Most lighthouses have a touch of creepiness about them. They’re often quite isolated from everywhere else. It’s haunting to imagine lighthouse keepers of the past stuck in one for months on end. You can imagine the extreme isolation and the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks in the night. One lighthouse in New York that’s even spookier than most is the creepily-named Execution Rocks Lighthouse. This place has a history that manages to be as bone-chilling as its name.
The Execution Rocks Light was constructed in 1849 and has been automated since 1979. The 55-foot tall lighthouse is in the middle of Long Island Sound, just between New Rochelle and Sands Point.
ClaussPhoto/Google Maps
The origin of the name “Execution Rocks” is unclear, but there are several rumors.
Brendan Jenkins/Google Maps Many believe that in colonial times, misbehaving slaves were murdered by being chained to the rocks. If chained just before high tide, they would drown when the tide came in. Some believe it was British soldiers who murdered colonialists by using this method during the Revolutionary War. Still, other reports claim that criminals were executed by the state via drowning here. It is also possible that the name is not meant literally, but instead refers to ships running aground here.
But the lighthouse has more recent horrors in its history as well.
Kenny Singh/Google Maps
Serial killer Carl Panzram published an autobiography in which he claimed to have raped and killed 10 sailors in 1920. He said that he dumped their bodies near Execution Rocks.
craig morrison/Google Maps The claims could not be proven since any bodies would have been lost to the sea. Panzram only has five proven victims, but is suspected to have killed well over 100 people.
Due to the horrifying rumors surrounding Execution Rocks, the lighthouse was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures” series in 2009.
ClaussPhoto/Google Maps
This is definitely among the creepiest lighthouses in New York!
Joanna Gazzola/Google Maps
You can float by the Execution Rocks lighthouse at any time by boat, and tours are offered seasonally each summer. You can get more information about tours from Historically Significant Structures Inc., a non-profit society that manages the lighthouse.
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Address: Execution Rocks Island, New York, USA
Most lighthouses have a touch of creepiness about them. They’re often quite isolated from everywhere else. It’s haunting to imagine lighthouse keepers of the past stuck in one for months on end. You can imagine the extreme isolation and the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks in the night. One lighthouse in New York that’s even spookier than most is the creepily-named Execution Rocks Lighthouse. This place has a history that manages to be as bone-chilling as its name.
ClaussPhoto/Google Maps
Brendan Jenkins/Google Maps
Many believe that in colonial times, misbehaving slaves were murdered by being chained to the rocks. If chained just before high tide, they would drown when the tide came in. Some believe it was British soldiers who murdered colonialists by using this method during the Revolutionary War. Still, other reports claim that criminals were executed by the state via drowning here. It is also possible that the name is not meant literally, but instead refers to ships running aground here.
Kenny Singh/Google Maps
craig morrison/Google Maps
The claims could not be proven since any bodies would have been lost to the sea. Panzram only has five proven victims, but is suspected to have killed well over 100 people.
Joanna Gazzola/Google Maps
You can float by the Execution Rocks lighthouse at any time by boat, and tours are offered seasonally each summer. You can get more information about tours from Historically Significant Structures Inc., a non-profit society that manages the lighthouse.
