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The Ghost Light Phenomenon

Myth, legend, optical illusion, or headlights? Whatever the case may be, mysterious, ghostly spook lights continue to be seen by citizens across the U.S. and the world.

Dubbed "Spook Lights" or "Ghost Lights" many, if not most, of these luminous displays can probably be explained as simple optical illusions involving automobile headlights, campfires, even flashlights, but there are still some spook lights that defy explanation. Could they be ghostly illuminations from beyond our world, spirits, or UFOs? Well, just because they aren't readily explained does not mean they are of supernatural origin.

The United States is host to several spook light locations, many on the east coast, from Arkansas to New Jersey and many places in between. Ghostly beacons seem to appear regularly to those who gather for a look.

Texas has the Bragg Road Ghost Light and the Marfa Lights, one of the main tourist attractions to this area of Texas, illustrating the lure of these so-called mysteries. North Carolina is home to the legend of the Brown Mountain Lights and The Maco Light in Wilmington. Ghost Lights appear on Sand Mountain in Kentucky, Georgia has the Surrency Spook Light, and the famous Hornet Ghost Light haunts the Ozark Mountains of Missouri.

Could there be more to these mystery lights than we know? Automobile headlights were the explanation proposed for the Brown Mountain Lights in North carolina, but apparently tales of the lights predate the existence of automobiles and lightbulbs. Still, it does not mean that at that time, or even now, there couldn't be any other explanation.

One explanation often suggested is ball lightning. In Gurdon, Arkansas, lies a stretch of railroad tracks with their own ghostly light. Since the early 1900's people have seen a glowing light drift down the tracks. It is described as bluish white, or orange and yellow, and it bobs back and forth along the rail bed. Legend tells that this is the light of a ghostly railway worker searching for his decapitated head.

Tales of railroad ghosts are common across America. Growing up in New Jersey my friends and I heard tales of a ghost that walked the tracks looking for his severed hand. He was called "the Hooker Man," and his lantern light could be seen swaying eerily down the tracks. But of course the conditions had to be right. Sightings usually occurred during dry months when static electricity is most common.

Ball lightning can be created from various sources, power lines — I've witnessed this personally — static electricity, along railroad tracks or other areas where an electrical charge can be collected; even subterranean fault lines, the cracks and fissures formed by movement of the earth's crust. Movement along these faults may release static charges that can appear above the fault area as glowing discharges. That's the theory anyway.

One famous event, which could very well be the result of fault line activity and static dicharge along the Ramapo Fault in northern New Jersey, was called the Wanaque UFO. This mysterious display occurred one night in January of 1966 over the Wanaque Reservoir in Wanaque, New Jersey. Local residents and police bore witness to the glowing ball of multi-colored light that soared overhead, zig-zagging back and forth. Finally the shimmering orb shot straight into the sky, vanishing among the stars.

The things that make this case even more interesting, and why it was called a "UFO," are remarks from police about a glowing object burning up through the icey layer on the surface of the reservoir, and another comment that something had "landed" by the damn.

Whatever the origin of these mysterious lights and orbs, there can be no doubt of their lure. Mysteries such as these have intrigued mankind throughout recorded history. People love a mystery. I'm sure many ghost lights have logical, fairly mundane explanations. But that's hardly any fun.

Drew Vics — 7-21-05