SPECTRALWhat happened here
The tower was built between 1871 and 1874 to replace an older lighthouse that the sea was eating away. During construction, in 1873, a cart used to haul building materials ran loose down its track and into the water. Two daughters of the superintendent, Hezekiah Pittee — Mary and Eliza — were among the children riding in it, and they drowned.
The keepers and their families lived in the brick keeper's house beside the tower. The light was automated in 1955; the keeper's house, gutted by fire in 1970, was restored and opened as a museum.
The legends
The Pittee girls are the lighthouse's best-known ghosts: visitors report children's laughter and a girl in a blue dress with a hair bow on the stairs and near the top of the tower.
A former keeper, Peter Rasmussen, is said to make his presence known through the smell of his cigars, and a tall man has been seen at the foot of the tower. The site's reputation spread after a 2006 episode of Ghost Hunters.
Fact or legend?
The 1873 accident is documented, and the museum tells it plainly. The hauntings rest on reports by visitors and staff.
Visiting
The lighthouse and museum are open daily, and you can climb the 219 steps to the top. Evening “Dark of the Moon” paranormal tours run through the year.
