, books, and local lore for decades. Visitors and workers say they have seen moving shadows and heard voices along with unexplained sounds. Some tour guides claim they hear someone climbing the tower steps, but the footfalls fade away, and no one is ever there at the top of the tower. There is also said to be a little girl who likes to play pranks residing in the keeper's house, a tall man in the basement, and a spirit who likes to play with the merchandise in the gift shop. One former keeper was infamous for enjoying his cigars. Today, the scent of his cigar can still be detected several times a week.

Several employees have reportedly seen a hazy male figure walking through the lighthouse. Footsteps from an unseen presence can be heard shuffling on the gravel and the steps outside the lighthouse. Other reports are of a woman seen on the lighthouse stairway or walking in the yard outside the buildings.

Perhaps the most famous tragic story is that of three young girls who died during the construction of the second lighthouse. The story says that there was a rail car or some type of vehicle that went from the light station to the ocean. The children liked to play on it and ride on it for fun. On July 10, 1873, the cart somehow ended up in the water. Five children fell into the water and some of the Workers managed to save a boy and a girl. Two of the constuction superintendent's daughters, Mary and Eliza, and a young black girl, either a servant or the daughter of a worker, drowned.

It's said that today, the girls can be heard laughing in the tower late at night. The eldest of the construction superintendent's daughters, Mary, has also been spotted wearing the same blue velvet dress and blue hair bow she was wearing when she died. Reports also say that the the figures of two little girls can sometimes be seen standing on the lighthouse catwalk.

For years there have been reports of a large dark, male spirit that hangs around the water collecting cisterns in the basement. Supposedly he was a sailor or a former lightkeeper who hung himself in the lighthouse in the 1930's. According to the lighthouse's website, there isn't any proof or evidence that anyone ever hung him/herself there.

History says that the original owner of the lighthouse was forced to sell it to the government in 1865 because it was believed that the land under the lighthouse was receding and the ocean would eventually swallow it. The state offered to buy the lighthouse for alot less than it was worth and he refused to sell. The government then threatened to take the lighthouse via eminent domain and give him nothing. At this point, the former owner was outraged and vowed never to leave the lighthouse. Lighthouse staff say he seems to have kept his vow as his spirit is sometimes seen late at night walking in and around the property.

One of my favorite episodes of Ghost Hunters was filmed at the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) stopped by to see if they could prove or disprove any of the hauntings. During the episode, they caught a few interesting things on both video and audio. There was a female voice that seemed to say "help me" a few times on the audio recording. The video camera captured a dark figure moving really quickly up the circular staircase and then stopping to look over the railing down at the camera crew from the top floor. The figure then disappeared. When Jason and Grant went to investigate, they realized the door at the top which would be the only exit was padlocked from the inside. There was also a motion detection light that never came on until the TAPS guys got up there. Overall, with the evidence they captured, the guys determined that they really couldn't prove the place wasn't haunted.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is currently owned and maintained by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Inc. The lighthouse is operational and is is an official, privately-owned, active aid to navigation. The museum is open to the public and the admission price funds preservation of the lighthouse and programs in maritime archaeology and education. The lighthouse offers night tours of the site, though they don't promise any ghosts.

Added by: sdonley on 01/30/2011 DB#:1026
Source(s):
http://www.zimbio.com/Paranormal/articles/56/Haunt...

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Paranormal Claims

Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.

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Claim #	Added	Added By	Claim
1204	01/30/2011	sdonley	Shadows and a hazy male figure seen in the tower and climbing the steps.
1205	01/30/2011	sdonley	Things have been moved around in the gift shop as if someone was playing with them.
1206	01/30/2011	sdonley	Strange sounds and noises heard coming from the tower when noboday was in it.
1207	01/30/2011	sdonley	Their is often the smell of cigars within the keeper's house.
1208	01/30/2011	sdonley	Sounds of someone shuffling in the gravel outside the lighthouse can be heard.
1209	01/30/2011	sdonley	An apparition of a women has been seen walking the grounds and on the lighthouse stairway.
1210	01/30/2011	sdonley	The sounds of two young girls playing can be heard in the tower late at night.
1211	01/30/2011	sdonley	The apparition of a young girl named Mary has been seen wearing the same blue velvet dress and blue hair bow that she was wearing when she died.
1212	01/30/2011	sdonley	The figures of two little girls can sometimes be seen standing on the lighthouse catwalk.
1213	01/30/2011	sdonley	There is a large dark, male spirit that hangs around the water collecting cisterns in the basement of the keeper's house.
1214	01/30/2011	sdonley	The apparition of the original lighthouse owner has been seen late at night walking around the property.
1215	01/30/2011	sdonley	Cold spots and a presence can be felt in the basement of the keeper's house.

Paranormal Evidence

Paranormal evidence is based on claims that have been reported for this location. There can be several types of evidence; however, we have grouped them based on media type for better organization. Here you will find evidence that are logs, audio, video, or photographic.

To add evidence for a claim, you must submit it to PANICd.com for approval to be entered into the database.

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CLAIM #: 1204 - Shadows and a hazy male figure seen in the tower and climbing the steps.
	Evidence Type: Video Encounter Type: Shadow(s) Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Evidence of shadow figures caught on video Submitted By: sdonley On: 01/30/2011 DBA Approved: Y
CLAIM #: 1208 - Sounds of someone shuffling in the gravel outside the lighthouse can be heard.
	Evidence Type: Photograph Encounter Type: Orb Hauting Type: Unknown Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	Photogrpah of Orbs Submitted By: sdonley On: 01/30/2011 DBA Approved: Y
CLAIM #: 1215 - Cold spots and a presence can be felt in the basement of the keeper's house.
	Evidence Type: Video Encounter Type: EMF Hauting Type: Intelligent Investigation Status: More Investigation Needed	KII session conducted in the basement of the keeper's house. Submitted By: sdonley On: 01/30/2011 DBA Approved: Y

Additional Resources

This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.

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Wikipedia Record Added: 01/30/2011 By: sdonley	The Wikipedia entry for this location.
Lamp Program Added: 01/30/2011 By: sdonley	The Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) is dedicated to the investigation, interpretation, and better understanding of the maritime history and archaeology of St. Augustine, the "First Coast" region of Florida, and beyond.
National Registry of Historical Places Added: 01/07/2020 By: sdonley	Information about the location, see link for details.

Location Comments

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