Photo courtesy of D.B. Cooper

On June 1, 2012, reenactors in sixteenth century dress will march down St. George Street in St. Augustine warning citizens of the impending attack by the Englishman Sir Francis Drake. Well, an attack that will be similar to one Drake and his crew launched against the city in 1586.

Back in those days, the English were trying to push their way into Spanish Florida. Drake brought twenty-three ships and actually bombarded St. Augustine from Anastasia Island. When the Spanish finally fled, 1000 English soldiers invaded the city, looted it and burned what was left.

Photo courtesy of D.B. Cooper

At 7:00 PM on June 2nd, 2012, reenactors will commemorate this event starting at the old City Gate and going all the way to the city plaza. Previous to that, from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, reenactors will offer living  history demonstrations at Fountain of youth Park. Come join the fun!

All of these events are presented by Searles’ Buccaneers in cooperation with St. Augustine’s Men of Menendez. Click here for more information.

Click here for a photo gallery of a previous Drakes’ Raid.

Click here for Fountain of Youth Park.

In her blog this week, Bitten Twice published the following interview in her quest for speaking with authors of the paranormal. I’ve added some extra photos for emphasis:

Doug Dillon In the Moonlight

by Bitten2ice on May.17, 2012, under In the Moonlight

TheFullFang welcomes Doug Dillon

Menu
Meet the Author
About the Author
Read an excerpt from Explosion of Being (Nonfiction, paranormal)
Read an excerpt of The St. Augustine Trilogy, Book I

BT: Where are you from?
DD: Altamonte Springs, FL

BT: Do you have any news to share? We love to sing our fangs into juicy news.
DD: Juicy news? Hmm, not really. But if you would like to read an interesting story about how my work in the paranormal came full circle with the Spiritualist Community of Cassadaga, FL, check out this blog posting from last November. Here’s the URL: http://dougdillon.com/2012/01/12/cassadaga-fl-a-lesson-in-coincidental-events/

BT: When and why did you begin writing?
DD: My writing for publication began in 1979 after my dad’s death. Paranormal events had occurred in relation to that loss, causing my wife and myself to explore the supernatural. We collected so many notes that we decided to put it into book form as co-authors. We titled it, An Explosion of Being: An American Family’s Journey into the Psychic, and eventually an imprint of Prentice Hall came out with the first edition. Last fall, after the book being out of print for many years, my wife and I brought it back into the literary light of day through our own publishing company.

BT: Have you always considered yourself a writer?
DD: No. Before that initial book, I had been a teacher and school administrator. The only writing I had done were reports, curricula, lesson plans and newsletters.

BT: Which do you prefer to write – full length novels or short stories?
DD: For a very long time, I wrote nothing but nonfiction for young people and adults—articles and books. It has only been in recent years that I’ve begun writing novels for young adults. Currently, I’m working on the completion of The St. Augustine Trilogy. Book I, Sliding Beneath the Surface, is published and Book II is getting there. These are coming of age stories using paranormal and historical themes.

BT: Do you have a specific writing style?
DD: Not really. I adapt my style to whatever I’m writing and the audience I’m trying to reach.

BT: How do you come up with the titles for your stories?
DD: The title for my young adult series, The St. Augustine Trilogy, was simple enough. It all takes place in that old city. For each book, I have simply written something catchy for a character to say—something that will be a main thrust within the plot. I want readers to wonder what it means.

BT: Is there a message in your stories that you want readers to get?
DD: For my young adult trilogy, the premise is this: You create your own reality. Properly used, your mind can give you the power to remain balanced and overcome obstacles.

Seminole reenactor at the Dade Battle in Busnell, Florida

BT: How much your work is founded in reality?
DD: Of course for my nonfiction work, 100% is founded in reality. An Explosion of Being for example is a completely true-life accounting of paranormal events and research.
In my young adult trilogy, I ground all paranormal aspects in phenomena I’ve experienced or know that others have experienced. For the historical portions of each book, I take those directly from historical records. Believe me, I spend a lot of time in the St. Augustine Historical Society’s Research Library. When they see me coming, they say, “Oh God, not again.”

