Lighthouse Ghosts: 13 Bona Fide Apparitions Standing Watch over America's Shores

by Norma Elizabeth Butterworth-McKittrick, Bruce Roberts

The mystic nature of a lighthouse almost requires embodiment beyond its structure. And what could be more romantic and chilling than a haunting? Lighthouse Ghosts contains 13 stories of bona fide apparitions standing watch over Americas shores that will satisfy your craving for the supernatural. Historical details about each lighthouse, the keepers and their families, and the events that changed their lives forever provide chilling context for these haunted tales. Accompanying photographs by award-winning photographer Bruce Roberts bring the ghosts vivid stories to life.

Genres: Ghost Stories, Nonfiction, History

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1999

Reviews

[Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good light read. Perfect to read one little chapter before bed. I’ve always enjoyed ghost stories and this book didn’t disappoint. I also liked all of the extra information that they included about the lighthouses.

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the millions of people who have fallen under the magical spell of America's lighthouses this is a book that really belongs on your shelf. The author has filled this book with not only ghost stories but also the history and personality of thirteen of America's most beautiful lighthouses. For the ghost enthusiast however, this will be light reading at best.

The ghost stories to be found in this book are interesting but are lacking in detail. There are some recent eyewitness accounts, which are always good, but the author seems to lack any real feeling for her subject. Each story is treated as a lighthearted story told just for fun instead of being a factual account of a real haunting. The words "maybe" and "perhaps" appear far to often in this book.

One chapter deals with the haunted light of Presque Isle, which has come under recent scrutiny. Some scientists have accounted for the mysterious light from a very explainable source but their investigation raised more questions than it answered. Apparently some very strange things happened while this team was at the lighthouse and while they could explain the light, they couldn't explain the other phenomena. Another chapter deals with the Hatteras sightings of the ghost of Theodosia Burr. The story is well told and more than one version of legend is presented but the author plays somewhat fast and loose with the historical facts concerning Burr's famous father. Another chapter deals with a pipe smoking ghost that suddenly changes to a cigar smoker at the end of the story. This is something that the editor should have caught.

Overall this is an interesting book and it can easily be read in one sitting. Lighthouse lovers will be far more enchanted with the book than will ghost hunters but even the ghostly crowd will find some good background information here. Best of all, at the end of each chapter there are directions to the site along with an address and sometimes a web site. It wasn't what I was hoping for but my time and money weren't wasted at all.

[Vicki G · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay.

A little number I picked up for Halloween. I always read about true-life experiences with ghosts during the month of October.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some short and sweet little stories that desperately need an editor.

[Vickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like ghost this book will make you want to visit the lighthouses. It has a lot of good info and history about 13 of the many lighthouses.