KEY WEST LIGHTHOUSE MUSEUM

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Haunted Site

Key West, Florida USA

The Key West Light House was built in 1847 to aid ships navigating dangerous reefs off the lower Keys, the Key West Lighthouse now stands sentinel over one of Florida's finest historical sites.

The tower and nearby Keeper's Quarters have been faithfully restored and maintained as they were before the lighthouse was deactivated in 1969. But as intriguing as the structures themselves, are the lives of the keepers who climbed the steps each day to clean and fuel the lamps, especially that of Barbara Mabrity, who took over after her husband died in 1832. She tended the lamps for the 32 years until at age 82.

When a hurricane destroyed the light station in 1846, Barbara Mabrity survived but six of her children were killed after the family sought shelter in the tower. In 1886 the original keeper's dwelling was torn down and replaced with the present building. It is said that Barbara's ghost still haunts the lighthouse today, climbing the steps and tending to her duties as she had done while for so long while alive.