Spooky Travels: St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

Photo Credit: Brian J. Cano

After years of chasing legends across six continents — in Romania’s haunted castles, Iceland’s elf caves, searching for leprechauns, skywatching in Roswell, and sleeping in haunted hotels, ships, hospitals, and prisons — I’ve been fortunate to log a lot of tales, and a whole lot of miles. Driven by a relentless curiosity, and desire to connect people across cultures through a shared love of storytelling, I aim to share these adventures with this Spooky Travels column. And I invite you along for the journey.

The Location

St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

History

The St. Augustine Lighthouse on Anastasia Island has been a guiding light — literally and figuratively — through centuries of maritime history. It all started in the late 1500s when Spanish settlers built a wooden watchtower to keep an eye on incoming ships and defend the fledgling settlement. As the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the U.S., St. Augustine had a lot to protect.

By 1737, the Spanish upgraded to a coquina stone tower, a sturdier replacement that served as Florida’s first official lighthouse after the U.S. took control in 1821. But even stone wasn’t enough to fight coastal erosion, and by the mid-1800s, the structure was crumbling into the sea. A new, more resilient lighthouse was needed.

Construction of the current St. Augustine Lighthouse began in 1871 and wrapped up in 1874. Towering 165 feet over the shoreline, it was outfitted with a first-order Fresnel lens, cutting-edge tech for its time, allowing its light to reach more than 20 miles out to sea. Mariners could easily spot it thanks to its now-iconic black and white spiral pattern and red lantern room — distinctive features that still stand out today.

When St. Augustine became a tourist destination for wealthy northerners, due to railroads and hotels developed by Standard Oil’s Henry Flagler, visitors could take an excursion to the island for tea. A different kind of visitor arrived in 1942 during World War II when German U-Boat 123 was on its second patrol in American waters. Though Korvettsenkapitan Reinhard Hardegen, the U-Boat commander, ultimately targeted and torpedoed the SS Gulfamerica steam tanker — killing 19 — he did note the “slender lighthouse” in his logbook while on patrol.

Photo Credit: Brandon Palm

Haunted Reputation

A shadow figure has been seen darting about or peeking over the railings of the lighthouse. Some believe this is the spirit of Joseph Juan Andreu, keeper of the previous structure, who fell 60 feet to his death while whitewashing the lighthouse when his scaffolding collapsed in 1859. His wife, Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu, took over for her husband, and became the first Hispanic-American to both serve in the Coast Guard and command a federal shore installation. Her ghost has been witnessed at the top of the tower, appearing in a white dress. Padlocked doors in the building have been found inexplicably unlocked and open (without triggering alarms).

The lighthouse grounds are likewise said to be haunted, with some of the most famous being the spirits of three young girls — the Pittee Sisters and a still unidentified African American girl — who died in 1873 while playing in a supply cart that flipped and pinned them under water. Some believe they continue to giggle and play a spectral game of hide-and-seek in the area. Additionally, the scent of freshly-lit cigars, belonging to the ghost of a former lighthouse keeper, can be smelled in the keeper’s house. And then there is “The Man,” an imposing presence in the basement of the house that leaves some visitors with a sense of unease or even dread.

Experiencer Stories

As a Central Florida native, I have always had a great fondness for St. Augustine. From school trips, to Boy Scout outings, family jaunts to see the Christmas lights, and ultimately the location where I attended my undergrad studies at Flagler College, I’ve spent a lot of time in the United States’ oldest, continuously inhabited city. I even made a sugar cube model of the Castillo de San Marcos Spanish fort for a grammar school project (though I suspect my dad did a lot of the work on that while I was eating the dyed-green shredded coconut intended as grass). When I graduated from Flagler, I ended up giving an informal ghost tour of the area to my family whilst still in my cap and gown. 

So it felt like a spooky homecoming of sorts when I started getting booked into paranormal events to investigate the lighthouse. Over the course of multiple events, I felt the strange presence in the basement of the keeper’s house, and the bizarre sensations in the trees surrounding the lighthouse (which I suspect might have some elemental connection). But it was September 2021 when I had the truly head-scratching experience during one of Amy Bruni’s Strange Escapes events. 

