Made operational in 1875, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse first illuminated the northern shores of the Outer Banks in Corolla, North Carolina. Left unpainted with exposed brick, the powerful light immediately began saving lives as it guided ships safely around shallow waters with its unique light pattern.
Rumors of Haunting
The two-story, quaint Victorian home found on the grounds was first erected in 1876 as the keeper's house and was used as such until 1939 when the light was automated. Originally, three keepers and their families lived on the grounds, sharing this residence. Eventually the building would fall into disrepair until it was restored anew, beginning in 1980. It is within this house that people claim haunting still occurs. Is it the ghost of a former keeper or family member who once lived here?
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Circa 1892 lighthouse photo
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The spiral stair, from the top of the light down...
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The spiral stair, looking up...
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The keeper's house at Currituck...
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View of the keeper's house from the light tower...
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The lamp and lens...
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Top of Currituck Lighthouse with visitors...
The north bedroom seems to be the epicenter of ghost activity. Some believe the ghost to possibly be young Sadie Johnson, a child of the first light keeper who tragically drowned while playing too near the water by herself. It was, of course, her bedroom on the north side. But, perhaps, she is not the spirit in question but a victim of whatever haunts this room.
More Behind the Haunted Bedroom Legacy
The north bedroom was also the place where a friend of the family came to stay, possibly permanently, it would seem. She took ill and passed in this very room. Might she haunt the lighthouse property? And if that were not enough reason to believe in ghosts at the Currituck Light, the final family that resided in the keeper's house before it was closed in the 1930s (well before its restoration 50 years later) is said to also have had misfortune occur while living there -- the wife of the last keeper dying of tuberculosis in the north bedroom. There is legend that workers who renovated the old building were afraid to step into the north bedroom for some unknown reason. It is believed that the knowledge of its former tragedies was hidden from them, so what made them afraid?
Could the untimely deaths woven into the history of the lighthouse in Corolla be just coincidence? Maybe -- but this is the lore that haunts the Currituck Light. And tales about such ghosts have possibly spooked those who have had the opportunity to visit the north room in recent times (it is not currently open for tour as it is used, today, as the groundskeeper/light keeper residence).
When we visited the site in 2014, we were told that the workers were not permitted to talk about the ghosts that may haunt the lighthouse; and the tourism was brisk. Who would want to risk frightening visitors away, afterall? We did get one gentleman who worked there to confirm the haunting of the home; but he was of the opinion that the lighthouse was also haunted by the ghost, or ghosts, of those who once kept the light lit for ships at night.