Haunted America: Point Lookout House
By: Rob Lefebvre, Anchor Staff
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Lifestyles
No series about haunted places is complete without at least one haunted lighthouse.
Point Lookout Lighthouse, located in St. Mary's County in Maryland at the mouth of the Potomac River, is rumored to be haunted. It has been the subject of many paranormal investigations through the years.
In 1825, the government decided that a lighthouse needed to be built by the Potomac to show ships the entrance to it as well as warn them of the shoals in the area. After much deliberation over purchasing the land and who would be named its keeper, construction finally began in 1830. The lighthouse was officially opened on September 20 of that year.
The first keeper was James Davis, appointed by President Andrew Jackson. His time spent at the lighthouse did not last long as he died on December 3 that year. His daughter Ann Davis took over his duties. She was well praised for her work in caring for the lighthouse. She died in 1847.
William Wood took over as keeper of the lighthouse but was unable to live up to the former keeper's reputation. He caused several accidents at the lighthouse, including breaking several of the light's mirrors and having a cat fall into the lantern oil barrel, therefore contaminating the supply and necessitating its replacement.
The lighthouse saw many more keepers after that, as well as upgrades and improvements, having the lamp replaced with a Fresnel Lens. Later, a fog bell tower was added and a second floor was added to the building itself.
In 1964, the state of Maryland and the Navy took possession of Point Lookout Lighthouse. Two years later, the light was extinguished. Civilians continued to live in the house until 1981. The property is still owned by the Navy but they allow a few days every year for tours and paranormal investigations.
Ever since the light had been deactivated, there has been an inquiry as to whether the lighthouse was haunted. The person living there at the time was Gerald "Gerry" Sword. He wrote down notes of some events that he was unable to explain. Some of these events ranged from loud voices he heard in the night, especially during storms, to footsteps constantly being heard in the hallway, to hearing a sound that resembled snoring in the kitchen, and many other strange occurrences.
Point Lookout Lighthouse, located in St. Mary's County in Maryland at the mouth of the Potomac River, is rumored to be haunted. It has been the subject of many paranormal investigations through the years.
In 1825, the government decided that a lighthouse needed to be built by the Potomac to show ships the entrance to it as well as warn them of the shoals in the area. After much deliberation over purchasing the land and who would be named its keeper, construction finally began in 1830. The lighthouse was officially opened on September 20 of that year.
The first keeper was James Davis, appointed by President Andrew Jackson. His time spent at the lighthouse did not last long as he died on December 3 that year. His daughter Ann Davis took over his duties. She was well praised for her work in caring for the lighthouse. She died in 1847.
William Wood took over as keeper of the lighthouse but was unable to live up to the former keeper's reputation. He caused several accidents at the lighthouse, including breaking several of the light's mirrors and having a cat fall into the lantern oil barrel, therefore contaminating the supply and necessitating its replacement.
The lighthouse saw many more keepers after that, as well as upgrades and improvements, having the lamp replaced with a Fresnel Lens. Later, a fog bell tower was added and a second floor was added to the building itself.
In 1964, the state of Maryland and the Navy took possession of Point Lookout Lighthouse. Two years later, the light was extinguished. Civilians continued to live in the house until 1981. The property is still owned by the Navy but they allow a few days every year for tours and paranormal investigations.
Ever since the light had been deactivated, there has been an inquiry as to whether the lighthouse was haunted. The person living there at the time was Gerald "Gerry" Sword. He wrote down notes of some events that he was unable to explain. Some of these events ranged from loud voices he heard in the night, especially during storms, to footsteps constantly being heard in the hallway, to hearing a sound that resembled snoring in the kitchen, and many other strange occurrences.
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