Instead of providing useful light to help ships navigate, the lighthouse on Wood Island reportedly provides a space for strange moans, unexplained shadows, and other indicators of paranormal activity commonly attributed to a murder-suicide that took place there decades ago. Howard Hobbs, a local fisherman and drifter, really did murder his landlord, Fred Milliken, on the Wood Island in 1896. Hobbs had been drinking and, after shooting Milliken, left the scene and turned his rifle on himself. You can read about the events of that day in all their 19th-century newspaper glory here. From ghost experts who weigh in on such things, Hobbs is generally considered the likeliest candidate to still be haunting the lighthouse.
