After being used as target practice in World War II and then later vandalized, the Waugoshance Lighthouse is no longer in service. However, the structure has a ghost tale to share. In this article, you will learn more about this lighthouse and another located in Harrisville, Michigan.
Waugoshance Lighthouse
Many lighthouse enthusiasts and historians take pleasure in retelling the tale of the ghost story associated with the Waugoshance Lighthouse. The structure is located in the northeast end of Lake Michigan with a history that traces back to 1832 when it was used as a lightship. It wasn’t until 1851 that the attraction was transformed into a real lighthouse.
The ghost behind the Waugoshance Lighthouse tale is thought to have belonged to a former lighthouse worker named John. One night, he was in a drunken state and looked for a way to play a practical joke on some of his fellow workers. He wound up locking one of his assistants in the lamp room. Pleased with this, John then went somewhere away from the lighthouse. He was intoxicated at the time and no one reported seeing him again ever since that night. He simply walked away and disappeared.
Following his disappearance, odd events started to take place around Waugoshance. For starters, if any of the lightkeepers fell asleep while on the job, they found that their chair was knocked from underneath them. Everyday tasks were affected. Sometimes coal buckets became filled unexpectedly.
Since the paranormal activity took place on a frequent basis, the lighthouse found it hard to keep people staffed. This is why a house at White Shoals was constructed and the ghost was left to haunt Waugoshance as it pleased. Others say that the new structure was built to avoid the ghosts, while others say the former lighthouse was old and needed to be replaced. Although Waugoshance is one of the oldest lights on the lakes, a lot of historical records have been lost over the years.
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
No one is sure who is behind the haunting at the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse that is located close to Harrisville, Michigan. The spirit that has decided to stay behind at the structure has a habit of turning on the lights whenever someone shuts them off. The original Sturgeon Point Lighthouse had a small sixth order Fresnel lens located in the lantern room. In 1889, a new, larger third and a half order lens were installed in its place.
The larger, brighter light has been used during the haunting of the station , a ghost thought to be behind the mysterious turning on and off of the lights.
Today, the keeper’s house is an attractive cape cod structure that has been turned into a museum managed by the Alcona County Historical Society. However, the volunteers of the site have had a hard time keeping the lights turned off. At night when they leave for the night, they will turn off the lights. In the following morning, the lights are found brightly lit. Research was conducted on the light for a book written by Frederick Stonehouse. He claimed that one of the lights in the display case would turn on numerous times by itself after being turned off.