The Gurdon Light GURDON, ARKANSAS This ghost
light has been seen by hundreds of witnesses who live near or travel to the area around this small Arkansas town about 75
miles south of Little Rock. Seen along a stretch of railroad tracks, this light is also explained with the "headless
brakeman" legend. Because of its remote location (you have to hike about 2-1/2 miles off the road to the spot where it
can be seen) auto headlights have been eliminated as a possible cause. Those who have seen it say it is usually white or blue
in color, and sometimes orange. One distinguishing feature is that it has a distinctive border to it.
They appear in the distance with a regularity that seldom disappoints those who come to view them. Glowing
in the night with an eerie, soft color, they sometimes pulse, sometimes dance about, usually near the ground or horizon. Their
source is a mystery. When the curious try to approach them, they vanish, as if purposely keeping their true nature a secret.
They’re called "spooklights" or "ghost lights" and they
have baffled observers for centuries. Many theories have been offered to explain their presence, including hallucinations,
UFOs, automobile headlights (either direct or reflected), ball lightning, electrical discharges caused by tectonic forces,
swamp gas – and even, as the name implies, ghosts.
Continuously
appearing spooklights are found around the world. Here is a roundup of several of the most well-known spooklights. Perhaps
there is one near you.
The most popular "Halloween"
attraction in Clark County, Arkansas must be the "Gurdon Light", a mysterious phenomena that has been appearing
here for generations. Over the last several decades, hundreds of witnesses have observed the light. It has been seen on local
television stations and has been photographed by students at nearby Henderson State University. There is no doubt that the
light exists.... although what it is and what legends are behind its existence remains to be seen. Gurdon, Arkansas is located
on south of Little Rock and is a small, sleepy little town of only about 2,000 people. It is said that many of the local people
have Gurdon have seen the "light" more than one hundred times in their life and while it is an accepted fact of
this place, those same people still have no idea just how to explain why the light exists. There is a legend, which will come
as no surprise to "ghost light buffs", that tells of a railroad worker who was working along a stretch of tracks
outside of town. He accidentally fell into the path of an oncoming train and his head was severed from his body. "
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Big Thicket Ghost Light BRAGG, TEXAS This light
can be found along Black Creek near the old ghost town of Bragg in eastern Texas. Viewed on a dirt road that leads into swamp
land, this spooklight carries the well-known but almost certainly fictitious legend of the railway brakeman who was accidentally
beheaded by a passing train and who now searches the area for his head with a gas lantern; the spooklight is said to be that
lantern. The tale is folklore that has been attributed to several spooklights. The Big Thicket Ghost Light has been described
as starting as a pinpoint of light among the swamp trees that grows to the brightness of a flashlight, then dims and fades
away. Its color has been likened to that of a pumpkin.
Brown
Mountain Lights BROWN MOUNTAIN,
NORTH CAROLINA Sightings of these lights go back at
least 800 years when the native Cherokees thought them to be the spirits of slain warriors. That these lights go back so far
rules out any man-made illumination, such as auto headlights. The lights have since been well documented by subsequent residents
of the area. There have been dozens of observations by explorers, some dating back to the 1700s, and by Civil War soldiers;
several newspaper reports and magazine articles have been written about the lights. They have been described as being white,
yellow or red; some say they are stationary while others testify that they move around. According to the L.E.M.U.R. team,
which has studied and photographed the lights, they often "line up into 'troop formation' and 'march'
across the ridge, disappearing over the top." The peak time for viewing is in the Fall.
The Hebron Light HEBRON,
MARYLAND Hebron has been home to the mysterious Hebron
Light for decades. One of the most remarkable incidents involving the light occurred in July, 1952 when two officers of the
Maryland State Police allegedly chased a 10-inch ball of light down a dark road in their patrol car. There have been sporadic
sightings of the light before and since, but many say that it has been inactive since the mid-1960s
The Hornet Spooklight (Tri-State Spooklight or Joplin Spooklight) NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA Located on the very northeast corner of Oklahoma, where the state borders Kansas to the north and Missouri to the
east, in an area sometimes called "The Devil's Promenade," you can find the Hornet Spooklight (otherwise known
as the Tri-State Spooklight or Joplin Spooklight). This is a single glowing orb or "necklace of lights" that appears
at the end of a dark gravel road. Sightings go back well over 100 years when settlers traveling by wagon train took note of
the strange lights. Usually golden or red in color, it has also been described at times as yellow, orange, green or blue.
One witness said that the light was so bright and close that it provided light for him to work by at night.
