Lighthouses have always captured our imagination with their dramatic coastal settings and tales of brave keepers who weathered storms to guide ships safely to shore. These towering sentinels often come with ghost stories that span centuries, featuring keepers who never left their posts and tragic souls lost to shipwrecks.
Night tours of these historic structures combine maritime history with spine-tingling encounters, offering visitors the chance to experience these legendary hauntings under the cover of darkness when paranormal activity is said to be at its peak. Here is a list of 20 haunted lighthouses across America where you can experience both history and mystery during specially guided nighttime tours.
St. Augustine Lighthouse – Florida
This 165-foot tower has been guiding ships since 1874, but it also guides visitors through one of America’s most active paranormal hotspots. The ghost of former keeper William Harn is said to roam the grounds, while the spirits of three children who died during construction still play in the tower.
Night tours include electromagnetic field readings and temperature monitoring equipment that often detect unexplained phenomena throughout the lighthouse.
Erie Land Lighthouse – Pennsylvania
Overlooking Lake Erie, this lighthouse has stood since 1818 (with the current tower built in 1867), guiding ships through unpredictable waters. It’s also home to local legends of restless spirits. Keepers reportedly heard whispers in the wind and footsteps echoing from the spiral staircase when no one else was present.
Paranormal investigators have noted cold spots and electromagnetic anomalies during night tours, particularly near the lantern room. With its eerie setting on a bluff above the lake and a long history of shipwrecks in the area, the Erie Land Lighthouse makes for a hauntingly atmospheric evening visit.
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Heceta Head Lighthouse – Oregon
Perched on Oregon’s rugged coast, this lighthouse is home to the ‘Gray Lady,’ believed to be the spirit of a lighthouse keeper’s wife who lost her child in a tragic accident. Night tours of the keeper’s quarters reveal cold spots and unexplained phenomena, while the lighthouse beam itself sometimes appears to flicker without a mechanical cause.
The surrounding coastal fog often enhances the eerie atmosphere during evening investigations.
Point Sur Lighthouse – California
This Big Sur landmark sits atop a 361-foot volcanic rock where keepers’ families endured isolation and tragedy for over a century. The ghost of a former keeper is said to continue his duties, and visitors report seeing a figure in the lantern room long after tours have ended.
Moonlight tours include the treacherous walk up the rock face that keepers made daily, adding a physical challenge to the paranormal experience.
Seguin Island Light – Maine
Maine’s oldest lighthouse station has witnessed countless shipwrecks and keeper tragedies since 1795, creating a repository of restless spirits. The most famous ghost is a keeper’s wife, who went mad from isolation and played the same piano tune repeatedly until her death.
Night visitors to the restored keeper’s house report hearing phantom piano music and experiencing sudden temperature drops in specific rooms.
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Owl’s Head Light – Maine
This picturesque lighthouse overlooking Penobscot Bay harbors the spirit of a keeper who saved countless lives but couldn’t save his own family from illness. Paranormal investigators have recorded unexplained electronic voice phenomena and witnessed mysterious lights in windows when the lighthouse is supposedly empty.
Night tours explore both the tower and the keeper’s residence, where visitors often report feeling an unseen presence watching from the shadows.
Bolivar Point Lighthouse – Texas
Hurricane damage and Civil War battles left this lighthouse with a tragic history that manifests in unexplained phenomena reported by night visitors. The ghost of a Confederate soldier is said to patrol the grounds, while the lighthouse beam occasionally operates without power.
Evening tours include metal detection searches for Civil War artifacts and opportunities to witness the phantom light that appears even when the lighthouse is inactive.
Fairport Harbor Lighthouse – Ohio
Lake Erie’s storms claimed many ships near this lighthouse, and the keeper’s cat, Sailor, is said to still patrol the premises decades after his death. Visitors report seeing a gray cat in the museum and feeling something brush against their legs when no animals are present.
Night tours of the lighthouse include the basement where Sailor’s mummified remains were discovered, adding a tangible connection to the paranormal experiences.
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Ram Island Ledge Light – Maine
This remote lighthouse accessible only by boat has isolated keepers for over 150 years, creating conditions ripe for psychological phenomena. The spirit of a keeper who went mad from loneliness is said to tend the light still, and visitors report seeing a figure in the lantern room at impossible hours.
Night boat tours to the lighthouse include periods of darkness when the Coast Guard light is turned off, allowing visitors to experience the complete isolation that drove keepers to madness.
Boon Island Light – Maine
Maine’s tallest lighthouse sits on a barren rock where keepers endured extreme isolation and witnessed horrific shipwrecks throughout its history. The ghost of a keeper’s wife who died during a harsh winter is said to appear in the tower, searching for her husband, who never returned from the mainland.
