The Point Lookout Lighthouse is located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland — it’s situated where the Potomac River meets the Chesapeake Bay. It was built in 1830.
Point Lookout Lighthouse has been called America’s most haunted lighthouse — maybe because it was built on what later became the largest camp for Confederate prisoners of war. The camp was built in marshy surroundings and had tent housing in close quarters, all a dangerous combination. Smallpox, scurvy and dysentery ran rampant. The camp held more than 50,000 soldiers and between 3.000 and 8,000 died there.
Park rangers and visitors to the lighthouse report hearing snoring and footsteps, of having a sense of being watched, and feeling the floors shake and the air move as crowds of invisible beings pass by. A photograph of a former caretaker shows the misty figure of a young soldier leaning against the wall behind her. And a bedroom reportedly smelled like rotting flesh at night until the odor was publicly attributed to the spirits of the war prisoners.
Some of the more famous ghost encounters include…..
In December of 1977, ranger Gerald Sword was sitting in the lighthouse’s kitchen on a stormy night when a man’s face appeared at the back door. The man was young, with a floppy cap and a long coat, and peered into the bright room. Given the awful weather, Sword opened the door to let him in, but the young man floated backward until he vanished completely. After a bit of research, Sword believed he had been face-to-face with Joseph Haney, a young officer whose body had washed ashore after the steamboat he was on sank during a similar storm in 1878.
One of Point Lookout’s most frequent visitors is the apparition of a woman dressed in a long blue skirt and a white blouse who appears at the top of the stairs. She is believed to be Ann Davis, the wife of the first lighthouse keeper. Although her husband died shortly after he took the post, Ann remained as the keeper for the next 30 years, and according to inspection reports, was known for clean and well-kept grounds. Caretakers claim to hear her sighing heavily.
One former caretaker reported waking in the middle of the night to see a ring of lights dancing above her head. She smelled smoke and raced downstairs to find a space heater on fire. She believes that the lights were trying to protect her and the lighthouse from being consumed by flames.
Point Lookout’s reputation drew the attention of Hans Holzer, Ph.D. — a renowned parapsychologist, who tried to capture evidence of ghostly activity at the lighthouse. Holger and his team claimed to have recorded 24 different voices in all, both male and female, talking, laughing, and singing. Among their recordings, the group heard male voices saying “fire if they get too close,” “going home,” and more than a few obscenities.
The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1966, after 135 years of service. In 2002, the state of Maryland purchased it, and it is now open for tours and paranormal investigations. The lighthouse still has a steady stream of visitors — a lot of them are still alive…..
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