BT: Are your character’s experiences taken from someone you know, or events in your own life?
DD: I’ve had such wide experience in the paranormal that it all just flows naturally into the events surrounding the characters. Of course, those events are enlarged and enhanced for the sake of impact but they are not simply imaginary.

BT: Have you ever sat and just watched the people go by?
DD: All the time. It’s a great way to learn about our species, both good and bad. Good thing for a writer to do.

BT: What books have most influenced your life most?
DD: Wooeee! I don’t have enough time or space here to answer that one fully. Here’s just a few:
The Source—Michener, Catcher in The Rye—Salinger, To Kill a Mockingbird—Lee, The Outlander Series—Gabaldon, Holes—Sachar, I Know This Much Is True—Lamb

BT: If you had to choose, which writer would you like to have mentor you?
DD: James Michener. Well, if he still lived.

BT: Do you read while you write? What book are you reading now?
DD: Always and it’s dangerous. I get all involved and then I don’t write. Recently, I just finished The Hunger Games Trilogy.

BT: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
DD: To be perfectly honest, I haven’t had the time to read as widely as I would like.

BT: What are your current projects?
DD: All of my efforts are pointed towards finishing The St. Augustine Trilogy and marketing Book I, Sliding Beneath the Surface.

BT: Does your family support your writing?
DD: Absolutely. Since my wife was co-author on An Explosion of Being, she knows what it takes to write, edit and market. In fact, when I do book signings, she often goes with me so that together we can present that book and our work in the paranormal to the public. My adult kids are great, always cheering me on to victory. Everyone has also generously given of their time to read Book I of my trilogy so they can give me their take and suggestions.

BT: Do you see writing as a career?
DD: It is my career and has been since I retired from the world of education and working in nonprofit organizations.

BT: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
DD: It’s too early for that. It needs to be on the market longer and get more public appraisal before I can say.

BT: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
DD: The biggest challenge, as it is for so many others, is to balance the marketing of published works against the writing of new ones. Somehow I haven’t figured that one out yet. If anybody has any clear-cut answers in that arena, I would love to hear them.

BT: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
DD: James Michener is my favorite. His ability to manipulate tons of details in such a beautifully descriptive manner has always been a marvel to me. He took so many huge, daunting topics and made them look simple.

BT: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
DD: So far it hasn’t been a burden. A conference or a book signing here or there.

BT: Who designed the covers?

Cover for Book II of The St. Augustine Trilogy

DD: A wonderful guy by the name of Michael Lynch. He teaches digital design at a college out in California. He did my trilogy and a re-work of the cover for An Explosion of Being.

BT: What was the hardest part of writing?
DD: For me it is putting too much extraneous detail into my novels, especially when inserting historical information. I’m an old history teacher and it’s a tough habit to break.

BT: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
DD:  Hmm. Which book? The first one, An Explosion of Being, showed me I could actually be a writer. Book I of my trilogy showed me I could indeed use the paranormal effectively in a novel

BT: Do you have any advice for other writers?
DD: Ha! Call me. Seriously. Or at least send me an email. I talk to budding writers all the time. Oh, OK. In the fiction realm, get critiques from as many people as you can, use what makes sense and then ditch the rest. Whether you self publish or get a contract, listen to your editor. That person can take your good stuff and help you make it great.

DD: Keep at it no matter what. Don’t give up. Seek like-minded people for what you write and make the most of the FWA groups and conferences.

BT: Where can they find you on the web?
DD: www.dougdillon.com

BT: Where can they buy your books?
DD: Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Cassadaga Camp Bookstore in Cassadaga Florida, or any bookstore will order it from Ingram. (Print & ebook)

BT: Do you have a you tube channel with your book trailers?
DD: Nope, not yet.

BT: Are you on any readers sites?
DD: Sure. Goodreads, Jacketflap and Flamingnet.

Photos compliments of Searle’s Buccaneers and BD Cooper

A Review of

An Explosion of Being: An American Family’s Journey into the Psychic

By Kewwy from Canada (On Goodreads.com)

I am not going to give away too many details about the book so I won’t spoil it for you guys. The reason I like this book is the true story itself. Also, that it left me thinking while I took a break. Doug’s family started experiencing some strange stuff after the death of his father. The part that kept me thinking was his dad’s truck. I can’t believe it but still it happened. Who can explain?? I don’t even know myself. Once you read the book you’ll know what I mean. Anyways as the story goes on the more answers they find but from where?? That’s the thing you’ll have to find out for yourself.

