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Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico is noted more for its Mardi Gras celebration, cool jazz and Creole food than lighthouses, yet is home to a haunted lighthouse with Civil War connections.

Gone and Almost Forgotten
Sabine Pass Light – Louisiana

The legend of Sabine Pass Light begins during the Civil War when Union solders successfully routed and destroyed Fort Sabine. Later, Confederate troops defeated them, forcing the Union soldiers to flee the island.

Cannonball fire hit and shattered a portion of the lens during the heat of battle. Lighthouse Keeper, Granger repaired the lens by gluing the front and back covers of his bible to the broken portions of the lens, and spirited the lens to the safety of Sabine Pass, where it remained hidden until the end of the war.

In 1886, a hurricane so strong that it sent a surge of water nearly twenty miles inland, hit the island killing hundreds of people and practically destroyed Sabine Pass, leaving only the tower standing.

According to legend, the ghost of a soldier killed in the Battle of Sabine Pass haunts this site; however, one keeper asked to be discharged from his duties when he reported seeing the ghost of a man wearing what appeared to be a former keeper’s uniform. Several people reported seeing this man, causing the Lighthouse Service to discontinue assigning keepers to this light.

When the service notified Keeper Steven Purgley that the light would be extinguished and the tower torn down, Purgley became so angry that he started the Sabine Pass Lighthouse Association, insisting that the Lighthouse Service keep the lighthouse standing.

This lighthouse eventually became the property of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, and was auctioned off for a paltry $55,000 in 1986 to two business executives who wanted to turn it into a restaurant and yacht club.

Nothing was ever done to preserve this historic lighthouse and it remains deserted to this day, however, reports of a ghostly presence still exist.

Marianne L. Kelly

Marianne L. Kelly, a former chef, is a freelance journalist, editor, web content writer, and lighthouse enthusiast. She has written three themed main cookbooks one of which features America’s most haunted lighthouses that includes regional recipes. Marianne is currently working on a third cookbook that follows each season with stories, poems, thoughts and sayings along with healthy recipes from the bounty of each season. She works with a web designer writing original content on many subjects and re-writing existing content, and is available for hire. For more information visit http://www.strawintogold.weebly.com and http://www.hauntedlighthouses.yolasite.com