Night tours via helicopter provide aerial views of the lighthouse before landing for ground-level investigations of the tower and the keeper’s quarters.
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse – Oregon
This lighthouse operated for only three years before being decommissioned, but its brief service included the mysterious disappearance of a young woman whose spirit reportedly still inhabits the structure. Night tours focus on the second floor where Muriel Trevenard was last seen, and visitors frequently report cold spots and unexplained sounds in that area.
The lighthouse’s short operational period makes its paranormal activity particularly concentrated and intense.
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Cape Hatteras Lighthouse – North Carolina
The Outer Banks’ most famous landmark has witnessed countless shipwrecks in the ‘Graveyard of the Atlantic,’ creating a repository of maritime spirits. The ghost of a former keeper is said to climb the 268 steps nightly, and visitors report hearing footsteps in the tower when no one else is present.
Night tours include visits to the nearby shipwreck sites, where paranormal activity often extends beyond the lighthouse itself.
Minot’s Ledge Light – Massachusetts
This lighthouse, built on a dangerous reef, has claimed the lives of several keepers, and their spirits are said to continue their vigil over Boston Harbor. The lighthouse’s automated systems occasionally malfunction in ways that suggest supernatural interference, and night tours document these unexplained technical failures.
Boat tours to the lighthouse include hydrophone equipment that sometimes picks up unexplained underwater sounds near the reef.
Point Lookout Lighthouse – Maryland
This Chesapeake Bay lighthouse served as a Union hospital during the Civil War, treating thousands of wounded soldiers and Confederate prisoners. The spirits of those who died there are said to inhabit the lighthouse, and night tours include the basement areas where the most critically injured were treated.
Electromagnetic field detectors consistently register unusual readings in specific areas of the lighthouse that correspond to historical accounts of deaths.
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Whaleback Ledge Light – Maine
Built on a tiny island in the Piscataqua River, this lighthouse’s isolated keepers experienced psychological stress that manifests in ongoing paranormal activity. The ghost of a keeper who disappeared during a storm is said to signal ships still, and visitors report seeing unexplained lights when the lighthouse is inactive.
Night tours include kayak approaches to the lighthouse that recreate the dangerous conditions keepers faced during storms.
Graves Light – Massachusetts
This lighthouse sits on a dangerous ledge where many ships have wrecked, and the spirits of those lost at sea are said to gather around the structure. Night tours by boat include sonar equipment that detects unexplained underwater anomalies near the lighthouse.
The isolated location and history of shipwrecks create an atmosphere where visitors frequently report feeling watched by unseen presences.
Sand Island Lighthouse – Alabama
Mobile Bay’s lighthouse witnessed Civil War naval battles and numerous shipwrecks, creating a concentration of spirits tied to maritime tragedy. Night tours include underwater cameras that sometimes capture unexplained images near the lighthouse foundation, where ships were lost.
The combination of war history and maritime disasters makes this one of the most paranormally active lighthouses in the Gulf Coast region.
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Robbins Reef Light – New York
This lighthouse in New York Harbor was tended by Kate Walker for over 50 years after her husband’s death, and her spirit is said to continue her duties. Night tours include ferry rides past the Statue of Liberty to reach the lighthouse, where visitors report seeing a woman’s figure in the lantern room.
Walker’s dedication to her post makes her one of the most benevolent spirits encountered at American lighthouses.
Presque Isle Light – Michigan
This Great Lakes lighthouse has guided ships through dangerous waters for over 150 years, and the spirits of keepers who died at their posts are said to continue their watch. Night tours include the restored keeper’s quarters where paranormal investigators have recorded unexplained phenomena.
The lighthouse’s location on Lake Huron creates atmospheric conditions that enhance both the maritime history and paranormal experiences.
Blackrock Harbor Light – Connecticut
Long Island Sound’s treacherous waters claimed many ships near this lighthouse, and the spirits of those lost are said to gather around the structure during storms. Night tours are conducted to coincide with high tide and rough weather when paranormal activity is reportedly most intense.
The lighthouse’s proximity to major shipping lanes means its ghost stories span centuries of maritime tragedy and heroism.
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Eternal Vigil in America’s Coastal Guardians
These haunted lighthouses represent more than just paranormal entertainment—they preserve the human stories of courage, isolation, and sacrifice that defined America’s maritime heritage. The keepers who maintained these lights often lived in extreme isolation, facing storms, shipwrecks, and personal tragedies that left emotional imprints still felt today.
Night tours of these historic structures offer visitors a chance to connect with both the supernatural and the very real human experiences that created these legendary hauntings. Whether you encounter actual spirits or simply feel the weight of history in these atmospheric settings, these lighthouse tours provide unforgettable experiences that illuminate the intersection between maritime history and the mysteries that continue to draw us to America’s most haunted shores.
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