The Great Lakes are home to more than 240 lighthouses — more than any other region in the world. Built to protect sailors from treacherous reefs, storms, and shifting shoals, these monuments have also become haunting echoes of the past.
Michigan's 4 most haunted lighthouses
1. Seul Choix Point Lighthouse
One of the most famous haunted lighthouses is Seul Choix Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Built in the late 1800s, it’s said to be haunted by its longtime keeper, Captain Joseph Willie Townsend, who died there in 1910. Visitors and staff report the scent of his cigar smoke lingering in empty rooms, rocking chairs moving on their own, and heavy footsteps echoing in the tower when no one is inside. Some claim to have seen Townsend’s apparition gazing out toward the lake, still keeping watch over the waves he once guided sailors through.
2. Big Bay Point Lighthouse
Further south, on the western shore of Lake Superior, stands the Big Bay Point Lighthouse near Marquette. This red brick structure, now a bed-and-breakfast, carries a grim legend. The assistant keeper reportedly took his own life after a falling out with the head keeper. Guests and staff have since reported doors opening and closing by themselves, glowing lights in empty rooms, and the sound of boots pacing the tower stairs late at night. Even skeptics admit that the lighthouse has an uncanny energy once it gets dark.
3. The White River Light Station
The White River Light Station, near Whitehall on Lake Michigan was built in 1876 to mark the channel between White Lake and Lake Michigan. The White River Light Station has stood as a steadfast guardian for nearly 150 years. Its first keeper, Captain William Robinson, tended the light faithfully for 44 years until his death inside the lighthouse. Locals say that he and his wife, Sarah, never truly left. Visitors and staff have reported unexplained footsteps, faint voices, and doors that open or close on their own, as if the devoted couple still watches over the tower and its 38-foot beacon, keeping it shining across the lake.
4. Presque Isle Lighthouse
Another eerie legend comes from Presque Isle Lighthouse on Lake Huron. The original keeper’s wife, Emily, was said to have loved the light so dearly that after her death, locals began seeing the beacon mysteriously shining at night — even though the lantern had been dismantled. To this day, some claim to see her spectral figure inside the tower windows, ensuring that ships find their way home.
These haunted lighthouses remind us that the Great Lakes, for all their beauty, have always been places of peril and devotion. The spirits said to dwell in these towers seem bound not by fear or malice, but by duty. These are the stories of lighthouse keepers who, even in death, refuse to abandon their post. On foggy nights, when the beam cuts through the darkness, it’s easy to imagine that somewhere up in the lantern room, a ghostly hand is still tending the light.
Only one question remains: Would you make a visit?