To be honest I would recommend this book to a person who has experienced some of these things and looking for answers. But if you already know your answers then you don’t need this one. But if you like stories like these then I recommend this book to you. I would let my brother borrow it cause I told him about it and he said he would like to read it someday. Okay, I think I am done. I don’t want to give too much away.

In my posts, I write a lot about how coincidences often show the true paranormal nature of the world in which we live. These events, especially when there are a serious of them related to each other, can be a bit startling. Even so, over the years I’ve gotten fairly used to them. Once in a while, though, something will happen that really makes my jaw drop in wonder. That’s what happened to me just a few minutes ago.

Let me back up here. A few days ago, I published a short article on my blog titled, “Paranormal Coincidences # 7: The Hummingbird and Stained Glass”. It was all about a set of simultaneous events involving a hummingbird right outside the window of my home office. Today, I decided to post that piece on Facebook because it was a warm, touching story related to my deceased mother. If you want to read that article, I’ve provided a link at the bottom of all this text. The picture on the left, however, is one of those I used in the article.

Now back to a few minutes ago. Right after dinner, I checked my emails and noticed I had received a Google Alert. I have them set up so that Google scours the Internet for me on all kinds of subjects including, Doug Dillon. Tonight, the Google email said, “Join Doug Dillon on Facebook.”

Bridge of Lions Photo courtesy of Greg Dillon-Photography by Greg

Figuring it must be the hummingbird posting I did today, I clicked on it. Sure enough, the hummingbird picture came up. The thing is, it wasn’t my hummingbird. The color of the flowers was wrong.  In fact, this picture filled a good chunk of the screen with a smaller version of itself where my Facebook profile photo usually sits. For a few seconds, I was really disoriented because my cover photo is actually a  nighttime picture of the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine. Even so, it still said, “Doug Dillon.”

Finally, I tore my eyes away from the pictures and looked at the profile. That’s when I discovered I was looking at a description of another Doug Dillon. That’s what I said, another DOUG DILLON. Not only that, but this other Doug Dillon and I have these items in common:

• We both are retired
• We both are retired from a school system
• We are both retired from a school system in the state of Florida
• We both like history
• We both went to public universities in the state of Florida

See why I really stood up and took notice? As I look at the other Doug Dillon’s Facebook timeline, I see this entire event as a giant cosmic exclamation point-one I will now  have to insert into my original posting on the hummingbird and stained glass.

If you would like to see the other Doug Dillon’s Facebook timeline, click here. I don’t know how long he will keep that hummingbird picture up, but I hope he keeps it there long enough for you to take a look at it. Oh. I immediately sent Doug # 2 a Friend Request. I think this event will blow his socks off. It will be interesting to talk to him.

If you would like to see  that previous posting, click here.

UPDATE: The other Doug Dillon responded to me on Facebook where we are now friends. He read this article and found it pretty startling. This was especially true since he had some things to add to the string of coincidences listed above and here they are:

• Like me, he was a district level school administrator
• Through his job back in those days, he visited Orange County Public School’s district office in Orlando where I worked. During that day, he happened to walk by MY DESK.  He noticed my nameplate and stopped short. When he asked if I was around., someone told him I was away at a conference. So, Doug and I think that for whatever reason, we were destined to make contact. The thing is, it sure did take a long time. I would like to meet him one of these days.

If you have ever thought you had a lot of rules to follow in school, check out the ones below from 1786 in the city of St. Augustine. This was during the final decades when the Spanish owned Florida. In those days, schooling was definitely controlled by the Catholic Church but in the name of His Majesty the King of Spain. Formal education during most of colonial St. Augustine was for only for boys, even those of African ancestry–as long as they were not slaves. Sorry ladies but that’s how it was back in the day.

