Owl’s Head Lighthouse, Part ll

This old lighthouse stands on a rocky cliff overlooking Rockland Harbor in Maine.

Old postcard of Owl's Head Lighthouse

One view from Owl's Head

Visitors today follow a very rough road to reach the lighthouses’ parking lot. They then have to walk through pine trees, for a quarter of a mile. Along this hike, the visitor has an incredible view of the beautiful, peaceful scenery.

This calm atmosphere for some does not last. For once they reach this old lighthouse two ghosts are waiting to greet them.

These two spirits are said to be a former keeper’s wife, called the “Little Lady,” and the other is believed to be an old lighthouse keeper.

The ghostly wife is seen standing outside the lighthouse and in the kitchen where she is heard rattling silverware and slamming doors. In the kitchen, she is seen out of the corner of the eye or just as a shadowy figure.

The ramp leading up to
the lighthouse.

The former keeper often follows a pattern. When it rains or snows, his footprints are spotted in the mud or snow. They always lead up the ramp to the tower, where lightkeepers would then see the door open, despite it being locked.

These witnesses then watched this ghost walk up the steps in the tower. Later they would find the lens and brass at the top had been freshly polished.

This makes sense since a keeper’s whole life was spent making sure the light was maintained, for if this was not done, it could cause a disaster for passing ships.

From 1980 until 1989, Coast Guard keepers and their families lived at Owl’s Head. These families shared more specific details about the hauntings.

Andy Germann and his wife Denise lived at Owl’s Head in the early 1980s. This couple had a strange encounter late one night. Denise had retired for the evening when she felt Andy lay down in bed beside her.

She asked her husband a question, but when he didn’t answer, she turned over, only to find no one in bed with her. There was an “indentation of a body” next to her that was moving as if a person was shifting position.

Andy, the next morning told her just before she saw this strange sight he had been standing outside their bedroom. He saw a cloud of smoke hovering over the floor that passed right through him. It then headed into their bedroom.

Andy and Denise warned the next Coast Guard keeper, Gerald Graham and his wife, Debbie about this haunting.

Fog over Owl's Head

One night Graham’s two-year-old daughter, Claire announced, “Fog’s rolling in, time to put the foghorn on.” Andy found this strange because his young daughter didn’t use adult vocabulary.

Over the next two years, Claire’s parents discovered she was conversing with a man she stated had a beard and wore a seaman’s cap. Her parents never saw this man.

Malcolm Rouse was the last Coast Guard keeper before the light was automated in 1989. His wife insisted that she saw a person dressed in white standing at one of the windows.

Owl's Head with
light on.

The Rouse’s son mentioned when he woke up, he sometimes saw a strange woman sitting in a chair in his bedroom.

Owl’s Head Light State Park is open to visitors year-round. The tower and residence have been renovated, and the American Lighthouse Foundation uses it as an education center. There is also a gift shop and museum on site.

Since the light is still in use visitors are encouraged, while in the tower, not to touch the lens.

In Owl’s Head Lighthouse, Part l I share two of my favorite stories about this lighthouse.