Maco Ghost Light

Since 1867, a swinging light has been seen on the railroad tracks near Maco, North Carolina — interpreted as the lantern of brakeman Joe Baldwin, who was decapitated in a train wreck that year and still searches for his head. The light was investigated by President Grover Cleveland on a visit to Wilmington, and it appeared prominently enough for the railroad to install special signals to distinguish it from actual train signals. The light reportedly vanished when the railroad tracks were removed in 1977. Witnesses still report the light in the overgrown roadbed area.