The Castillo de San Marcos, turned over to the United States in 1821

These rules were written by Father Thomas Hassett, Parish Priest, Vicar and Ecclesiastical Judge of St. Augustine. They lasted until the city passed into American hands in 1821. Father Hassett was just one of many Irish priests who served Spanish St. Augustine over the centuries. The primary source of this information is the East Florida Papers from the Library of Congress. But to make them easier to understand, I cut out the less interesting parts and paraphrased much of the original wording.

Whether you are a student, a teacher, a parent or a history buff, I think you’ll enjoy what follows:

1. All teachers must be approved by St. Augustine church and city leaders.
   

   The King of Spain's royal coast of arms

2. All teachers must obey and carry out the following rules completely.
3. The King of Spain pays teachers sufficiently. In that light, no teacher may demand any kind of payment from parents.
4. Teachers shall prepare a list of all students in the city and request that their parents send their children to school. If parents keep their children away from school for whatever reason, the teachers shall report them to the Parish Priest. The Parish Priest shall decide how to deal with those parents.
5. School shall open each morning at 7 am. Students shall not be dismissed for lunch before noon.
   

   A table setting in the Oldest House Museum Complex in St. Augustine

6. After lunch, school shall open again at 2 pm.
7. Each day, except in winter, students shall not be dismissed before sunset.
8. Each day in winter, students shall be dismissed a half hour before sunset.
9. As each student enters school both in the morning and after lunch: he shall greet with proper courtesy, first his teacher and then his fellow pupils; he shall then hang up his hat after seating himself in all modesty; after crossing himself in the name of the Holy Trinity, he shall take up the book or paper with which his study is to begin.
10. At 8 am in the morning and at 2:15 in the afternoon, the teacher shall call the roll. If anyone fails to answer, the teacher shall immediately send one or two boys to that student’s home to learn the cause of his absence, and if necessary, to bring him to school. If warranted, the teacher shall then apply appropriate punishment to the student when he arrives at school.
    

    The Oldest House Museum on St. Francis Street

11. Teachers should treat each student impartially as faithful Christians worthy of love and charity.
12. Teachers shall take special care to get to know each child.
    

    The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse on STt George Street

13. Teachers shall try to be moderate in their punishment of students.
14. Teachers shall not yell or swear at students nor should they throw in their faces the faults of their parents or other relatives. Nor under any circumstances, should teachers allow students to treat each other in this way either. This means in school and anywhere else.
15. Students shall arrive at school with their hair combed and with their faces, hands and feet clean (if they come barefoot).
16. Teachers shall not permit a student to attend school if he has a contagious disease. The student’s parents must be notified immediately so they are not offended by having their child kept out of school until the child is cured.
17. The schoolrooms shall be swept at least once a week by the pupils themselves and the teachers shall appoint enough students to get the job done properly. This task should be shared equally by all students.
18. No student shall leave the schoolroom, even to go to the bathroom, without getting permission from the teacher.
19. Not more than one student shall leave the schoolroom at a time. Each time a student leaves the schoolroom, the teacher will give him a special ruler to take with him. The next student needing to leave cannot do so until he obtains that ruler and the permission of the teacher.
20. When a student leaves the schoolroom, his absence shall be measured by a pendulum hung from the ceiling of that schoolroom. The student shall put that pendulum in motion as he leaves and the teacher shall note whether or not the pendulum is still moving when the student returns with the ruler.
21. Every month, the Parish Priest and the teachers shall give all students an examination to determine their progress in writing, reading, arithmetic and Christian Doctrine.
22. Seating in the classroom will be determined by a student’s progress in their examinations.
23. Teachers shall instruct students how to assist at Mass and in services at the Parish Church on special days of the year. Teachers are to then name two students at a time to assist in these services.
    

    The St. Augustine Cathedral Basilica

24. On nights when special religious processions pass through the city streets, the teachers shall attend with their students. No exceptions and no excuses. Teachers are to make sure students behave at these times with modesty and devotion.
25. Teachers shall attend all services of the Church with their students.
    

