Happy Halloween - The tales of trick or treat

27. Fire Island

Fire Island in Long Island, New York is famous for its haunted lighthouse. They say that the ghost of the original caretaker still remains within its walls.

The legends of Fire Island say that, over a century ago, one of the caretakers hung himself in the lighthouse and his ghost continues to haunt the premises.

In 1857, the original lighthouse on Fire Island was demolished and the bricks were used to build a new, better lighthouse on the site. The caretaker and his family had to move into a little wooden shack while construction was going on.

The builders left for the Winter months and the caretaker and his family remained alone on the Island. The Winter was harsh and the family found it hard to keep warm in the draughty little shack.

The wind blew hard in the winter, the temperature dropped, and the caretaker’s young daughter soon became ill. He called for a doctor but, in those days, it was difficult to travel out to such a remote spot. The caretaker and his wife spent 3 long days in the wooden shack, waiting for the doctor to arrive. Unfortunately, their young daughter died before the doctor could get there.

The mother left Fire Island and went back to Sayville to bury the little girl. The caretaker soon realized his wife was never coming back. He couldn’t leave Fire Island because he had to stay on to keep the fires burning in the lighthouse. But he never got over the death of his only child.

He was finally driven mad from grief and lonliness, and it wasn’t until the people on the shore noticed that the light had gone out and came over to investigate, that they found him hanging inside the new lighthouse. He had taken a rope up to the top of the lighthouse stairs and hung himself from the trap door in the top.

Ever since, people say they have seen his ghostly figure wandering about in the old lighthouse, a shadow in the night, pacing the floors, waiting in vain for the doctor to come and save his little girl.

Those who take care of Fire Island lighthouse today claim they hear doors slamming when no one else is there and the top windows of the lighthouse have been seen opening of their own accord. Others say they hear footsteps climbing the tower and the sounds of crazed laughter as the old keeper climbs the steps, rope in hand, looking for a place to tie it off so he can do his last, lonely dance.