Maco Light
SPR
THE MACO LIGHT
I vividly remember my first trip to Maco Station to see the infamous Maco
Light. I was 3 or 4 at the time and generally believed that there were no
ghosts. Apparently, my parents had warned my sister about telling me what
the Maco Light was, so I never quite figured out that it was a ghost (on
this trip). My sister (more on her later), being true to form, spent the
trip harassing me about the light, and trying to scare me. She was
unsuccessful, as I kept picturing this advertising icon from CP&L (Carolina
Power and Light) which was a man with lightening bolt arms and legs with a
light bulb for a nose. Let's face it, a cartoon electric guy wasn't that
scary to a post toddler. So this was what I expected to see when we
arrived, and I didn't expect to be at a railroad track, I expected to go to
a power station.
When we arrived, there were at least ten cars lined up at the tracks. I
liked trains, so I was not disappointed. Soon the fun began when the light
made its appearance. For those of you swamp gas enthusiasts, I can tell you
one thing, gases do not behave in specific patterns when unconfined. The
light would come up the track dead center at an adult's eye level, at a slow
speed, with an apparent swinging motion, then it would go out, or it would
"flip" end over end into the wooded area and go out after apparently hitting
the ground. Shortly, the light would reappear somewhere else and then
complete a completely different pattern. For instance, I have seen it fly
at high speed along the tree line along the track, much higher than a signal
lantern would normally be seen under normal circumstances. The most
repeated pattern was the first one I mentioned, but the manner of the track
run would vary in distinct ways. One was that it didn't always flip into
the woods. Instead, it would simply go out, then reappear elsewhere.
Another variation was the color, I read a story that said the Maco Light
was only white, which is not true. The Maco Light changed from White to
Green to Red, just like any standard railroad signalman's lantern. Often
the variation of the track run would be that while swinging back and forth,
it would alternate Red and Green (meaning Danger!). The color also varied
as it made its passes over and around the crowd gathered to watch the thing.
On one visit to Maco, a man was standing in the middle of the track as the
light made its track run. Instead of hitting the man or stopping, at a
distance of about five feet from the man, it went out for about 2 seconds,
then reappeared about five feet behind the man . On another visit, there
were a couple of guys chasing the light with nets. Two grown men chasing a
giant Lightening Bug. The light was obviously having a wonderful time as it
would do its routine, but would disappear or fly away when the two guys got
close to it. Swamp Gas??
Over the next few years, my family made many visits to the tracks to see
this phenomena without being disappointed. We usually made the trip when
relatives were visiting from out of town. After what seemed like an
eternity without going, I asked my mother if we could go see it. She then
informed me that since the state had widened Highway 74/76 that the light
was now rarely seen (74/76 ran parallel to the tracks and was widened so
that cars were now very close to the tracks). I made a least five trips
there between 1975 and 1980 hoping to see it at least one more time, without
satisfaction. Finally, on my last visit, I saw that the tracks were gone
forever! I don't know if the trestle was gone, but the tracks were long
gone. All that could be seen was the empty railroad bed with weeds growing
where the once celebrated tracks had been.
Noteworthy Information on the Maco Light
The light according to legend, first appeared shortly following a train
wreck in which a signalman, Joe Baldwin, was decapitated after
unsuccessfully attempting to stop an overtaking train coming up from behind
very quickly. The legend goes on to say that Joe was looking for his head,
which was the explanation for the "off track" excursions of the light.
Joe's head was supposedly not buried with Joe and was also said to have
never been found.
The light rarely (if ever) appeared following the construction on 74/76 in
the late 1960's. At one time, it was not a question of whether you were
going to see the light, the question was how good was the show going to be.
Hans Holzer came to Wilmington, conducted a public lecture and investigated
the tracks. He took a medium with him and his report only partially
supported the legend. Yes, it was Joe, but Joe was still signaling the
train, not searching for his head.
There were some infrared photographs taken of the light that showed a body
holding the light (yes Virginia, he did have a head). I do not know who the
photographer was, or who the photos were for (Wilmington College, (now
UNCW), or the Star News??). If these photographs still exist, it would be
fascinating to see them published again.
Stephen
--
Porch Alchemist
http://www.jacksonville.net/~park/spr.html
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -- Hunter S. Thompson
SiztrMoses
Munnahmunnah! ....SUCKERS!!!!
LITTLEPJoo
they called him Reddy Kilowatt! :)
PJ
SPR
Actually, I'd forgotten the lightening bolt guy's name. Funny how some
things we remember whether we need to or not. If you lived anywhere near
Wilmington, do you remember the "Ramsey Renault" commercials in the 70's?
Stephen
--
http://www.jacksonville.net/~park/spr.html
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -- Hunter S. Thompson
LITTLEPJoo <littl...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990329221939...@ng32.aol.com...
Kali
Light legend at The Moonlit Road site (at least there was back in
November).