    Tolomato Cemetery on Cordova Street

26. If a boy dies, the teachers shall march with their students in the boy’s funeral procession. If necessary, four boys shall carry the dead boy’s remains to the burial place.
27. On four specific days, a year, all students seven years of age and above shall make confession in the presence of their teachers. Just before those days arrive, teachers shall instruct their students how to properly prepare themselves for confession.
28. Teachers shall not permit any other language than Spanish to be spoken in the school.
29. Whenever students meet any of their elders in the street, they should greet them with proper courtesy.
30. Upon leaving school, students should go directly home without loitering, or shouting, or committing mischievous pranks in the streets.
31. If any black students should attend school, they shall sit apart near the door. But teachers are to give them the same quality of instruction as all the rest.

Mom, fussing at me for taking her picture before she was ready

I think paranormal events sometimes occur when we think of people who are no longer in this life. Or, maybe it happens when they think of us. Anyway, when such a thing occurs, it immediately connects me with the person and that is the beauty of it. The exact reasons why this type of thing comes about isn’t as important as the fact that, for me, it accomplishes something very important on an emotional and spiritual level.

One day as I was writing at my desk, I took a stretch break and looked through the window on the other side of my computer. That always helps to refresh me since we have a large backyard full of trees and lush tropical growth. In scanning my domain, I glanced at one of the pieces of my mom’s stained glass art we had saved after her death. It mirrors our backyard since we have some flowers and the occasional hummingbird.

Mom had that same piece up in her kitchen window and I smiled with the memory of how much she enjoyed her house over in Indialantic. As soon as that thought flashed through my mind, a hummingbird came out of nowhere and hovered just inches from the window. Not only that, the position of its hovering was directly behind the stained glass hummingbird. The real creature was perfectly framed by the wire oval.

The little bird, with wings blurred in stationary flight, moved his head back and forth as if inspecting the interior of my home office. That lasted for about 10 seconds and then he was gone. The event couldn’t have been scripted more perfectly.

Thanks Mom.

I find that paranormal experiences aren’t always recognized as such at the time. For me, odd or strange events only get defined as paranormal after further thought and investigation. This happened a number of years ago when I saw something in the road on my way to work.

Way back then, I was teaching at Ocoee Middle School in the western part of Orange County, FL. To get there, I had to take a country road. Beautiful drive in the early morning. So much nicer than fighting I-4 traffic going into and out of Orlando on a daily basis.

On this particular day, about half way to school, the road ahead stretched out into the surrounding light mist but wasn’t obstructed by it. Quite a distance ahead, something flickered ever so slightly. It seemed to be a small flashing of light on the road itself. At first, I thought I was imagining it because the thing was so small.

I blinked my eyes a couple of times but whatever it was didn’t go away. In fact, it got larger and more distinct the further I drove. Then at about 100 feet away, it looked like a shimmering, flickering spark about a foot or two high and maybe six to eight inches wide. Astounded, I lifted my foot off the accelerator. As soon as I did, the spark vanished. In it’s place, I could see a dead animal. When I got there, I saw that it was a large raccoon. No sign of the spark.

Weird, right? But I didn’t have time to dally and figure it out. School awaited so off I went.

That evening though, I shared my experience with my wife Barbara. Intrigued, she offered to do some channeling and see if we could get an explanation. Our book on the paranormal, An Explosion of Being, had just been published and Barb was still channeling from what we had come to call, The Source.

In this instance, The Source said the raccoon had been so freshly killed that its spirit had not yet adjusted to its death. The essence of the creature was simply hanging around the body trying to figure out what happened. I had read stories about such things happening to humans but it never occurred to me animals might have similar experiences.

That’s it. End of story except to share two Youtube videos with you. I share these for two reasons. One reason is show how animals can actually grieve. Sometimes Ithink we humans think we are the only ones with such emotions. The other reason is that when I watch these videos, it makes me think that just possibly a freshly killed animal might well react to its own death in a similar manner. Just food for thought. Here you go.

Click here for cat grief.

Click here for elephants in mourning.

Once again, my friend, Peaches Veach from California Paranormal Private Investigations (CPPI) is going to be our guest blogger. She’s got quite a story and this time, she brings with her photographic evidence. Go for it Peaches, tell us what happened.

