St. Simons Lighthouse

This 104-foot lighthouse with 129 steps was constructed in 1872 to replace one destroyed during the Civil War. The tower houses a third-order Fresnel lens and ranks as the third most haunted lighthouse in America.

The St. Simons Island Lighthouse has guided ships since 1872 and harbored a tragic ghost since 1880. Keeper Frederick Osborne and his assistant John Stevens had worked together for five years, but their relationship deteriorated into deadly violence on a Sunday morning in March 1880.

The dispute allegedly centered on inappropriate behavior - some accounts claim Osborne made unwanted remarks about Stevens's wife, while others suggest Stevens made advances toward Osborne's wife. Whatever the cause, an argument escalated until Stevens shot Osborne dead on the lighthouse grounds. Stevens was arrested and charged with murder, but a jury acquitted him after hearing the circumstances.

Osborne's ghost appeared almost immediately. The theory is that his murder happened so suddenly he didn't realize he was dead and continued performing his duties as lighthouse keeper. During Carl Svendsen's tenure as keeper from 1907 to 1935, he and his wife repeatedly heard mysterious footsteps that drove their dog Jink into a frenzy.

In 1908, a keeper's wife struggling with the light mechanism called out to Osborne's spirit in desperation. She then saw his ghostly figure working on the machinery. She fainted, and when she awoke, the light was functioning perfectly again. To this day, visitors and staff hear inexplicable footsteps echoing through the old spiral staircase. Numerous witnesses have seen Osborne's apparition within and around the tower, still faithfully tending the light he loved more than life itself.

The lighthouse stands 129 steps tall and has become one of Georgia's most visited historic sites. The Museum of Coastal History occupies the former keeper's dwelling, where Osborne's presence is felt strongest.