LITTLEPJoo
the place......
PJ
Jynxx5309
from both of them independantly. It had been the thing to do for young couples.
Go down to Maco, just down the highway from Wilmington NC. You would park your
car off the little side road towards the station, then proceed to walk down the
tracks till you git to the trestle (Bridge) Then you would sit and wait. If the
conditions were right the show would begin.My mother tells me that her, my
father (Before the fact) and another couple sat out there one night to watch
on a summers evening. It than appeared at a distance down the track, flickering
as if a match was just struck, then beagan to methodically swing back and forth
about 5 feet above the track. It then starts to speed up as it swings wilder
and wilder as if you can almost sense the doomed conducter getting more and
more frantic, finally after repeating this silent bobbing. weaving dance for a
few hundred yard it seemed to be flung violently off to the side. there it sat
fickering in the swamp off to the side of the old Atlantic Coaost line till
moments later it faded away. If you got to close to it the lantern would
dissappear, but if it performed once, it was known to repeat at least a couple
of times in one night, it would return. My Mother got close enogh to see the
fastenings on the lantern, but also as an extra twist she experienced the cold
spot phenomenon. Even though it was a hot muggy night (I was always told the
best nights were before or after rain, some form of high humidity) After seeing
the show (This would have been the late 60's) they were walking alongside the
tracks when my mother came across an icy cold spot about a foot wide. The rest
of the are around it was warm, hell it was summer. She stayed quiet a minute
then brought it up to my father and the other couple with them. They then
proceeded to tell her they had felt it to but had been to scared to mention it.
They all then ran back to car, without a further word. Unfortunately the
locality around the scene changing so much seems to affect the haunting. The
road widening seems to have affected it, the deserting by the railway line (Not
because of haunting, trains heyday is over), well that and it's just been a
long time. The tracks have been ripped up, but there is a stretch remaining
that DuPont rents to ship to their warehouse, the remains of the trestle are a
few miles further down. Pretty much all that is left is stumps jutting from the
water. But as most people who live next to railways know even after the tracks
are gone there is till a visible path where it was and lots of loose gravel to
mark it. I went out once with friends. (They stayed in the car) I hacked my way
through till I stood among the weeds by the riverside at 3 am with a full moon
out. I waited, and felt strange as I challenged him to show himself. No such
luck, someday I will go back though. There was a feeling. If there is anybody
who has seen it in the more modern times please post a response. I know there
has got to be few people in my old hometown Wilmington, or Maco, or Lake
Waccamaw that has a computer. If you need more refernce materials look up "Tar
Heel Ghosts" by John Harding.
Here's to You Joe Baldwin,
An Uprooted Tarheel in Fl
Jynx...@aol.com
IamEricaB
scientist, but this may or may not be a reasonable natural explanation. Could
these ghostly lanterns really be a form of ball lightning that bounces along
the metal tracks, following them like a circuit? Certain atmoshperic
conditions could cause such a phenomena along powerlines, and I was wondering
if it could happen on railroad tracks as well?
Erica Lynn B
==========
Amateur Ghost hunter, Amateur Archaeologist, Amateur Folklorist, Amateur
Paleontologist, Amateur Historian, Amateur Cryptozoologist, Professional
Amateur.
Stephen
I am glad to see there is someone else that lived in Wilmington and saw the
Maco Light. I have checked almost every time I have gone to NC since 1974
and I have not. The light seemed to have retired itself after widening
74/76. Possibly the site was de-haunted by someone. Either way, I find it
saddening that it has gone. I talked to some guys who are in a ghost
hunting club in Wilmington, and they have been many times without luck.
--
Humbly,
Stephen
Porch Alchemist (still wishing to form a Jax ghost club or group)
http://www.jacksonville.net/~park/spr.htm
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -- Hunter S. Thompson
Jynxx5309 <jynx...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990403074021...@ng-ce1.aol.com...
Jynxx5309
"swamp gas theory. But my mother along with a couple of others have attested to
seeing actual "fittings", or the actual lantern housing. Also part of the usual
scenario involved the manifestation to appear to be violently thrown into the
marsh. I would however be more open to the "ethereal imprint" theory, where
violent, highly emotional events are seemingly "recorded" on the atmosphere.
This might account for the weather conditions usually having to be about the
same, why most stories have the light following the same pattern (Except for
after an earthquake earlier in the century, then there were TWO lights for a
short period of time, double tracking?) And if anyone stepped into it's field
it disappeared only to reappear and finsh it's circuit. I don't know though,
that's why I want to get more responses to see if there have been more recent
sightings after the removal of certain seemingly key elements; ie: the trestle
and track. Also to see if there are versions where it acted aware or always
fololwed the same prescribed route. C'mon all you aspiring Holzers and Rhines,
what have you got for me?
LITTLEPJoo
LITTLEPJoo
Repost for Susan: