The Spooklight: Oklahoma's Mystic Phenomena

Author: Breasia Young

In the chilling hills of northeastern Oklahoma just outside the town of Hornet, there was a strange glowing light that confused locals and visitors for centuries. It is known as the Spooklight, this supernatural phenomenon has been reported seen since the 1800s and no one really knows what this “thing” could be. The Spooklight is described as a small bright orb also called the “ball of fire,” that moves quickly along a four mile stretch of a road between Missouri Oklahoma. This mystic figure goes by many names such as Joplin spooklight, Tri-state Spooklight, and Hornet Spooklight. It is an enchanting mystery for the locals, leaving everyone in suspense. The most famous road in Oklahoma is a road called “The Devil’s Promenade near a small town in Quapaw, Oklahoma.

According to an expert researcher in supernatural and author Lisa Livingston Martin, the Spooklight is normally seen during midnight often appearing as an orange glowing orb following locals. It is described by one of the locals it ranges from the size of a baseball to a basketball, most of the sightings occur on the Spook Light Road a winding path that straddles the borders of Missouri. The orb travels to the east and west, sometimes darting across the roads at very high speeds in midair. Some eyewitnesses claim the orb will even sway side to side like the lantern may be carried by a invisible figure, casting this eerie glow across the empty roads. Some may even say the light “dances,” moving in a playful manner or random patterns. Despite all the numerous reports, no one has really been able to catch the orb’s true nature and figure out what exactly causes the strange movements.

One popular folklore about the Spooklight involves a miner who returns home one night to find his home turned into ashes and his family missing, which many people believe it was the Native Americans. There are whispers ghosts roam around the Spooklight’s Road with a lantern, searching for their lost family. Moreover, there were two young lovers from Quapaw tribe who went against her father’s wishes and fled together. They were chased by warriors and trapped at the edge of a cliff above the Spring River, ultimately leading the two couples to jump to their deaths. Many people believe the light’s glow is the spirit of lovers. However, nonbelievers argue that the light is just car headlights from route 66. A theory by Popular Mechanics in 1965 stated that lights could be found from miles away. While this theory explains some of the sightings, it does not account for the earlier suspicious activities when cars did not even exist. This leaves many wondering if there is more mystery than meets the eye.

“Raw and uncut footage of the Spooklight (Oklahoma), capturing the mysterious glowing orb in its natural setting.”

Works Cited:

Ashley. “This Spooky Unexplained Phenomenon in Oklahoma Will Give You Goosebumps.” Only in Your State, 2 Feb. 2016, www.onlyinyourstate.com/nature/oklahoma/spooklight-ok.

Crazy Mule. "The Joplin Hornet Spook Light - Best Video Footage Ever Captured." YouTube, uploaded by Crazy Mule, 2 Mar. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7VG72cSNoA.

The Spook Light | Joplin, MO - Official Website. www.joplinmo.org/575/The-Spook-Light.

Links for further research:

1. Unraveling the mystery of the Joplin Spooklight: A 4-state legend
Unraveling the mystery of the Joplin Spooklight: A 4-state legend | 4-States in Depth |koamnewsnow.com
The Joplin Spooklight is a mysterious phenomenon in a 4-states area, it has intrigued locals for many centuries, with theories exploring lost souls and paranormal activity.

2. Hornet’s Spooklight has drawn the curious for decades
Hornet's Spook Light has drawn the curious for decades — Ozarks Alive
The Hornet Spooklight a mysterious orb, has puzzled generations with such an eerie
appearance, sparking legends of ghosts and tragic events ever since one fatal
investigation in 1946.

3. Devil’s Promenade & the Hornet Spooklight
Devil’s Promenade & the Hornet Spook Light – Legends of America
The Spooklight has shaken both paranormal investigators and scientists, with questions ranging from the natural gas and will-o-the-wisps to atmospheric changes, this ghostly origin tragic Native American love story popular.

Ghost Lights

Author: Brandon Saylor

Weird floating light appearing in the distance

The Brown Mountain Lights are some of the most famous ghost lights in the world. There have been multiple reports in the North Carolina mountains.The lights also attracted the attention of scientists. They have been investigated twice by the U.S. Geological Survey.The ghost lights appear at weird times over the top of Brown Mountain. They move vertically and are clear ,but it disappears as it goes over the mountain. Sometimes they have a red or blue look and almost look like a star. Most of the time, the lights pop up so fast were you can barely see them.

