Yaquina Head Lighthouse
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Dates Active: 1873 to Present
Category: Haunting, Lighthouses, Peculiar Natural Formations
Cause: Deaths on the property, natural formations
Status: Ongoing
Entry ID: 040924B-00090
Summery:
Multiple strange stories surround this lighthouse, from deaths and hauntings to strange phenomena.
In Depth:
The Yaquina Head Lighthouse was finished in 1873, just a few miles north of Newport, Oregon. Originally known as the Cape Foulweather Light (more on this later), it is one of the longest operating lighthouses on the Oregon coast. In its over 150 years of operation, there have been a number of strange stories and rumors about the light, with the earliest supposed rumors dating from its construction.
Supposedly, a worker was killed while the lighthouse was being constructed, and his body had become wedged between the brick outer wall of the base of the lighthouse and the inner insulating wall. Unable to retrieve the body, construction workers simply continued to build the tower around their dead companion... though that is only a rumor, likely spread by Keeper John Zenor, who liked to frighten visitors with his many spooky stories.
However, there has been several deaths in the lighthouse and on the grounds, both confirmed and unconfirmed: Keeper Shadrack L. Wass; First Assistant Keeper Francis S. Wells (unconfirmed); Jennie Wilson, wife of Keeper H. E. Wilson; and Second Assistant Keeper Jacob Erickson. Assistant Keeper Herbert Higgins was also rumored to have died at the lighthouse, but it was later found that he had retired to take care of his mother many years before. Regardless, many people believe that someone, if not multiple someones, haunt the Yaquina Head lighthouse.
But that's only the tip of the iceberg when talking about Yaquina Head. Other strange claims about the light include the rumor that it was built in the wrong spot, and that it was originally supposed to be built at Cape Foulweather. The story goes that it was only built where it stands today because the ship delivering needed equipment and materials to the original building sight could not get close enough to drop of their cargo, so they opted to drop them off in Yaquina Bay in Newport instead. That, or the people building the lighthouse simply misread the maps of where it was supposed to be and before anyone realized they were building in the wrong spot they were mostly finished. Either way, an entertaining side note.
A few more extra tidbits about the lighthouse: compasses do not work correctly around Yaquina Head, as the basalt rock has a large amount of iron ore. This causes readings with compasses to behave strangely, though this doesn't affect GPS.
A gravel company almost mined the entire lighthouse site into an island for gravel. The state of Oregon declared the area on which the lighthouse stood an Outstanding Natural Area, and the area where the gravel was being mined became Quarry Cove.
The cast and crew of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries filmed an episode at the lighthouse entitled "The Mystery of Pirate's Cove," but left the lighthouse in such a mess that the caretakers ended up having to sue the production company.
And last, but not least, there is an interesting connection between the Yaquina Head lighthouse and the nearby Yaquina Bay Light: during the 1930s to the 1950s, the Yaquina Head lighthouse became nationally famous for being haunted. John Zenor, one of the keepers at the time, liked the attention and the visitors, and was more than happy to spread the word about the hauntings. At the time, the Yaquina Bay lighthouse was in a bad state and was being considered for demolition, but with the attention the Yaquina Head lighthouse was getting, more visitors were taking notice of Yaquina Bay. It was partly thanks to that attention that Yaquina Bay lighthouse was saved from demolition and turned into a museum, which is still open today.
External Links (Last checked April 9, 2024):
- Yaquina Head was nearly quarried into the sea - Finn J. D. John, Offbeat Oregon History
Related Entries and Connections:
- The Disappearance of Muriel Trevenard
- The Wandering Ghost of Evan MacClure
- Connections: Haunting
- Connections: Lighthouses
- Connections: Peculiar Natural Formations
- Timeline: 1800 to 1899 - 1873
- Timeline: 1800 to 1899 - 1874
- Timeline: 1800 to 1899 - 1886
- Timeline: 1900 to 1999 - 1908
- Timeline: 1900 to 1999 - 1921
Last Update: April 9, 2024
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