Of all the locations I’ve visited and/or investigated, The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California is one of the most interesting. Back in the day, it was a luxury liner that was then converted into a troop transport ship during WWII.  Thousands of people are beleieved to have perished on or around the ship over the years. World renowned psychic Peter James believed there are close to 600 spirits wandering the ship.

The Queen Mary was bought by the City of Long Beach and turned into a floating hotel in 1967. It serves not only as a hotel, but also has restaurants, exhibits, and convention facilities. There are also a number of tours available to visitors. On one of those tours is where I had a paranormal encounter. Multiple parts of the ship are haunted.

We had taken one tour earlier in the day and it took us into the changing rooms of the first class swimming pool.  Several spirits are said to haunt this area. We had told the guide before the tour started that we were paranormal investigators so that he would understand why we’d have some pieces of equipment with us. There were almost enough of us to have our own private tour.

This little excursion was done in the dark and towards the end of it, we turned off our flashlights. That’s when the tour guide started talking about a possible male spirit being in that area, who he might be and why he might be there. When we talked about it later, a few of us agreed we felt the energy change all around us right at that moment. It’s hard to describe if you’ve never felt energy shift in such a way, but it’s much like how it feels when people have an argument in a room and you’re just standing there observing and feeling the tension.

For whatever reason, the tour guide sounded uncomfortable talking about this spirit. When he finished speaking, all was quiet for a while. Finally, someone asked a question but there was no response. Turning our flashlights back on, we realized the guide had left. We never did see him again.

We all decided to leave the room and I was the last one out. As we started moving, I felt a pressure on my back that was similar to having someone pushing me. I told my friends, “Move! Go! Go! Go! We’re being pushed out!” Another friend who has an intuitive “gift” also felt that the male spirit was upset and wanted us out.

Later in the day, we took another tour that’s really a “smoke and mirrors” event where they use all kinds of special effects. We had been told not to take flash photos since that would disorient everyone. As I snapped a photo without flash, I realized that I would have a blurry result due to camera shake. So I just dismissed what I had done and moved along with the group.

Original blurry photo of 3 people in the dark. Bright light at top is a bulb hanging from the ceiling. The white streak of light in the middle of the picture going across the woman is unidentified. Just above that streak, and below the woman's head, is the small oval of a face that you can barely see.

A few days later, I was looking at my photos and came across a blurry picture. At first, I thought that I should just delete it. Then I noticed something strange. I showed my coworker, and she and I both gasped when we looked at it closer. To us, it looked like a head showing only one side of the face. This was the picture I had taken in the dark.

A closer, cropped view of the face.

We speculated as to what it might really be, but I knew exactly who could check it out for me. I have a friend by the name of Tony who is a retired mortician. He specializes in facial reconstruction. Tony has some forensic software that analyzes photos, including pixel count, color temp, etc. He can tell if a photo has been altered in any way. I’ve gotten to know Tony over the years, with all of the interesting photos I’ve sent him.

Tony’s enhancement of the previous photo to bring out the opposite side of the face. In this version of the picture, a shoulder below the face is clearly visible on the left.

Tony’s answer to this particular photo? “I don’t believe in ghosts, but you have something there. I just don’t know what it is.” He verified the photo had not been altered (I had taken it, so of course, I already knew that), and he took it a step further enhancing and removing certain color tones. He was able to digitally shift things around in order to show the other side of what we all believe is a face in the photo. To me, it looked like someone wearing an Elizabethan collar from the 16^th Century, which would be extremely weird to find here in the States.

Tony’ second enhancement, no color, cropped and enlarged. Look carefully.

Tony’s official opinion in the end was that what we were seeing was a  woman he believed to be between 40 and 60 years of age with her hair in an updo. This, he thinks, meant that in a different era, she was probably financially well off. The last thing he added was that she was staring right at me!

Tony and I have both studied this picture over the years and continue trying to figure out exactly whose face it is. After comparing it to many other photos, we have yet to find the answer. We’ve gone back to the Queen Mary several times since that original experience to try and find an answer but with no luck. One of my more intuitive friends said that whoever the person is in that picture, she will not appear again.  She got my attention the first time and is glad that I know she’s there. Even so, my quest to discover the identity of our mystery woman continues.

Fascinating, Peaches. Thanks so much.