Dark gloomy lights fly over the Texas skyline

The Marfa Lights have entertained the people of Marfa, Texas for years. The light splits into two then flies around to then combined back into each other. These lights are one of the most popular ghost lights right next to the Brown Mountain ghost lights. People all over the world have traveled to see these lights for themselves. Local residents have speculated that the lights are from the devil and are dancing throughout the sky. There has also recently been a link to flying lights in the Southwest Pacific . Most ghost lights are not solved scientifically and still stay as a natural wonder.

Works cited:

Fiumi, Elettra. “The Mysterious ‘Ghost Lights’ of Marfa, Texas.’ BBC Travel, BBC,17 Jan. 2018, http://www.bbc.com/travel/gallery/20180116-the-mysterious-ghost-lights-of-marfa-texas

Grey, Orrin. “A Ghostly Glow in the Sky: What Are the Brown Mountain Lights?” The Lineup, Open Road Media, 26 Mar. 2018, https://the-line-up.com/brown-mountain-lights.

UFO? Ghost lights? The Marfa Lights of Marfa, Texas

Author: Courtney Hicks

The Marfa Lights are a phenomenon that occurs very often in Marfa, Texas that baffles locals and lures in tourists from all over the nation. These are lights that appear during the evening and night, specks of lights that litter the desert skies varying from blue to red to yellow and often dart around the sky or split into various other lights. The locals have grown used to these lights, however many still speculate what they are. There are many theories, from the classic extraterrestrial related UFO, ghost lights, Native American spirits, and many other supernatural explanations. For example, Deborah Byrd explains in this article a popular theory- will-o-the-wisps. A “will-o-the-wisps,” otherwise referred to as ghost lights, derived from English folklore and are mostly seen in the English bogs, however that the term is related to these phantom lights that are unexplained. These lights were believed to have been a lantern or torch being held by a fairy or spirit, to lure travelers into foreign territory deeper into the bogs (Byrd). Byrd even goes as far as to mention the Marfa lights, explaining the darting of the lights and the fact that these lights appeared far before any cars were created, negating skeptics of the supernatural.

A photo drawn on DeviantArt by user Robjenx detailing the history of will-o-the-wisps.

With the supernatural, comes scientific counter explanation, Marc Lallanila explains in THIS (https://www.livescience.com/37579-what-are-marfa-lights-texas.html) article the scientific side that may shed light, elaborating that it could be the highway to headlight superior mirage. This theory claims that the desert heat causes visible gases that may reflect the headlights of cars traveling on the highways to and through Marfa. It could also be the theory of glowing gasses that appear in the desert heat. Regardless of these explanations, it doesn’t stop tour guides from profiting of the national attention it brings, being the highlight of Marfa (Lallanila).

These scientific perspectives, however, counteract the history of the lights, dating back all the way to the early 1800’s as the first documented sighting, and Native Americans believing the lights were the presence of spirits of fellow tribe members. Michael Hall points out in his Texas Monthly article that there are two versions of the lights: the real version, or the unexplained version that many locals can attest to, and the fake version, the hoaxes possibly created by locals to continue tourist revenue. He states that real version may be references in World War 2 Air force sightings as well as the Native Americans lore involving the spirits of the deceased that is related to these sightings (Hall).

Either way, the lights have been a mystery that can be seen often in Marfa, locals love talking, and tourists love venturing out to witness these lights and make their own judgement on what may be behind them. So much culture derived from this phenomenon that there is an annual festival in Marfa involving music, food, and activities all leading up to a mass viewing of the lights, waiting for there appearance! Many will continue to speculate the supernatural, many will continue to attempt debunking with scientific theory, however no one knows for certain what these lights are, and the mystery of it all keeps locals and tourists excited for the next sighting!

Works Cited:

Byrd, Deborah. “Ghost Lights: Believe If You Dare.” EarthSky: An Update on Your Cosmos
And World.  29 October 2016.

