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Point Sur is a ghost town today, and many claim the souls lost at sea still haunt the lighthouse. Others have reported seeing a man in a keeper’s uniform from the 1800s.
See also: Mysterious cases of passengers disappearing from cruise ships
Located on a lonely rock off the coast of Brittany in one of its most treacherous straits, this 1875 lighthouse’s first keeper was Henri Guezennec, who is said to have gone mad during his stay there.
The story goes that Jones battled the storm to warn ships but was hit by a rock. He died three days later. Visitors claim to still hear furious rattling of doors and tapping at the windows, said to be Jones’s attempts to call for help.
After him, keepers are said to have been subjected to tragedy. Two died unexpectedly. Another died, leaving his wife to salt his corpse until it could be collected. Yet another slit his throat with a razor.
Located on the Toronto Islands, the 1808 lighthouse is best known for the 1815 murder of its first keeper, John Paul Radelmüller, who supplemented his income selling bootlegged alcohol from the US.
The lighthouse's remains and the skeletons of ships it failed to save are the only things left on the island. Local legends contend that the soul of one of the captains who perished on the island still lingers, haunting the occasional day-tripper.
The 1809 lighthouse was a silent observant of a brutal 1859 storm, which caused about 200 shipwrecks. In addition to the seamen, the storm also claimed the life of the keeper, John Jack Jones.
Built in 1868, this Queensland lighthouse is the site of death, drowning, tragic accidents, and murder. One case is that of Kate Gibson, the keeper’s wife, who disappeared in 1887 only for her children to find her dead with her throat slashed. Another tragedy, in 1912, involved a teenager stuck in a love triangle, who was accused of kidnapping the keeper’s daughter and murdering her boyfriend.
Isobella’s spirit reportedly never left the place, and lighthouse staff members have experienced unusual occurrences, like sudden temperature drops and seeing objects move.
This 1871 lighthouse was home to Isobella Darling, the niece of Grace Darling (who was famed for helping rescue survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838). Isobella lived in the Souter Lighthouse around 1881.
The lighthouse stopped serving its original purpose in 1968, but stayed alive as a museum until the sand left it for abandonment in 2002. The lighthouse is expected to fall into the sea by 2023.
The tragedy that hit this 1894 lighthouse also altered Portugal’s history. Located on the island of Faial in the Azores, the lighthouse served its purpose until it was destroyed between 1957 and 1958.
This lighthouse was built in the mid 1800s on fertile farming lands where grazing goats left the land barren. In 1871, Englishman John Godden began mining phosphate, damaging the soil even further.
On September 27, 1957, the Capelinhos volcano began to erupt, forcing many of the island’s inhabitants to leave. Many of the residents of the beleaguered parishes took up refuge in the United States.
Also known as Talacre Lighthouse, this lighthouse has stood on Talacre Beach in various forms since 1776. The place has a history of ghostly sightings and has become a hub for paranormal-activity seekers.
In 1969, the lighthouse’s final two keepers went missing, never to be heard from again. Many believe they were victims of the Bermuda Triangle’s mysterious forces. But they were most likely killed during a hurricane and their bodies washed away.
The most frequently spotted apparition is of a man in work clothes who stands on the lighthouse balcony repairing equipment. The ghost even inspired a life-size sculpture of the keeper’s ghostly figure.
Built in 1859 to help prevent ships from disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle, the lighthouse became embroiled in a mystery of its own.
The story contends that Fort York soldiers paid Radelmüller a visit, requesting alcohol. The insatiable soldiers wanted more and more, and when the keeper refused, a fight broke out, resulting in the man’s demise.
The famed American pilot was last heard of in Howland. This is where she was scheduled to stop and refuel, but she never landed.
Bright’s husband died shortly after their marriage, and Bright, grief-stricken, attempted to tend to the light herself without eating or sleeping. When the light finally went out, neighbors who came to investigate found her—starved and exhausted—cradling her husband’s body. She died shortly after.
Dating back as early as 1710, the lighthouse on Boon Island, Maine, has seen numerous shipwrecks and other tragedies. But the spookiest tale revolves around Kathleen Bright who, in the mid-1800s, married the keeper.
Located in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean, the lighthouse was built in 1937, shortly after Earhart’s disappearance, as a memorial to her. But like the aviator, the lighthouse was also short-lived. It is now in ruins.
Despite their inherent light, lighthouses have often been the stage of tragedy and death. For centuries, these structures have served as a navigational aid for those sailing the world’s rough waters. But this important job had to be carried out from desolate, often dangerous locations, where the weather rarely made it homely and cozy. Out of sight, out of mind, right? But the tales have persisted, fighting through years of ostracism and neglect to make their way into local lore.
Check out some of the horrifying tales behind some of the world’s most beautiful lighthouses.
The tragic tales behind some of the world's iconic lighthouses
Lighthouses are notoriously eerie places
TRAVEL Haunted
Despite their inherent light, lighthouses have often been the stage of tragedy and death. For centuries, these structures have served as a navigational aid for those sailing the world’s rough waters. But this important job had to be carried out from desolate, often dangerous locations, where the weather rarely made it homely and cozy. Out of sight, out of mind, right? But the tales have persisted, fighting through years of ostracism and neglect to make their way into local lore.
Check out some of the horrifying tales behind some of the world’s most beautiful lighthouses.