ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Just in time for the Halloween season, Planet Cruise has released its list of “The World’s Most Haunted Hotspots.”
The ranking examines historical sites, old houses, hotels, cemeteries and more, using factors like Tripadvisor ratings and the number of mentions for keywords like “Haunted,” “Spooky,” and “Scary” to figure out which locations placed on top.
Worldwide, Mary King’s Close (No. 1) in the United Kingdom and Eastern State Penitentiary (No. 2) in Philadelphia made the top cut.
However, one Florida destination managed to find a spot high on the ranking: the St. Augustine Lighthouse at No. 5.
Built in 1871 and standing 165 feet tall, the lighthouse sits on Anastasia Island along the Salt Run River. And thanks to its long history, it’s garnered over half a dozen different ghost stories.
“The oldest lighthouse in the US, visitors have reported hearing giggling in the woods at night, and seeing a shadowy figure inside the lighthouse,” the report reads. “Three of the ghosts said to haunt the site are people who drowned in the waters while playing outside the lighthouse in the 1800s.”
Those three ghosts stem from the tale of the “Pittee Girls” — a trio of young sisters who lived nearby while their father oversaw the lighthouse’s construction.
Their untimely deaths were tragic, but their story is only one of many that give the lighthouse its haunted reputation.
Below are just three of the ghost stories spanning the lighthouse’s long history, as told by the staff who maintain it nowadays.
“FOREVER AT PLAY”
Story of the Pittee Girls
The sisters’ father — Hezekiah Pittee — was tasked with overseeing the lighthouse’s construction in 1871, causing him to move his family from Maine down to Anastasia Island.
While living there, the sisters (despite being forbidden from doing so by their father) would often use the lighthouse construction site as their own personal playground.
At the time, a railway track and cart were used to transport building supplies to the lighthouse from supply ships, though the girls instead opted to use it as a kind of rollercoaster.
“The children often hopped into the cart by the lighthouse, released the brake and rode down the tracks, shrieking with delight until they caught sight of the shoreline,” a modern guide from the lighthouse reads. “One could then pull the brakes again and bring the cart to a stop before reaching the ocean. While the cart wasn’t in use, the children could easily roll it back up to the construction site and ride again and again.”
But on one fateful day in 1873, the girls — this time accompanied by an African American maid — hopped in the cart for yet another ride. It wasn’t until it was too late that the girls realized the brake was malfunctioning.
As a result, the iron cart derailed at the end of the tracks and flipped upside-down into the water, dragging the girls with it. A construction worker who saw what happened jumped into the water to save them, though he was only able to rescue the 4-year-old Carrie. The other three riders drowned at the site.
The two Pittee sisters Eliza and Carrie were buried in their hometown in Maine, though the legend says that their mischievous spirits still linger at the lighthouse.
According to lighthouse staff, the girls’ ghosts have been known to tie visitors’ shoelaces together, mess with glowsticks given out during tours, and even play games like hide-and-seek or duck-duck-goose.
“THE WOMAN IN WHITE”
Story of Maria Andreu
This ghost story stems from 1859, when then-lighthouse keeper Joseph Andreu — atop some scaffolding near the top of the tower — was giving the lighthouse a new coat of paint.
However, the scaffolding broke out beneath him, sending him plummeting around 30 feet down. His neck snapped on impact with the oil house roof below, and he was dead before even hitting the ground.
Andreu’s wife (Maria) and children reportedly saw the fall. That night, after news of his death broke, Maria climbed the steps of the lighthouse, filled with grief and unsure about what was going to happen to their family.
Facing the ocean, Maria shouted out, “What shall I do?”
In response, a familiar voice replied, “Tend the light!”
Believing the voice to be her husband, she did as she was told and established herself as the fourth female lighthouse keeper in Florida (as well as the first Hispanic person to join the U.S. Coast Guard).
About a year later, the Civil War broke out, and Maria supposedly helped Confederates remove the Fresnel lens from the lighthouse and hide it to obstruct Union ships off the coast. She later moved to Georgia and retired.
While not much is known about Maria’s death, the legend tells that her spirit haunts the lighthouse, drawn by her devotion to her work and husband. According to lighthouse staff, some have reported seeing a “woman in white” standing near the lighthouse, watching the ocean for endangered ships.
“THE SHADOW KEEPER”
Story of Peter Rasmusson
Near the end of the 19th century, Peter Rasmusson — a sailor from Denmark — became the head keeper at the lighthouse (and eventually the longest-serving keeper). This was around the time that a huge wave of tourism swept through the region.
As a result, Rasmusson and other lighthouse keepers were responsible for providing tours of the lighthouse (in addition to Rasmusson’s other duties managing the St. Augustine Light Station).
Overwhelmed by the thousands of tourists coming through annually, Rasmusson reportedly would often seek respite in the Keeper’s House basement, where he could avoid the crowds of visitors flocking the site.
But by 1921, his wife succumbed to illness, and Rasmusson left his position around three years later. After retiring, he left the lighthouse and moved to the mainland, as he could no longer stand to live there without her. He eventually passed away in 1925 and was buried beside his wife beneath a joint tombstone.
Nowadays, lighthouse staff say that the basement of the Keeper’s House is “one of the most active locations for paranormal activity” at the site.
“Many feel a very different energy downstairs, often describing it as heavy or unsettling. Some report dizziness or nausea, and a few even refuse to remain inside and hurry back up the stairs,” a guide reads. “The strange occurrences on the north side of the basement are what lead many to believe that Peter’s spirit remains at the Keeper’s House.”
However, staff members at the lighthouse explained that much of the “paranormal activity” involves two wooden chairs in the basement that aren’t original to the home and were never even seen by Rasmusson. Despite that, some visitors who sit in them claim to have witnessed his spirit.
“Women will sometimes feel their hair or legs being stroked by an unseen hand. If one is especially rude while seated, Peter may become slightly more aggressive, occasionally knocking hats and sunglasses from heads. But Peter doesn’t stop there. In an even more unsettling scenario, an employee seeking to antagonize Peter said he felt two strong hands shove them hard in the back, pushing them face-first to the basement floor.”
“Ghost Tales and Dark of the Moon” Guide
The St. Augustine Lighthouse still comes on at night, as it’s now used as a privately-owned navigational aid under the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum nonprofit.
There are several other ghostly legends associated with the old lighthouse, and visitors who want to investigate are in luck, as the St. Augustine Lighthouse allows in-person tours.
According to its website, admission to the lighthouse allows guests to explore the tower and get a better look at the Keeper’s House.
In addition, the lighthouse hosts guided tours, including a “Dark of the Moon Ghost Tour” that takes guests through the tower at night.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the lighthouse’s website here.
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