Hall, Michael. “The Truth is Out There.” Texas Monthly. June 2006. https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-truth-is-out-there/.

Lallanila, Marc. “What Are The Marfa Lights? Live Science; Strange News. 13 June,
2013. https://www.livescience.com/37579-what-are-marfa-lights-texas.html.

Su, Alisa. “Top 10 Secrets of the Marfa Mystery Lights and the Marfa Lights Theories” Mysterious Monsters. 10 December 2016. http://www.science-rumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Top-10-Secrets-of-the-Marfa-Mystery-Lights-and-the-Marfa-Lights-Theories-388x220.jp

Robjenx. “SDJ; Will- O- The-Wisps” DeviantArt. 16 September 2012 http://img04.deviantart.net/1c28/i/2012/260/2/7/sdj___will_o___the_wisp_by_robjenx-d5ezr0w.jpg

For more information on The Marfa Lights, visit these websites:

https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/will-o-the-wisp/. Professor Geller goes into detail on the story behind “will-o-the-wisps,” being inspired by blacksmith named Will whose mischievous soul was sent back onto earth by Saint Peter. That soul, which was condemned on Earth forever, impressed the devil into gifting Will coal on Winter nights which he then used as a lantern to deter and lure travelers during their journeys. The purpose of this article is to go into depth of the lore behind what a will-o-the-wisps is and why it is seemingly a malevolent spirit.

https://www.ufoinsight.com/the-far-reaching-mystery-of-the-marfa-lights/ Marcus Lowth briefs on the existence, history and firsthand account of the Marfa Lights as many of the other articles, however, goes in depth in a particular crossing of U.S. and Mexican military in the Chihuahuan Desert Incident. This report claims of a UFO colliding with a small plane in El Paso and the small plane is referred to as a possible Marfa Light. The entire exchange resulted in the rumor of a captured UFO/ disk. The purpose of the article is to elaborate on the Marfa Lights, particular accounts, and the extraterrestrial side of the phenomenon.

https://earthsky.org/human-world/ghost-lights-believe-in-them-if-you-dare. Deborah Byrd goes into explicit detail in “Ghost Lights in History” on what a Ghost Light is by referring to English folklore and its second name of will-o-the-wisps. She explains that the spirits that some thought the lights were, would retract upon approach, and that they were also looked at as a torch or light carried by a fairy. The purpose of this article is to elaborate on what a Ghost Light is, its history and many popular modern sights for these lights, such as Marfa, Texas and the Brown Mountains of North Carolina.

Ghost Light Mystery: A Small Town Church’s Glowing Cross

Author: Brianna Cooper

In the small town of Cross Hill, SC  there is a church cemetery that some claim has supernatural forces at work. Bethabara Baptist Church’s cemetery is home to an iron-cross which mysteriously glows and changes colors and then it returns to its natural state. Many may not know about this unique grave marker because Cross Hill is not a very popular town in South Carolina or in general. As of July 1, 2017, it has a population of 502 (cite).I went to great lengths to unlock the truth behind this paranormal activity. Here’s the (long and hard) process I went through to find this information:

Upon googling “Old Ford’s Glowing Cross,” the amount of results that seemed relevant were minimal. The images results at the top of the page were all old, rusty Ford trucks (LOL). I only found 2 leads from Google which posed a problem. 2 articles suggested that the cross in question was the giant glowing cross standing above the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. This seemed like the more appealing and glamourous story to write about. However, there was still more evidence to be found. A book called the Weird Carolinas, written by Roger Manley, claims what was stated in the above paragraph about the glowing cross. After reading all 3 of these sources, I had to decide which of these stories was the one I was looking for. The articles on Ford Amphitheatre had a little more information, but the title of the short paragraph on the back of Manley’s book was the exact same title I had received as my topic. This gave me a gut feeling that I should do more research. I had no idea how frustrating this would be.

