Haunted Lighthouse to be Given Away by NPS
By Sue Clark on Jul 9, 2007 in Lighthouses For Sale 
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Penfield Reef Lighthouse, near the entrance to Black Harbor, Long Island Sound in Fairfield, Connecticut, was declared excess property earlier this year by the Coast Guard. It joins over 20 other lighthouses that have been given away by the NPS for one dollar, except this one is a little different. For that one dollar, you get a lighthouse built with granite on a reef, with a two story home of the Second Empire architectural style, and your very own ghost.
I posted the story July 7 on my other site, hauntedlights.com, and the next day the Connecticut Post ran a story on it, which was picked up by the Associated Press.
For those of you that may not know the story of the ghost, three days before Christmas in 1916, Lighthouse Keeper Fred Jordan went ashore, leaving his assistant, Rudy Iten, in charge. A short distance away, the boat capsized, and Iten was unable to rescue him in the lifeboat, as the winds had pushed Jordan over a mile away. He drowned, and a few days later, Iten saw his ghost walking up the stairs, the light began to “behave strangely” and the keeper’s log was opened to the date of Jordans death. The light would often behave strangely, especially before a storm, and Jordan also allegedly rescued two young boys from the reef, pulling them to safety. The boys identified him from an old photo.
According to Jeremy D’Entremont, of New England Lighthouses-A Virtual Guide, as quoted in the Connecticut Post story:
D’Entremont said ghost stories are often associated with lighthouses, but Penfield’s has more credibility because it’s based on a well-documented death.
D’Entremont also doubted that Iten, who tried to save Jordan from drowning, would make light of his death by fabricating a story.
Jordan’s ghost appeared to other lighthouse keepers through the years, and Iten had them sign affidavits to what they had witnessed, D’Entremont said.
The town of Fairfield has sent in a letter of interest, with the July 18 deadline looming. There are no plans to open it for public tours, however, and the town is hoping a group will step forward to spearhead fundraising efforts for repair.
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