Click here for the CPPI website.

Click here for the Queen Mary Website.

Click here for a video on the Queen Mary.

Since so many paranormal events have occurred at the St. Augustine Lighthouse, I decided to pull together some key  information  from various sources into this one posting.  Over the years, visitors and staff members alike have definitely experienced a lot of strange things. Many paranormal investigators have studied the lighthouse, including the popular TV team, Ghost Hunters. So if you haven’t visited the place, put it on your “to do at some point in my lifetime” list.

Photo courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

Historical Background

The present day lighthouse sits at the northern tip of Anastasia Island directly across Matanzas Bay from downtown St. Augustine. In the evening, from downtown, you can see its beam sweep across those waters and then shift out over the Atlantic. Erected in 1874, the building was preceded by a coquina stone structure originally built by the Spanish. In fact, the Spanish had maintained a watchtower near the present day site ever since their arrival during the late 1500s. Before the Europeans arrived, of course, Native Americans freely roamed the area.

What People Experience at the Lighthouse Itself

Historical photo from the lighkeeper's hom

• Each night, staff members lock the door at the top of the lighthouse that leads outside to the viewing balcony. Periodically, they find the door open in the morning. There is a security system but but no alarms sound.
• On occasion, people see the figure of man at the top of the lighthouse at night even though the place is closed and locked.
• At times, people smell cigar smoke at the base of the lighthouse. It is always cigar smoke and there are strict No Smoking signs everywhere on the lighthouse grounds.

A Special Lighthouse Story

Photo courtesy of Greg Dillon, www.greg'sgallery.net

Even though the lighthouse became automated in 1955, someone still needed to monitor the beacon in case something went wrong. One night, the caretaker realized the light had actually ceased functioning. Immediately, he walked rapidly in the darkeness from the old lightkeeper’s house towards the lighthouse entrance. With each step though, he thought he heard someone walking behind him on the gravel walkway.  But when he turned around,there was no one there.

Brushing off his experience as imagination, he continued walking only to once again hear those gravely footsteps behind him. Again, he still found himself alone.  Unnerved a bit at this point, the man rushed into the lighthouse and up the stairs. This time though, he could hear footsteps ringing on the metal stairs behind him.

When he finally got to the top and checked the lighting mechanism, he found nothing wrong. As he threw the switch to restart everything, the beacon started functioning again. Not wasting any time or waiting to listen to phantom footsteps, he ran down the 219 metal steps.

For three nights after that event, the beacon again stopped working. Just like before,  the caretaker found nothing wrong and was followed just as he had been that first time. He did, however, acquire the habit of taking a flashlight and gun with him whenever he went to the lighthouse after sundown.

The Lighthouse Keeper’s House (Serves now as a museum and gift shop)

• Some sort of presence is often felt.
• People get startled by their experiences but don’t seemed to be threatened by them.
• People often experience cold spots.
• In the brick bottom floor where the old cistern is located, people have seen the shape of a tall man. One staff member saw this shape in an doorway. It appeared gray in color against the dark room beyond. As the staff member stared in disbelief, the shape simply merged with the darkness.
• At times, chairs are moved or overturned
• In the gift shop, staff and volunteers will find items have been moved out of place overnight. Sometimes items disappear only to reappear at a later date. Music boxes will turn on by themselves.

A Special Story About the Lightkeeper’s House

In the 1960s, the old Lightkeeper’s house was rented to a man who periodically had guests. On two different occasions, guests reported seeing the exact same thing: A little girl in a frilly dress who stands in a doorway and then disappears.

Tracing Some of These Paranormal Events to the Past

• One unverified story is that someone, a lightkeeper or a helper, hanged himself from the lighthouse.
• Another more traceable story has it that a tragedy happened during the construction of the present day lighthouse. 5 little girls were placing in a handcar set on a railroad track. Somehow the handcar went out of control and ended up in water where three of the children drowned. Two of them were the daughters of the construction supervisor for the lighthouse.

If you care to research the lighthouse, its history and its ghosts a bit more, you might find these links useful:

The Lighthouse Website

A Photo Gallery

Spooky Lighthouse post

Florida’s Lighthouse post