St. Augustine, Florida is oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the United States. In addition to being the home of the Fountain of Youth, St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, The Pirate and Treasure Museum, and several love trees, it is home of the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Originally a Spanish watchtower built in the 1500s, the a brick structure began construction in 1871 and was completed in 1874. A the current tower was built before the first succumbed to a storm in the 1800s. The tower is the oldest brick structure in the United States. And it is reported to be haunted.
Oddly enough, there are no recorded death-on-duty of any keepers falling from the. It is people connected with the property who have died due to accidents and have remaind in their afterlife.
Some of the most often seen ghosts are children. During the building of the first lighthouse the children of the lightkeeper and the workmen liked to ride in a rail cart that was used to move materials and supplies from the edge of the dock up to the construction site. Five children were riding it down to the dock when the doc colapsed, dumping them them into the ocean. The workmen mounted a rescue effort, but unfortunately three of the children died. It is said that their ghosts are the ones heard giggling and looking out of the windows of the lighthouse as they continue to play.
Child spirits aren’t the only ones who are sensed. Poltergeist activity has been described. A fire broke out while the lighthouse was unoccupied. Scaffolds used in restoration collapsed for no apparent reason. Music boxes are said to start playing without anyone turning them on. The scent of cigar smoke lingers in the air, despite no one having lit up. A man in a gray uniform is seen in walking in various areas. Footsteps are heard in the upper areas when there is no one there.
The lighthouse has appeard on the show Ghost Hunters. During their investigation, the hosts spotted a shadow looking at them from above. They ran after the figure, that fled them, chasing it all the way to the door at the top. They found no one and no one passed them on the way down. Lights and voices without sources were also witnessed.
Unlike some places, St. Augustine Lighthouse embraces it’s haunted reputation. The Dark of the Moon Tour features the hauntings and gives you a chance to hunt ghosts yourself.
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