The haunting of Penfield Lighthouse

FAIRFIELD -- Since 1874, the Penfield Lighthouse has alerted boaters to the hazards of Penfield Reef, that extends for over a mile. It has also had a reputation for being haunted by a lighthouse keeper, who, anxious to see his family for the Christmas holidays in 1916, headed toward shore in a small rowboat.

Frederick Jordan, the keeper, never made it. His boat capsized and as Jordan's assistant watched helplessly, Jordan drifted away, never to be seen again -- at least not in the flesh.

Legend has it that Jordan's successor once claimed to see a hazy presence coming out of the dead keeper's former room, and after looking around the station, found the logbook had been taken down and opened to the page that described Jordan's death.

Others have reported the light not flashing properly, for no apparent reason, though the problems were attributed to the atmospheric conditions, and still other boaters claim they see the ghost of the keeper guiding them to safety in bad weather.

Plans by the Coast Guard in 1969 to tear down the granite structure and replace it with a pipe tower met with vocal opposition and the original structure still stands.

The lighthouse was automated in 1971 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Ownership of Penfield was transferred in 2008 to Beacon Preservation, which plans to use it a research facility.

­-- GENEVIEVE REILLY