Location: Sippican Harbor, Massachusetts
When built: 1890
The haunting: William "Billy" Moore was the light's first keeper when it was first lit in 1890. Some say he was a convicted pirate who served out his sentence at the lighthouse, while others claim he was being punished for stealing money from the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. By all accounts, however, Billy had a vicious temper. He lived there with his wife, Sarah, a small, frail woman who many friends suspected was beaten and abused by Billy. One day in 1832, Billy raised the distress flag on the island, bringing the mainlanders to see what the trouble was. They found Sarah dead in the house. Billy claimed that she died of tuberculosis, but others suspected she had somehow been murdered by Billy.
After Billy disappeared from the island, his replacement claimed to have seen the apparition of a frail-looking woman who came to the door with an outstretched hand. When the door was opened, she would fade away. This ghost, who might be Sarah Moore, was last seen in 1982 by two local fisherman, who say the weeping spirit still looked quite distressed.
Source: Coastal Ghosts & Lighthouse Lore by William O. Thomson
