Reviewed by Josh N · Updated October 2, 2026 · How we verify
Reported Phenomena
- Cold spots
- Ghost of a keeper
- Unexplained phenomena
Reported by visitors & local legend. Stories, not verified claims.
The New London Ledge Light ghost has a name, which is more than most lighthouse hauntings can claim. He is called Ernie, said to have been a former keeper, and his story has outlived almost everything else about this square brick house sitting alone in the water at the mouth of New London Harbor in Connecticut. The building itself is the stranger sight: a French Second Empire mansion, mansard roof and all, planted on a ledge in the Thames River as though it had drifted off a city street and run aground.
Quick Facts on Ledge Light
Built in 1909 on the southwest ledge at the mouth of New London Harbor. Styled in Second Empire. Taken over by the United States Coast Guard in 1939, when the Coast Guard merged with the Lighthouse Service. Automated in 1987. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. Owned and maintained today by the New London Maritime Society under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program.
Why It Stopped Being Southwest Ledge Light
The station opened in 1909 under the name Southwest Ledge light, which worked well enough until someone noticed that Connecticut already had a Southwest Ledge Light, down the coast in New Haven. The duplication caused confusion, and in 1910 the newer station was renamed New London Ledge Light. The original fourth order Fresnel lens was removed from service and later put on display at the New London Customhouse museum, so the lens that once marked this harbor can now be seen on dry land.
The Keepers Who Are Actually on Record
The documented list of head keepers is short and full of gaps, which is worth keeping in mind when reading the legend. W.B. Petty served from 1909 to 1910, George E. Hansen from 1910 to at least 1917, Howard B. Beebe from 1926 to 1938, Leonard Fuller in at least 1940, Michael Scanlan from 1943 to 1949, and William Clark from 1954 to 1959. No keeper named Ernie appears anywhere in that record. That does not disprove the story, since the list is plainly incomplete and does not cover assistant keepers, but it does mean the central figure of the haunting is unverified.
Ernie, and What the Investigators Concluded
Ledge Light has long been the subject of a ghost legend built around Ernie’s supposed spirit. The reputation grew large enough that the lighthouse turned up on paranormal reality television, appearing on both Scariest Places on Earth and Ghost Hunters. That second visit produced the most honest assessment on record. Investigators from The Atlantic Paranormal Society concluded on the program that there was not enough evidence to determine any paranormal activity taking place at the lighthouse, despite a few unexplained phenomena such as cold spots. In other words, a famous ghost, a televised investigation, and a verdict of not proven.
What visitors and crews describe is modest by ghost story standards: cold spots inside a damp masonry building surrounded on all sides by Long Island Sound. These are reported experiences, not established events, and the sources do not record any death, disappearance or tragedy at the station to anchor them to.
Seeing Ledge Light for Yourself
The lighthouse stands offshore, east of the main harbor channel, and has been unmanned since the 1987 automation, so there is no walking up to it. It is cared for by the New London Maritime Society, which also runs the Customhouse museum where the station’s original Fresnel lens is displayed. Check with the Society for current access before planning a trip, as arrangements for offshore light stations change with the seasons and the weather. From shore and from the water, the mansard roof alone is worth the look.
Address: Mouth of New London Harbor, Thames River, New London, Connecticut
See New London Ledge Light for Yourself
Sources
- NPGallery NRHP Archive Search (National Park Service)
- Library of Congress
- Wikipedia: New London Ledge Light
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is New London Ledge Light Ghost located?
New London Ledge Light Ghost is located at Mouth of New London Harbor, Thames River, New London, Connecticut.
Reader sightings
Nobody has reported anything here yet. If you have been, you would be the first.
Report your own visit to Ernie on the Ledge: The New London Ledge Light Ghost
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