SF. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Just in time for the Halloween season, Planet Cruise has released its list of “The World’s Most Haunted Hotspots.”

The ranking examines historic sites, old houses, hotels, cemeteries and more, using factors such as Tripadvisor ratings and the number of mentions for keywords such as ‘Haunted’, ‘Spooky’ and ‘Scary’ to determine which locations are placed in the top from above.

Globally, Mary King’s Close (No. 1) in the United Kingdom and Eastern State Penitentiary (No. 2) in Philadelphia topped the charts.

However, one Florida destination managed to find a place at the top of the ranking: the lighthouse of St. Augustine, in 5th place.

Built in 1871 and standing 165 feet tall, the lighthouse sits on Anastasia Island along the Salt Run River. And thanks to its long history, it has collected over half a dozen different ghost stories.

“The oldest lighthouse in the US, visitors have reported hearing chuckling in the woods at night and seeing a dark figure inside the lighthouse,” the report said. “Three of the ghosts said to haunt the site are people who drowned in the waters while playing outside the lighthouse in the 1800s.”

The three ghosts come from the story “The Pittee girls” — a trio of young sisters who lived nearby while their father oversaw the construction of the lighthouse.

Their untimely deaths were tragic, but their story is just one of many that give the lighthouse its haunted reputation.

Below are just three of the ghost stories spanning the lighthouse’s long history, as told by the staff who currently maintain it.

“Forever in the Game”

The Story of the Pittee Girls

Father of the sisters — Hezekiah Pittee — was tasked with overseeing the construction of the lighthouse in 1871, prompting him to move his family from Maine to Anastasia Island.

While living there, the sisters (despite being forbidden to do so by their father) often used the lighthouse construction site as their own personal playground.

At the time, a railroad track and wagon were used to transport building materials to the lighthouse from supply ships, although the girls opted to use it as a sort of rollercoaster instead.

“The children often jumped into the wagon by the lighthouse, released the brake, and rode along the rails, squealing with delight until they saw the shoreline,” says a modern guide to the lighthouse. “One could then pull the brakes again and stop the cart before it reached the ocean. While the stroller was not in use, kids could easily roll it back to the site and ride again and again.”

But one fateful day in 1873, the girls—this time accompanied by an African-American maid—jumped into the carriage for one more ride. It wasn’t until it was too late that the girls realized the brake wasn’t working.

As a result, the iron wagon derailed at the end of the tracks and flipped upside down into the water, dragging the girls with it. A construction worker who saw what happened jumped into the water to save them, although he only managed to save 4-year-old Carrie. The other three riders drowned at the scene.

The two Pittee sisters, Eliza and Carrie, were buried in their hometown in Maine, although legend has it that their malevolent spirits still linger at the lighthouse.

According to lighthouse staff, the girl ghosts have been known to tie visitors’ shoelaces, mess with glow sticks provided during tours, and even play games of hide-and-seek or duck-duck-goose.

“THE WOMAN IN WHITE”

The story of Maria Andreu

This ghost story dates back to 1859, when then-lighthouse keeper Joseph Andreu – atop some scaffolding near the top of the tower – was giving the lighthouse a new coat of paint.

However, the scaffolding burst beneath him, causing him to fall around 30 feet. His neck was broken on impact with the roof of the oil house below and he was dead before he even hit the ground.

Andreu’s wife (Maria) and children would have seen the fall. That night, after the news of his death broke, Maria climbed the steps of the lighthouse, full of grief and unsure of what would happen to their family.

Facing the ocean, Maria called out, “What shall I do?”

In response, a familiar voice replied, “Take care of the light!”

Believing the voice to be her husband, she did as she was told and established herself as Florida’s fourth female lighthouse keeper (as well as the first Hispanic person to join the US Coast Guard).

About a year later, the Civil War broke out, and Maria allegedly helped the Confederates remove the Fresnel lens from the lighthouse and hide it to keep Union ships off the coast. He later moved to Georgia and retired.

Although not much is known about Mary’s death, legend has it that her spirit haunts the lighthouse, drawn to her devotion to her work and her husband. According to the lighthouse staff, some have reported seeing a “woman in white” standing near the lighthouse, watching the ocean for missing ships.

“The Shadow Keeper”

The story of Peter Rasmusson

Near the end of the 19th century, Peter Rasmusson—a sailor from Denmark—became the lighthouse’s chief keeper (and eventually its longest-serving keeper). This was during the period when a huge wave of tourism swept the region.

Consequently, Rasmusson and other lighthouse keepers were responsible for providing tours of the lighthouse (in addition to Rasmusson’s other duties of managing the St. Augustine Light Station).

Overwhelmed by the thousands of tourists who come annually, Rasmusson would often seek respite in the basement of the Keeper’s House, where he could avoid the throngs of visitors that flock to the site.

But by 1921, his wife succumbed to illness, and Rasmusson left his position about three years later. After retiring, he left the lighthouse and moved to the mainland, as he could no longer bear to live there without her. He finally died in 1925 and was buried with his wife under a common gravestone.

These days, lighthouse staff say the basement of the Keeper’s House is “one of the most active locations for paranormal activity” on the site.

“Many feel a very different energy downstairs, often describing it as heavy or unsettling. Some report dizziness or nausea, and a few even refuse to stay inside and rush back up the stairs,” a guide reads. “It is the strange apparitions on the north side of the basement that lead many to believe that Peter’s spirit remains at the Keeper’s House.”

However, staff members at the lighthouse explained that much of the “paranormal activity” involves two wooden chairs in the basement, which are not original to the house and were not even seen by Rasmusson. However, some visitors who stay in them claim to have witnessed his spirit.

“Women will sometimes feel their hair or legs being caressed by an unseen hand. If someone is particularly rude while seated, Peter can get a little more aggressive, occasionally pulling hats and sunglasses off his head. But Peter doesn’t stop there. In an even more disturbing scenario, an employee who was trying to antagonize Peter said he felt two strong hands push hard into his back, pushing him face first into the basement.

Ghost Stories and Dark of the Moon Guide.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse still lights up at night as it is now used as a private navigational aid by the nonprofit St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.

There are several other ghostly legends associated with the old lighthouse, and visitors who want to investigate are in luck, as the St. Augustine Lighthouse allows in-person tours.

According to its website, entering the lighthouse allows guests to explore the tower and get a better look at the Keeper’s House.

In addition, the lighthouse hosts guided tours, including a “Dark of the Moon Ghost Tour” that takes guests through the tower at night.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the lighthouse website Here.

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