In the nation’s oldest city, visitors flock to the ancient fort that protected St. Augustine. But is the lighthouse protecting ships at sea actually haunted?
There are long lines to explore the Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry-constructed fort in the nation. It dates back to 1672, and it’s well worth your time and the $15 admission fee. Some of that time might be spent waiting in line for entry.
Lines are generally shorter a few miles away at the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum, featuring a 165-foot lighthouse producing beams that can be seen for up to 30 miles. Construction on this lighthouse started about 200 years after work on the fort, and was made necessary because the original St. Augustine lighthouse collapsed into the ocean, a victim of beach erosion. This second tower, which actually went into service a few years prior to the other tower’s collapse, was constructed well back from the beach on a high point of the dune on Anastasia Island.
Visitors who are at least 44 inches tall can climb to the observation deck at the top, unless lightning or high winds are observed in the area. The tower is part of a larger historic preserve that includes the surprisingly large Keeper’s House, a maritime museum and several structures related to the World War II era. Remember, there were German U-boats just off the Florida coast for much of the war — even a bombing incident well to the south near Jupiter Inlet. Like the House of Refuge near Stuart, the St. Augustine Light Station provided a vantage point for naval observers to watch for enemy activity.
So when, exactly, did it become “haunted?”
Locals tell the story of five little girls who were playing on the grounds as the tower was under construction. Two of the girls were daughters of the superintendent, Hezekiah Pittee. As they played on a rail car, its wheels shifted and the girls fell from the pier into the water. A construction worker was able to save two girls, but the other three, including both of Pittee’s daughters, were killed. Legend has it you can still hear them laughing and playing together on the grounds of the lighthouse.
There are more ghost stories associated with the place, so many in fact that a crew from the TV show Ghost Hunters (2004-16) was dispatched to the site for a segment. A Travel Channel segment also was produced here for the show Most Terrifying Places in America. St. Augustine is said to have much paranormal activity, and there are tours available for visitors (at night no less) that recount many of the strange tales. Yes, there are separate ghost tours available here at the Light Station. One is called Dark of the Moon ($25/adults) and another Ghost Tales ($17.50). They have enough material to fill an hour or more.
People in St. Augustine make good money promoting the haunted stories, but many of them have a healthy skepticism about it. Certainly, not everyone subscribes to all the paranormal talk. Noted skeptic and scholar Joe Nickell wrote that many of the strange noises and shadows observed at the Light Station are rooted in mundane explanations having nothing to do with the supernatural.
There’s more to consider here than spooky stories. The maritime museum provides an interesting window into a bygone era, and preserved World War II era buildings explain how the area was used for training during those difficult, stressful years.
Photographers will simply appreciate the best views in St. Augustine. From the top, you’ll get a 360-degree panorama of the inlet, harbor, and city. The adjacent grounds are nicely landscaped and family friendly, with a playground and exhibits geared toward children.
You can thank the local Junior Service League for efforts to preserve and maintain this lighthouse and grounds. Their work started in 1980. Six years later, someone shot a rifle into the antique Fresnel lens, breaking 19 prisms within the huge glass creation. Government leaders sought to replace the damaged relic with a more modern searchlight, but the Junior Service League led an effort to repair the original lens, which remains in use today.
When one considers the history of this area — the French, the Spanish, the American Civil War and World War II, it is remarkable that such a place is still operating and serving marine interests after all these years — ghosts or not!
If You Go