THE STORY
Reported Haunting
For generations, witnesses around Hendricks Head have reported a Woman in White walking near the lighthouse and beach. Although the traditional shipwreck story used to explain her identity appears to be folklore rather than documented history, reports of the apparition have persisted independently as part of local lighthouse lore.
Established in 1829 on Southport Island, Hendricks Head Light has long been associated with the apparition of a mysterious woman in white. Local witnesses have reportedly seen the figure walking along the beach and near the lighthouse. Tradition identifies her as the mother of an infant supposedly rescued after a nineteenth-century shipwreck. Historical research, however, indicates that the famous rescued-baby story was probably derived from fiction rather than an actual shipwreck. The Woman in White sightings remain part of the lighthouse's independent local ghost lore and have been reported by people in the surrounding area.