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Spooky tales from the shoreline of Lake Huron

By Kayla Wikaryasz 5 min read

ALPENA -- The Great Lakes are formidable forces, and a bit creepy if you think about all those shipwrecks laying at the bottom. But, the local lighthouses have their own spooky lore, as they served as a hopeful beacon in the worst weather, guiding sailors to safety through dark, stormy nights.

In the Northeast Michigan neighborhood resides a pair of lighthouses that were once those beacons of hope. They also carry tales of the paranormal. Joni Rogers, Presque Isle Township Museum Society volunteer coordinator, says that the Old Lighthouse and the New Lighthouse in Presque Isle have stories that can spook even the staunchest skeptic.

The Old Lighthouse in Presque Isle was built to mark the entrance to Presque Isle Bay and its harbor, according to the Presque Isle Township Museum Society. The lighthouse was constructed in the 1830s to accommodate increasing ship traffic to the Presque Isle area and is one of the oldest surviving lighthouses on the Great Lakes.

By 1868 the Keeper's House for the lighthouse at Presque Isle Harbor was in need of repair, so the U.S. Lighthouse Service built a new lighthouse at the tip of the Presque Isle Peninsula, according to the Presque Isle Township Museum Society. Construction of the tower and keeper's house was completed in time for the New Lighthouse to go into service for the 1871 shipping season.

Rogers said that the urban legend is that a previous lighthouse keeper murdered his wife and buried her in the walls of the New Lighthouse, laying new brick in an underground storage area where the keepers would store oil, wicks, and such.

She said she first read about this tall tale in a Michigan magazine.

"Where is this tunnel supposed to be?" she said.

Rogers explained that she searched for a secret tunnel until lighthouse staff showed her the storage area.

"Then I realized what it was. It was storage where they could put extra oil and extra supplies," she said. "I don't know where the story actually originated from. I know it’s not true.”

According to Rogers, the most "common" ghost story people know is about the ghost light at the Old Lighthouse. She said that she believes that the light was George Parris, a lighthouse caretaker, coming back to keep an eye on his wife whom he left behind when he died of a heart attack in the the 90s.

Rogers explained that in 1979 the lighthouse was decommissioned and "the light was no longer supposed to come on."

Unfortunately, the light did come on, for whatever reason, and the Coast Guard intervened.

"That was a big no, no," she added.

Rogers said that the Coast Guard removed the electrical components and even removed the motor to the light to ensure that the light would not turn back on.

George Parris passed away in January 1992 and in the spring, Lorraine Parris claimed to have seen the light when she returned home one evening, according to Rogers.

"That was the first time she saw the light in the lighthouse," Rogers explained. "She didn't tell anybody about it at first, and when she kept seeing it, she did. More and more people started seeing it and it became a huge thing. Her belief was that it was George looking after her."

Rogers said that she too believes that the light was George Parris, though it could very well be an optical illusion.

She added that multiple paranormal groups have investigated the Old Lighthouse with varied results.

"There have been several paranormal groups that have come out to look at it," she said. "There was a group that came out, some were at the harbor, and they sent a man to the lighthouse."

Rogers explained that the man was blocking the windows in such a way to prove the illusion theory. The group concluded that the light was an illusion and told the man to return to the harbor.

"They believed it was an optical illusion," she said. "They said, 'Come down and come back to the harbor.' The door was shut at the bottom of the lighthouse and the man couldn't get out."

The paranormal crew told the man they hadn't locked the door and crew members had to remove the door from its hinges. When the door was removed, they discovered a "very heavy iron bolt" had been bent.

"They looked at that and they said 'Okay, that we can’t explain!'" Rogers said.

Though Rogers agreed that the light is more than likely an illusion, she said that local sailors have claimed to have been guided back to the harbor by the ghost light.

"There are people that will swear that the light has led them back into the harbor," she said.

According to Rogers, Lorraine died in June of 2024. She said she expected the paranormal activity to either get "crazy" or cease.

"I was saying 'Well, now things are going to get really crazy at the lighthouse or they are going to stop.'" she said.

Rogers' son works at the harbor in Presque Isle and she said he hears about the paranormal sightings, though since Lorraine Parris' passing, nothing real spooky has occurred.

"I tell people, my belief is George and Lorraine are resting in peace." she said.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.

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