I searched near and far. I searched far and near. I dug a hole in my backyard and ended up in China. I couldn’t seem to find anything else about Old Ford’s Glowing Cross. I was stumped.Then Igot the bright idea to look up the church itself. Silly me. I thought this would help HAHA. I could find anything about this church as well. It led me to believe it didn’t exist anymore. All that came up were different churches in Cross Hill, SC. At this point, I was desperate. Maybe the church was renamed? I googled each church with this search term glowing cross. One church made me jump for joy when I found 2 sources (both sites dedicated to haunted places) that matched the same description from the bookI found. Additionally, one of the websites Haunted Places  brought new information that made this glowing cross even more interesting. It claimed that the marker belonged to a Civil War Soldier’s ghost. Although I felt pretty satisfied with this newfound knowledge, I still couldn’t piece together what happened to Old Ford’s Baptist Church and how it was connected Bethabara Baptist Church. The whole small-town thing definitely did not make this search easy. No one was reporting church name changes in Cross Hill, SC. Who cares? Well I cared at the moment, so I had to dig that whole to China again. I used an academic database to search the church but nothing relevant came up (of course). Luckily, I didn’t give up and decided to just search “bethabara.” To my advantage, I found an encyclopedia article that explained that Bethabara was a place in biblical times that was located above the Dead Sea at a ford. YES!IT ALL MAKES SENSE!I never got any actual confirmation that Old Ford Baptist Church is now Bethabara Baptist Church, but just go with it *wink wink*.

Is this glowing cross a confusing, hard-to-find, and somewhat unbelievable conspiracy? Yes. Should you go look and see for yourself? Yes. Will I go look and see for myself? No. I love my life and I want to keep it. Happy ghost hunting! 😊

Works Cited:

“Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2017.”American FactFinder, 5 Oct. 2010,factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk.

“Bethabara.” Academic Search Premier, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2019, pp. 1.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=134504652&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

“Bethabara Baptist Church Cemetery.” Haunted Places, www.hauntedplaces.org/item/bethabara-baptist-church-cemetery/.

Manley, Roger. Weird Carolinas. Sterling Publishing, 2007.

“Tantrum Not In The Mood GIF.” Tenor, Tenor, 18 Mar. 2017, tenor.com/view/tantrum-gif-
8034080.

Links for further research:
Ghost Lights: Believe them if you
darehttps://earthsky.org/human-world/ghost-lights-believe-in-them-if-you-dare.
This site gives the reader background information on ghost lights and the history of these supernatural entitiesas well as different locations that ghost lights can be seen in the United States.

Ghost Lights: Origins, Legends, Well Known Sightings and Science
https://www.trueghosttales.com/ghost-lights.php.
This site also gives background information on ghost lights and accounts of sightings.

Lismore’s Glowing Cross
http://www.unexplainedaustralia.com/30-unexplained-phenomena/77-lismore-s-glowing-cross
This site is a report of another glowing cross in a cemetery located in Australia.

The Maco Light

Author: Rhett Barnard

Near the coastal areas of North Carolina, nestled in swampland, is the small town of Maco. In this quaint little town lies a legend, one of tragedy and searching from beyond the grave. That is the legend of the Maco light. In the years after the Civil War, the railroad was king. Joe Baldwin, a flagman for the trains out of Maco Depot Station, was asleep in the back of the caboose. He was awoken by a loud noise and a violent shake. The caboose had become unhinged. 

Joe ran to the back to the train to alert another train, which was traveling nearly top speed towards the caboose. Unfortunately, the conductor didn’t see Joe through the mist, and hit the caboose at full speed. He was decapitated, and after much searching for his head with no luck, he was buried without it. After his death, many sightings of a mysterious light were reported. It was said to be Joe with his lantern, looking for his head. Many people, including President Grover Cleveland, claimed to see this light. That is until 1977, when the railroad was torn up. The sightings stopped after this. The legend of Joe Baldwin has inspired legends, skeptics, even videos about the subject. 

The story of Joe Baldwin is a tragic one. It is said that after his death, he was viewed as a hero for giving his life trying to prevent a collision. Of course, as with most legends, the lines between what really happened and what people perceived became blurred. In this particular legend, even details about the ghost became skewed. There are variations of this story that say Joe’s ghost can be seen carrying a two light, one red and one green, to warn an oncoming train. This is a stark contrast to the most widely believed accounts of him carrying one lantern in search of his severed head. 

