The Old Presque Isle Light

This lighthouse was built in 1840, and saw service until around 1866, when an inspection revealed that the keeper's quarters were in such bad shape that they required a complete rebuild. Rather than rebuild the quarters, a new light was proposed in a different location with better visibility. When I used to visit this light as a young kid, the museum and light were kept by a large man with a big black bushy beard and his wife. I have several memories of the couple, and the man especially, and the museum. On one visit, the man let me operate a large brass and wood hand pumped fog horn.







Several years later, on one visit, we learned that the man had passed away, and his wife had an interesting story for us. Throughout their marriage, whenever the wife left the house after dark, her husband would leave the front light on in their house for her return. A few days after his funeral, his wife had to leave the house after dark to run some errands. When she returned home, there was a light burning at the top of the lighthouse. She quickly ran up the stairs of the lighthouse, but when she reached the top, there was no light on, and the bulb was cold. She went down the stairs, made sure the switch was off, and locked the door. The following day, she recieved a visit from the Coast Guard. The light coming on was a navigational hazard, as it could confuse boat captains, and cause a wreck. The Coast Guard men went up to the top of the light, and removed the lightbulb from the lamp. The following evening, the wife again went out after dark, to visit some friends who had offered to cook her dinner. When she came from dinner, she found a light burning at the top of the light again. Again, she ran up stairs, and found that not only was there no light on, there was no light bulb in the light. Puzzled, she walked downstairs, and closed and locked the door. The following day, the Coast Guard again visited her, and this time cut the power line running to the light house, and padlocked the door. That very same night, she was again invited to visit a friend's house for dinner. When she returned after dark, there was a light burning at the top of the light house for the third time. She knew the power was cut, and she knew the door was padlocked, but she walked to the door, and checked the lock. It was intact, and had not been tampered with. It was then that she remembered that her husband had promised her that whenever she returned to the house after dark, he would leave a light on for her.

This is the only ghost story that I really believe 100%, although there are hundreds in the Great Lakes that I don't rule out entirely. I think part of my belief comes from the fact that I knew both the husband and the wife, and that I've been visiting this light for almost my entire life. In any case, enjoy the pictures!





If you follow this link, you'll find a history of the old Light. Near the bottom of the page, it mentions the recent history of the light, including the couple I was talking about in the ghost story, although the story itself is not told.