America's Haunted Lighthouses - Louisiana

Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico is noted more for itsAccording to legend, the ghost of a soldier killed in the
Mardi Gras celebration, cool jazz and Creole food thanBattle of Sabine Pass haunts this site; however, one
lighthouses, yet is home to a haunted lighthouse withkeeper asked to be discharged from his duties when
Civil War connections.he reported seeing the ghost of a man wearing what
Gone and Almost Forgottenappeared to be a former keeper's uniform. Several
Sabine Pass Light - Louisianapeople reported seeing this man, causing the
The legend of Sabine Pass Light begins during the CivilLighthouse Service to discontinue assigning keepers to
War when Union solders successfully routed andthis light.
destroyed Fort Sabine. Later, Confederate troopsWhen the service notified Keeper Steven Purgley that
defeated them, forcing the Union soldiers to flee thethe light would be extinguished and the tower torn
island.down, Purgley became so angry that he started the
Cannonball fire hit and shattered a portion of the lensSabine Pass Lighthouse Association, insisting that the
during the heat of battle. Lighthouse Keeper, GrangerLighthouse Service keep the lighthouse standing.
repaired the lens by gluing the front and back coversThis lighthouse eventually became the property of the
of his bible to the broken portions of the lens, andLouisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, and was
spirited the lens to the safety of Sabine Pass, where itauctioned off for a paltry $55,000 in 1986 to two
remained hidden until the end of the war.business executives who wanted to turn it into a
In 1886, a hurricane so strong that it sent a surge ofrestaurant and yacht club.
water nearly twenty miles inland, hit the island killingNothing was ever done to preserve this historic
hundreds of people and practically destroyed Sabinelighthouse and it remains deserted to this day,
Pass, leaving only the tower standing.however, reports of a ghostly presence still exist.