In a short documentary, those who claim to see it claimed that the light began to slowly recede as they moved closer. The legend, however, states that the light will suddenly disappear upon looking at it for more than a few seconds. As the years go by, and the legend diminishes, the crazy claims are sure to outweigh the long standing legend.

Though there will always be skeptics, the legend of the Maco Light will live on in the hearts of the people of Maco. The light is not predicted to ever be seen again, due to the railroad being pulled up. There are, however, those who remain loyal to the legend of Joe Baldwin. With the lack of reported sightings, it is a very large possibility that this legend may disappear in areas far from this sight. But this small town will surely never forget. 

Works Cited:

Steelman, Ben. “THE MACO LIGHT | BRUNSWICK'S ‘TRUE' GHOST STORY.” Star News. 10 October, 2008. Web. 14 October, 2013.

“The Maco Light.” Northcarolinaghosts.com. N.p. n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

Will Davis. “The Maco Light ( & The Legend of Joe Baldwin)” Yotube.com. Web. 14 October, 2013.

Links for Further Research

The Maco Light

darkartsmedia.com/Maco_Light.html

Leads to a multimedia presentation on the Maco Light.

The Light at Maco Station

www.ibiblio.org/ghosts/maco.html

Gives detailed description on the Maco Light and leads to an interactive sight where multimedia can be viewd.

History of the Maco Light

www.thenbm.com/macolight.htm

Gives detailed description of the legend along with credible real life sources that can be found today.

Marfa Lights

Author: Shelby Tasker

Weird Nature Phenomenon: Marfa’s Mystery Lights, Chinati Mountains, West Texas

This paranormal phenomenon we call “Marfa Lights” has been reported as glowing orbs across the Mitchell Flat, an area near Marfa where they’ve mostly been observed. Many witnesses have said the lights are all different colors such as white, blue, green, yellow and red. They have been reported to be as big as a basketball, and come in unpredictable directions, and distances. They can appear at any point of time throughout the year, on any day of the week, and in any weather condition for seconds at a time, or even hours. These puzzling lights are shoulder height, float above ground, or high in the air. They can split into two, dart across the sky, or melt into just one light.  They are usually reported ten to twenty times a year, and have yet to be seen during the day. In recent years the lights have become a tourist attraction. The Texas State Highway Department has constructed a viewing area a few miles away from Marfa for anyone to stop and enjoy the lights. The biggest mystery of all: we have no idea what causes the Marfa Lights.

There are thousands of explanations of the strangeness making the lights extremely controversial. Many researchers have tried coming up with a scientific reason for the lights, but have not had any luck. Therefore, many imaginers have come up with their own theory. Onlookers have described them as ghosts, and even UFOs. One explanation for these lights is the wandering ghosts from Spanish conquistadors who were looking for gold but were left behind, and will forever be around (Smith). Another theory is when World War I soldiers witnessed the lights; they feared the lights were an invasion (Smith).  Pilots of the war looked for the source from the helicopters, but had no luck.

The most logical theory found was researched by the Society of Physics Students at the University of Texas at Dallas to determine an origin of the Marfa lights. They set up video cameras and traffic monitoring boxes for their experiment. The purpose was to find if there was a correlation between the numbers of lights being observed and the number of cars of the nearest highway (Stolyarrow). When the videos were played at real-time, all the lights seemed to jump, float, and change colors. However, when the videos were played at high speeds the lights moved from left to right along a path, just like cars would (Stolyarrow). The experimenters concluded all the suspicious lights observed by this group and anyone else could be identified as car headlights traveling on US 67 through Texas.

According to Julia Smith, publisher of the Texas State Historical Association, the first historical record of the lights was in 1883. Robert Ellison saw a flickering light while driving some cattle. When he told others what he saw, they often saw the lights also while driving their cattle through Marfa. When they went to investigate, they found no ashes or any other evidence from campfires (Smith).  This theory makes it hard to believe the reasoning behind the lights are cars, because cars were not around that long ago. 

Marfa Lights Up Close

Although some of the ideas seem very logical, others seem quite far-fetched. No matter what the idea is, there isn’t enough research to support any of the theories. In all, every theory proposed is simply a speculation at this point with none of them having any proven facts.

Work Cited:

Darack, Ed. "Unlocking the atmospheric secrets of the Marfa mystery lights." Weatherwise. 61.3 (May-June 2008): p36. Academic OneFile. Article. 9 October 2013.

Hall, Michael. “The Truth is Out There.” Texas Monthly. June 2006. Web. 9 October 2013.

James, Peter. “Marfa Lights Up Close.” YouTube. Google. MP3 file. 18 February 2007. Web. 10 October 2013.

Lallanilla, Marc. “What are the Marfa Lights?” Livescience. Life’s Little Mysteries. 19 June 2013. Web. October 10, 2013.

Smith, Julia. “Marfa Lights.” Texas State Historical Association. n.d. Web. 13 October 2013.

Stolyarrow, Alexander. “An Experimental Analysis of the Marfa Lights.” University of Texas. 10 December 2005. Document. 10 October 2013.

“Weird Nature Phenomenon: Marfa’s Mystery Lights, Chinati Mountains, West Texas.” Photograph. Strange Sounds. 16 February 2013. Web. October 15, 2013.

Links for Further Research:

Marfa Lights Research. NightsOrbs. 2013. This website gives you a slide show of all the different images of the Marfa Lights.

The Marfa Lights. YouTube. Google 5 April 2011. Web. October 15, 2013. This video has interviews from the mayor of Marfa, Texas and other old-timers who have witnessed the lights first hand.

Hunting Marfa Lights. Amazon. n.d. Web. October 15, 2013. This website gives you a short summary of the book written by James Bunnel, “Hunting Marfa Lights,” and gives you the option to buy it. 

The Marfa Lights

Author: Bryce Saunders

Every small town in America has its local legends and folklore. However, none are quite as concrete and easy to spot as the mysterious Marfa Lights. The town of Marfa, Texas is located not far from the Mitchell Flat.  Looking out onto the flat from Marfa on most clear nights, you can see strange floating, blinking, and moving lights.  The source of these lights has been controversial ever since they were first reported. 

Marfa Light on the Mitchell Flat by J. Bunnell, 2007.

 Most critics believe the lights come from some type of reflection through the desert from headlights on nearby roads.  However, there are reports that date back to the late 1800s which would refute this idea altogether. Cars did become prominent in America until the 1900s. Many frontiersmen would search for these lights through the desert thinking they were actually Native Americans who intended to hurt or kill them, their families, or their livestock.

              
 However, cow herders and ranchers are not the only ones who have gone searching for the source of these lights though.  One local war veteran tried to chase the lights down with his plane, however could not find anything.  A group of scientists conducted experiments to find a scientific solution to the lights. They discovered that the lights matched up very precisely with cars passing on the near by highway. 

Video of the Marfa Lights in Marfa, Texas. 

However, this still does not explain how the lights were seen before cars came into existence.  Neither can scientists explain the high pitched noises many hear while observing the lights or the playful nature that the lights seem to have as people chase them (Kelley). Because the lights playfulness, there are also many ghost stories about the ghost lights, mainly by Native Americans.  Many believe the lights are lost lovers forever searching for each other.  Many others believe they are fallen warriors who will wander the Earth forever.  As much as people search and hypothesize theories for their existence, it is likely we will ever know for sure and that we should enjoy their sight rather than question their existence. 

Works Cited:

 Kelley. “The Marfa Lights”. Dave Republic. N.p. n.d. Web. 24 Oct, 2012.

J. Bunnell. “Marfa Lights View Park”. Photograph. “Mystery Lights”. Marfa Lights Research. Marfa Lights Research, 23 July 2007. Web. 25 Oct, 2012.

PJNARS. “Marfa Lights up close”. Youtube. 18 Feb 2007. Web. 25 Oct, 2012.

Links for Further Research:

Skeptoid

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4038

Gives more information about the Marfa Lights and their existence.

Night Orbs

http://www.nightorbs.net/

Gives general information about what the Marfa Lights are.

SPNational

http://www.spsnational.org/wormhole/utd_sps_report.pdf

Gives a scientific explanation towards what the Marfa Lights are.

