Those of you who are new to this blog, I want to warn you of the sometimes creepy and astonishingly real stories of the abandoned and haunted places of New England. Through my many years of living in New England and visiting many of these locations I can confidently say that it has to be one of the most haunted areas in the world. Previous posts go from anywhere before the creation of the United States to the late 1990’s. Though I have not visited all of the locations I will talk about, I have visited the majority of them. And with that, let’s get to it!

New England Lighthouses: The Ghosts of New London Ledge

Image of the lighthouse at sea.

This abandoned site is pretty much as Scooby Doo like as it gets. This site is an abandoned lighthouse from the early 20th century. This lighthouse as you’ll see in the photos was actually a three story. house on the water with a lighthouse attached. It sits there anchored to the floor of the water in its solitude. It was created due to Henry Hobart demanding the need for extra light on the eerily dark Long Island Sound at night. He wanted to ensure protections for boaters but also mariners along the area. Almost six decades later, the Lighthouse Board started construction in 1890 and finished in 1909.

Interior of the housing portion of the lighthouse

The lighthouse included a storage cellar, engine room, cistern, kitchen, sitting room, workrooms, and bedrooms. It had functioning plumbing and necessary utilities to live on the sea for years at a time. It would only be in use by the 3-4 crewmen until 1939 due to extraordinary circumstances leading to the Coast Guard to take over.

Over the years, many strange occurrences took place. Including but not limited to doors opening and closing, cups flying, bedsheets thrown off the bed, television and radio being turned on in the middle of the night, the fog horn starting on its own, and yes the occasional appearance from a ominously ghostly bearded man in a slicker. His name was Ernie. Ernie was rumored to be an early lighthouse keeper and after a fight with his girlfriend decided to leave this earth by means of the New London Ledge Lighthouse into the sea. He then became an eternal spirit to the location. Two psychics in the 1980’s claimed to have rescued the soul, however, years afterwards there are still claims of unexplainable events occurring at the lighthouse.

Pictures 2 New London Ledge Lighthouse, New London Connecticut

Photo of the rec room of the lighthouse.

This site is open to the public through tours, so it isn’t technically abandoned, but it is very much so haunted. The idea of being at sea on this man made island in solitude is enough to make me shiver. If Ernie didn’t get to you I am sure the loneliness would. If you chose to visit this location I wouldn’t be too concerned about injury because it has been kept up by the Coast Guard and organized in groups. I would definitely still recommend it.

As always, good luck!