Thrill-seekers looking for a ghostly-getaway this Halloween will not be disappointed when they visit Maryland’s Point Lookout Lighthouse in the town of Scotland, widely considered to be home to the most haunted lighthouse in the history of America. Built in 1830, the lighthouse is based in what is now Point Lookout State Park, near what was once an old hospital and the largest prison camp for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

Over 4,000 graves have been found near and under the site where the lighthouse now stands – harbouring a minefield of paranormal activity. A number of active spirits are said to still live in the lighthouse, which went dark 45 years ago. Sightings of ghosts, some still in their uniform, are common in the main lighthouse, its secret basement and on the surrounding land. It is said that the moans and cries of the prisoners and patients from times gone by can still be heard, even by passing ships. Doors will open and close without visible reason, and people can still hear footsteps, voices and even snoring inside the lighthouse.

Common sightings of ghosts include Ann Davies, the widowed wife of the lighthouse’s first keeper (and a keeper herself), who is often seen wearing a long blue dress and white blouse, while saying “this is my home”. Other obscure happenings and sightings include the passing of several vanishing ghosts, surprising foul odours and even random dancing lights before a fire. Joseph Haney, another commonly sighted ghost who appears before every storm, was an officer on a ship which wrecked offshore in 1878, whose body drifted onto the lighthouse rocks. Park rangers have reported seeing his ghost, still in blue and white uniform complete with brass buttons, standing near the lighthouse door with hair stringy and wet as if he’d just come out of the sea.

Set in a contrastingly spectacular location, Point Lookout sits on a peninsula at the junction of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Today the completely serene park consists of lovely stretches of beach, and dense fields of loblolly pine trees. Brave travellers can camp overnight in these spooky fields, go fishing, take a boat out on the river, or even find out more about the site’s paranormal and Civil War history at the park’s Civil War Museum.

To find out more about Point Lookout Lighthouse, visit www.ptlookoutlighthouse.com

To find out more about Maryland and the Capital Region USA, visit www.CapitalRegionUSA.co.uk

- ends -

Press enquiries to Jo Thomas / Lisa Cooper at KBC PR & Marketing

jo.thomas@kbc-pr.com / lisa.cooper@kbc-pr.com / Tel: 01825 763636