Myself and Juwan Mass of The Ghost Brothers were leading groups of event attendees through the lighthouse for about an hour each. The sun had set, but it was still incredibly warm, and the Florida humidity was reducing us to a puddle every time we closed the lighthouse doors to make the space dark, and reduce outside noise. After each round of investigations, I’d hoof it up the 219 spiral steps of the structure to make certain we didn’t have any stragglers trying to get into the locked observation deck. We were getting some hits on various devices, and some people were feeling uneasy in the space (which may have been due to the oppressive humidity), but it was overall quiet. Then, in between one of the group rotations, Juwan and I were knocking back bottles of water outside, when we heard the chirping of a REM Pod inside — which I had set, and forgotten about, at least four landings up. After remaining relatively quiet, hence the reason I forgot about it, it was going nuts. 

Juwan looks at me, and I return the expression, as if both of us were wondering, “Are you screwing with me?” But no. After a few moments of this, I went inside and the vibe had shifted. It was electric, and creepy. In the dark, I ascended one set of steps, then the landing, another set of steps, another landing — all the while listening to the device scream. As I approached the landing where it was set, the device went deadly silent. And I found myself in total darkness on the landing. 

The REM Pod is a proximity detector that emits an electromagnetic field around the “pod” base, and can have temperature detection. Its sensors are activated when something disturbs the field, or there are noticeable fluctuations in temp. So what could have triggered this? Sure, these devices can be sensitive to walkie talkies, or cell signals, and can get testy when the batteries are dying. But none of that applied here as there was enough shielding and distance from anything nearby. And since there weren’t any humans in the lighthouse, and presumably a rodent didn’t emerge to crawl around the device, this was quite peculiar. 

I decided to leave the REM Pod in place, and began descending the spiral stairs once more to meet up with Juwan outside, and our next batch of investigators. As I did so, I felt a distinct heaviness behind me, and heard footsteps on the metal landings above. I wasn’t pushed, per se, but there was a feeling that was being escorted back down, as if I shouldn’t be there. When I was further down, almost to the base, the REM Pod that had fallen silent once again chirped and sounded off before dying down again. For the rest of the night, it would occasionally trigger, but not to that extent or length of time.

Photo Credit: Away

Grave Essentials

As you join me for my spooky adventures, I’ll be sharing suggestions along the way about some of my grave essentials that I consider a must for travel. I don’t receive compensation for these recommendations, and my opinions are based solely on road-testing gear that holds up. To kick things off, before you set off on your own paranormal road trip, you’re going to need a bag you can trust. This is immensely important. Now I don’t judge if you have to check a bag — sometimes it’s unavoidable — but I try to keep it to a carry-on situation. Especially if I have multiple flight connections, I can keep the bag with me. Plus, a carry-on guarantees that my luggage won’t be unwieldy when it’s late at night, I’m bleary-eyed in an airport, and trying to get to a rideshare or find my hotel. I make it a rule not to pack more than I can manage on my own, so if it fits within the carry-on, it’s all good.

With that in mind, I recommend the Bigger Carry-On Flex from Away. I have been testing this one out for nearly a year, and it has become a trusted travel companion. The classic Away carry-ons fit in most overhead spaces on U.S. airlines, and this is no different. However, this version gets to flex a bit with a wraparound expandable zipper for when you might need to check a bag (and you’ve gained a couple inches around the middle on your trip). The hardshell, 360° wheels, and a surprisingly handy underside grab handle makes this durable, as well as easy to manage on your own. I also enjoy the interior compression system. The $345 price tag is reasonable considering the peace of mind you get with the Bigger Carry-On Flex (although I fully admit I have my eye on the Aluminum version for my next luggage purchase). And as a bonus, travel stickers adhere quite nicely to the Away bag.

Photo Credit: https://www.sarbezstaug.com/

What Else To See

While you’re in St. Augustine near the lighthouse, check out Sarbez!, a local food spot down the road that features an extensive menu of grilled cheese sandwiches. Personally, I’m partial to the “This Is Why I’m Hot” sammy because it carries a kick of sriracha, pepper jack cheese, and jalapenos. Plus the name itself is a bit of an ego boost. You can also build your own grilled cheese. Sarbez also has an excellent selection of craft beer, 12 pinball games — including Ghostbusters, naturally — and is a venue for live music. Overall it’s a chill and fun/funky vibe to get a taste or two of the St. Augustine personality.

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Got a haunted hideaway, eerie encounter, or ghostly getaway we should know about? Send your spooky travel tips, and tales (along with gear and food/drink recs) to Contact@SpookyTravels.com