Do you believe in ghosts? The St. Augustine Lighthouse is a beacon to warn ships of the shore. At night, its light shines brightly over the bay and pans the city behind it while making its rounds. It is a beacon of light for ships and a guide to all those seeking the paranormal world. Multiple tales of tragedy surround the lighthouse. These tragedies and alleged ghost sightings inspired my fiction story, The Lighthouse, published at Coffee House Writers in October 2020.

The current St. Augustine lighthouse is not the first to shine over the dark waters. The first collapsed into the bay due to shoreline erosion. Therefore, construction began in 1871 to erect a new structure further inland. It was not completed until 1874. Hezekiah Pittee was the superintendent and arrived to oversee the building’s construction during this time. According to the official history, his family consisted of ‘his wife Mary and their children, Mary Adelaide, Eliza, Edward and Carrie.’ Their arrival would mark the beginning of one of the worst tragedies to occur on the grounds.

The Pittee girls were spirited and enjoyed playing with the workers’ children who lived on the grounds. Mary, Eliza, Carrie, and an unknown worker’s daughter frequently entertained themselves with their favorite game. A rail was built to move the supplies from the ships to the work site. Supply carts carried the tools, work items, and occasionally four little girls.

The work site was their playground, but they favored their game with the carts. They would pile into the supply cart and ride it from the lighthouse to the water’s edge. The wind would tear at their hair, and their screams of joy could be heard by everyone working. A single wooden barrier stopped the cart at the rail’s end, and their game was over. The girls would then drag it back to the top and hop back in for another ride.

According to Old City Ghosts, on July 10th, 1873, the girls rushed out and saw the empty supply cart. Excited, they gave it a running start and jumped in. They sailed toward the water as if the wind raced them. Their laughter filled the air. Faster and faster, the cart sped forward. Past the trees and, the worker’s houses, it flew. At the last moment, their screams of joy turned to terror. The four girls were forever silenced as the cart fell into the water. Someone did not replace the barrier at the water’s edge.

The water rushed to greet them as the heavy cart sunk above them, trapping the children beneath. One by one, the girls met their fate in a watery grave. Above, a worker saw them go under the water and jumped in after them. However, it was too late. Only one survived the accident. Carrie, the sole survivor, was only four years old. Heartbroken, Hezekiah and his remaining family left shortly after the tragedy to bury his children in Maine. 

It is said that although they are buried in Maine, the lighthouse is still their playground. The Dark Of The Moon Tour is a tour that the staff offers after lighthouse tours. During this tour, the guides tell the group that these are ‘their girls.’ They play hide and seek, run up and down the lighthouse, tug on shirts, and tie the shoelaces of unsuspecting guests. The staff feel no harm or worry about the strange occurrences. They claim that the girls are very playful and like the company of the visitors. In the parlor of the lighthouse, a single picture of the three girls sits on the fireplace as a memorial.

The Pittee girls are not the only tragedy to befall the lighthouse. During The Dark Of The Moon Tour, they talk about a woman named Maria. Her husband was the lighthouse keeper of the first lighthouse that collapsed. They lived happily together and enjoyed their days. One of the duties of a keeper was to whitewash the tower. On this day, Maria’s husband was hard at work to ensure the tower’s exterior was in top shape. However, the scaffolding broke, and he fell to his death. Distraught, Maria ran to the top of the lighthouse that night and screamed his name into the breeze from the bay. 

Maria took up the lighthouse keeper duties her husband left behind. She became the first female lighthouse keeper at the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The grounds were a happy place for the couple because they always looked after the lighthouse together. Although Maria mourned his death, she was determined to watch after the place. It was their lighthouse, and she would not allow it to fall into neglect. While she was the lighthouse keeper of the first lighthouse, she is also recognized as the first woman for the second.  

Local lore says Maria still wanders the grounds of St. Augustine’s lighthouse. The staff claimed to see a female spirit at the top of the new tower. She reportedly wears a long white dress with silky black locks cascading down her back and shoulders. The staff are not the only ones to see her. Several guests and locals have called the police because they see someone trapped at the top of the lighthouse after closing. When they arrive, there is no one there.

Maria has been spotted in other locations. She has also been reported in the gardens that surround the grounds. The gardens are overgrown, and visitors tend to get lost in the maze of dirt pathways. The walkways wind and turn through the tall grass and flowers. Guests claim to have encountered a woman with long black hair in a white period dress. She speaks to them about the history of the grounds and the buildings. They always talk about the mysterious white-clad woman when they meander to the gift show and leave, never realizing they have spoken to a dead woman. 

These are the ghosts written about in the fictional short story, The Lighthouse. The St. Augustine Lighthouse is one of the most haunted places in the world. If you are unsure of any of the stories or feel yourself to be a skeptic, go to the lighthouse after sunset during the Dark of the Moon Tour. As the moon rises, the lighthouse takes on a sinister tone. The shadows lengthen, and the ghosts come out to greet their guests.