The haunted Plymouth Lighthouse was originally built in 1769 at the mouth of Plymouth Bay in Massachusetts. The original structure had two towers lit with oil lamps, being built on the property of its eventual lighthouse keepers, John and Hannah Thomas. Hannah became a very capable lighthouse keeper herself, as John went off to the Revolutionary War and was killed in battle. In fact, she became the first woman lighthouse keeper in America!
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Old photo of the twin towers of Plymouth Lighthouse that once stood
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1970s aerial view of the Plymouth Lighthouse that once stood
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Photo of the haunted lighthouse from the late 1990s
Some believe Hannah still resides at the location still today, even though the original Plymouth Lighthouse was lost to fire and rebuilt in 1803 with a new building and even taller twin towers. 1843 saw both towers reconstructed, and by 1924, the northeast tower was removed, as it was no longer needed. The haunted Plymouth Lighthouse south tower has continued to operate since that time, but today is automated (1986). However, in 1998 the lighthouse had to be moved due to fear of losing the structure due to erosion.
A professional lighthouse photographer and his wife decided to spend the night at the haunted location, choosing to sleep in a house adjacent to the light. He awakened in the night to find the upper half of a woman floating above his sleeping wife and staring at her! The apparition was in period-dress, and had long, dark, flowing hair. Could this woman have been the original owner and keeper, Hannah Thomas? Some believe so...
Several photos of the haunted Plymouth Lighthouse on this page: The first is an aerial view; the second is the lighthouse being moved in 1998; and the third is an old photograph of the two towers before the northeast tower was removed: