The Maco Light

Sara Wilson 

Maco Light

In 1867, a guy named Joe Baldwin died from a horrible train accident in Maco, North Carolina . Some people believe that he was the conductor of that train and some people believe that Joe worked on that train track. At the time Joe was riding in the last train cart. Joe’s train cart started to slow down. Eventually, his train cart was detached from the rest of the train. Joe then realized that another train would be coming any minute. Then, he heard it. This time it was different, this train was a passenger train. He decided that he had to find a way to warn the other engineer that his train cart was in the way of the tracks so that the passengers would not get hurt. Joe stood on top of the train and waved a lantern back and forth to try and warn the engineer.  He did not know if this was going to work or not , but he had to try and do something to try and save the passengers on the other train. The engineer of the other train saw the light and tried his best to stop before he hit Joe , but there was no possible way he could stop in such a short distance. Joe died and was decapitated.  During the time of the accident investigators looked and looked for Joe’s head, but they unfortunately had no luck. To this day they still have not been able to find Joe Baldwin’s head and he was buried without it. Years after people reported that a lantern would start coming near you and then gradually float away when they visited where the tracks in Maco, North Carolina used to be. Today, people are still traveling to the tracks to see if they can see The Maco Light. The legend still goes on, but some people are not sure that the light is what everyone thinks it is.

Works Cited:

“Brunswick County’s Maco Light has Haunted Generations.” Our State Magazine, Barnes, James. https://www.ourstate.com/maco-light/

Davis, Will. “The Maco Light and the Legend of Joe Baldwin.” Youtube, 13 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBdv15am4ZA

NorfolkTV. “John Baldwin and the Maco light Ghost Story.” Youtube, 23 October 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZFD8cTMYY

“The Maco Light; Brunswick’s “True” Ghost Story.” Ben Steelmanstaff Writer, 10 October 2008, http://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20081010/the-maco-light--brunswicks-true-ghost-story

Unexplained America. “The Maco Railroad Light.” http://www.prairieghosts.com/maco.html

  

Links for further research:

The Moonlit Road

http://themoonlitroad.com/maco-light-north-carolina-railroad-ghost-story/

This link gives a lot of information on The Maco Light as well as photographs of the train.

Maco Light

https://www.sosnc.gov/kidspg/maco.htm

This short article explains the history of The Maco light.

The Maco Light and the Legend of Joe Baldwin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBdv15am4ZA

This video shows the town of Maco, North Carolina and the legend behind it with a ghost hunter. 

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.