Point Lookout State Park

The southernmost tip of a peninsula at the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. The site of Camp Hoffman, the largest Federal facility for Confederate prisoners during the Civil War, where nearly 4,000 men perished.

Point Lookout is considered the most haunted lighthouse in America and possibly the most haunted location in Maryland. The trauma of this desolate peninsula, where the Potomac River meets the Chesapeake Bay, stems from unimaginable Civil War suffering: between 1863 and 1865, Camp Hoffman held over 52,000 Confederate prisoners in overcrowded tents on the 40-acre compound. Author Edwin Warfield Beitzell described it as "a story of cruel decisions in high places, a story of diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid and typhus, of burning sands and freezing cold in rotten tents." Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 men perished from disease, starvation, and exposure. Their remains were initially buried near the lighthouse before relocation to a Confederate cemetery marked by a pillar inscribed with 3,384 names.

The lighthouse itself, built in 1830, became a focal point for paranormal activity. Ann Davis, daughter of the first keeper James Davis (who died just two months after lighting the beacon), maintained the light until her own death in 1847 and is frequently spotted standing at the top of the stairs in a white blouse and long blue skirt. Her voice has been recorded saying "This is my home." She may have saved a life from beyond the grave: when resident Laura Berg's space heater caught fire, mysterious lights appeared and alerted her to the danger.

The famous 1980 investigation by Dr. Hans Holzer—internationally recognized parapsychologist—made Point Lookout the only Chesapeake Bay lighthouse subjected to formal paranormal research. His team recorded 24 distinct voices speaking and singing throughout the building, including a male voice stating "Fire if they get too close to you"—believed to reference Confederate prisoners. Investigator Sarah Estep captured EVPs with clear responses: when she asked "Were you a soldier here?" a young man's voice replied "I was seeing the war."

The most frequently sighted apparition is a ragged Confederate soldier who sprints across the road away from the former smallpox unit—a spectral escapee repeating his futile flight to freedom. Witnesses report the smell of mildew and gunpowder in his wake. A famous photograph shows what appears to be a headless Confederate soldier leaning against a bedroom wall; this image is now displayed at the New York Institute of Technology. Another shocking photograph shows Laura Berg holding a candle with the spectral image of a bedraggled Civil War soldier standing directly behind her.

Park Manager Gerry Sword witnessed countless phenomena during the 1970s: unexplained snoring in the empty kitchen, disembodied voices, figures of men moving through the house, and his German Shepherd repeatedly barking and lunging at invisible presences on the old Civil War road. He watched three identical candles burn at dramatically different rates, with one mysteriously breaking while still lit. Ranger Donnie Hammett encountered an elderly woman searching for graves along the shore—when he returned moments later, she had vanished. Research revealed an old family cemetery once stood at that exact spot. He also repeatedly witnessed the same man running across a road section, always fleeing toward woods near the smallpox hospital.

Laura Berg, who later became Maryland's Secretary of State, lived in the lighthouse during the 1970s and reported heavy, old-fashioned boots walking up and down the hall at night. She witnessed two transparent figures in the basement. Her mother was awakened by someone calling her name—"Helen"—though no one living was there. A visiting friend saw a woman in a blue dress who vanished when approached. Named spirits captured in EVP recordings include "Kena" (recorded in the basement), "Mary" (a breathy female voice), and one disturbing message: "Loraine was killed by John."

Additional tragedies compound the haunting. In October 1878, the steamer Express sank during a storm; Officer Joseph Haney washed ashore and is believed to haunt the grounds—residents report unexplained knocking on doors and mysterious puddles of water forming as if an invisible, soaking-wet person were walking toward the bay. The USS Tulip exploded in 1864, killing 47; eight bodies washed ashore near the lighthouse. Fishermen still hear calls for help from the water with no one in sight.

Point Lookout has been featured on TV shows Weird Travels, Mystery Hunter, and TLC's Haunted Lighthouses. The lighthouse hosts Paranormal Nights when small groups investigate from 9 PM to 2 AM, and EVP recordings continue to capture drums, chanting, banging, whistling, and voices pleading "Help me" from empty rooms.