The Maco Light

Author: Solomon Monroe

This haunted horror story takes place on the Atlantic Coast line railroad at a station which was known as Farmers Turnout. The station was later renamed and is now known as the Maco Station, a few miles west of Wilmington North Carolina. The Maco Light is one of North Carolina's great ghost stories. For over a century, spooky and mysterious lights were observed and even photographed appearing up and down along the railroad tracks. Like any other mysterious light, the light would disappear whenever anyone approached it.

 Headless Joe Baldwin searching for his head

The story took place in late 1867. Joe Baldwin was sleeping in the last train cart, which is known as the caboose. Then he was awakened by a loud and rough jerk. He jumped up quickly knowing that the cart had detached from the train. He also knew that the train which he was on was not the only train schedule to be on the tracks at the time.

            Joe rushed and grabbed a warning light. He ran to the back of the detached cart and waved it back in forth hoping that the oncoming train would see it and stop. It was too late. The speeding locomotive ran full speed into the cart and Joe Baldwin was decapitated. During the accident, his head was thrown into a nearby swamp by the force. It was never found and Joe was buried a week later headless.

            After that night, lights have been seen moving up and down the track around the Maco Station area. Most of the time it was one light, but there were even reports of two. People say that it's the ghost of Joe Baldwin, still searching for his missing head. Later on, the tracks along the route were pulled up in 1977.  Ever since they were pulled up, the lights have never been seen again.

            Stories from the coast stated, “The Maco Light is too well documented and has been too often seen to be dismissed as mere superstition. But I think that what was seen around Maco was a natural, not supernatural, phenomenon.” It is believed that the lights were simply a tremendous electrical charge from earthquakes that give off globular balls of light. I guess the world will never know.

Works Cited:

"The Maco Light| North Carolina Ghost Stories and Legends." The Maco Light| North Carolina Ghost Stories and Legends. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.northcarolinaghosts.com/coast/macolight.php>.

Further information.

http://www.darkartsmedia.com/Maco_Lights.com.html 

Display video of the accident.

http://www.thenbm.com/macolight.html 

Essay of the Joe Baldwin legend.

http://www.hauntednc.com/legends_maco.htm 

North Carolina horror stories. 

Bingham’s Light

Author: Jayson Oxendine

In a small community called Bingham located in Dillon South Carolina is the Bingham’s Light.  The story of the Bingham’s Light is a about a man named John or Bill, no one is really sure of his name, but they know his last name is Bingham. What is a ghost light you may ask? A ghost light is a paranormal occurrence mostly at night time, and is usually seen all over the world. There are many different stories behind ghost lights or paranormal occurrences. Each town or community has their own story to tell about ghosts. Some may be true others are just stories passed down from generation to generation. A lot of the ghost light stories, people have actually seen them and have taken videos to prove that the ghost light is real, such as the Bingham’s Light. 

Bingham was a farmer, who one night went hunting with his dog beside some railroad tracks. While walking beside the railroad he noticed a piece of the tracks under construction. A train was on its way so he took his lantern and attempted to fix the tracks before the train came. He tried to warn the train with his lantern, but his flame was going out. He slipped on the track and the train ran him over.

According to some different sources people say the light changes colors at night and sways back and forth. The light also flickers from when the fire was going out while Bingham was trying to warn the train about the broken track. People have said that while walking towards the light it begins to get hotter and hotter. Other sources say that for the light to appear you have to yell for him, and you will know you’re close from the temperature dropping.

Another theory to the Bingham’s Light is that Bingham was a murderer and he would take bodies down by the railroad and would bury the bodies to hide them. Some people say his head was cut off by the train and he is still looking for his head. The main theory is that he, waving his lantern to try and tell the train to stop, slipped on the tracks and the train ran him over.

Works Cited:

Binghams Light. August 20^th 2007. thenightsky. Web. 18 October 2012

Ken & Yvonne Rudine Bragg Road Mystery Light. August 2007 Saratoga, TX. texasescapes.

            Web. 18 October 2012

                            

Joshua P. Warren. Ghost Lights Near Brown Mountain. North Carolina 2001. coasttocoastam.

            Web. 18 October 2012

Sparlin, Orrick. "Hornet Spooklight." Earth Lights: Spooklights And Ghost Lights.Web. 18 Oct

 2012. <http://inamidst.com/lights/earth>.

Further Research:

A Storied Journey 8

(Insert Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9sN0Spa65E)

A short video on the story of the Bingham’s Light.

Bingham’s Light

http://www.southeasternhauntings.com/bl.php

The history on the Bingham’s Light and directions to find the ghost light.

Earth Lights: Spooklights and Ghost Lights

http://inamidst.com/lights/earth

The definition of a ghost light and sightings of these paranormal activities in different places.

Southern Ghost Lights

http://southcarolinaghost.tripod.com/GhostStories/id25.html

The story of someone’s experience in countering the Bingham’s Light.

The Brown Mountain Lights

Author: Christina Levy

Brown Mountain is located in the northern area of Burke County in North Carolina.  There are not any geological features on this mountain making it significant to North Carolina history.  Instead, there are mysterious orb like lights randomly hovering over the mountain at night.  These lights are known as The Brown Mountain Lights and explanations vary from warring Indian tribes to a murder story from 1850.  These lights are described in the book Ghosts of the Carolinas as “seen and investigated for more than a century, a tantalizing mystery remains unsolved in the mountains of North Carolina”.  These ghost light sightings say a lot about the dead communicating with the living, a belief of spiritualism.

The Brown Mountain Marker

   One explanation for The Brown Mountain Lights is the Cherokee Indian legend of a bloody battle between the Cherokee and the Catawba Indians.  In the 12^th century, the two warring tribes fought a bloody battle on Brown Mountain in North Carolina.  After the battle, the young Native American maidens went back to the mountain to see if anyone was left alive.  The sight was so awful that the young women still haunt the mountain with their torches held high.  Another explanation for these lights regarding the bloody Native American battle in the 12^th century is, these lights are the spirits of the Native American warriors who were slain in the battle.  These stories are two explanations of the lights dancing on top of Brown Mountain.

            Another explanation for The Brown Mountain Lights is the legend dating back to 1850.  This legend is about a woman named Belinda and her husband, who was a suspect for her murder.  Belinda disappeared in the area of the Brown Mountain, North Carolina Museum of History. One night, while people were searching for her, the strange Brown Mountain Lights were seen dancing over the mountain.  Many people believe that it is the spirit of Belinda coming back to haunt the person who murdered her.  Soon after this, her husband left the country and was never heard of again.  Years later, her skeleton was found under a large pile of rocks.  It is believed that her spirit light still haunt Brown Mountain reminding criminals that eventually their crimes will be revealed.

The dancing Brown Mountain Lights are located in the northern area of Burke County in North Carolina.  These mysterious luminescent orbs randomly hover over the mountain at night.  One explanation for these lights is the spirits of the Cherokee and Catawba Indians after a bloody battle in the 12^th century.  Another explanation for these lights is the story about a woman named Belinda who was supposedly murdered by her husband in 1850.  Her spirit haunts the mountains to this day reminding criminals that they will be caught for their crimes. These stories explain the history behind the dancing lights on top of Brown Mountain in North Carolina.

Works Cited:

Braswell, Charles.  “Brown Mountain Lights.” Photograph. The Brown Mountain Lights.  2009.  Web.  15 Oct. 2012. (Photo removed at Mr. Braswell's request.)

Roberts, Nancy. Ghosts of the Carolinas.  McNally and Loftin, Publishers. 1962.  Book.  10 Oct. 2012.

“The Brown Mountain Lights”.  North Carolina Museum of History Office of Archives and History, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.  2005.  Web. 10 Oct. 2012.

Links for Further Research: 

You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSJb3QuBlTg

Includes a news segment specifically focused on everything regarding The Brown Mountain Lights such as the history and different sightings.

The Brown Mountain Lights
http://jayssouth.com/nc/brown/brownmountain2.jpgIncludes historical sightings, pictures, videos, as well as the history behind The Brown Mountain Lights.

Space Time Forum
http://spacetime.forumotion.com/t278-north-carolina-s-brown-mountain-ufo-ghost-lights
Includes a map of Brown Mountain in North Carolina, several videos of the phenomena, and other hyperlinks, which focus on The Brown Mountain Lights.