St. Augustine Lighthouse's ghost stories draw on documented losses at the light station, but the historical events and later encounters are different kinds of evidence. In the 1873 cart accident, two Pittee daughters and another girl died; it is incorrect to describe all three victims as the superintendent's daughters.

What Happened During Construction?

The lighthouse museum's account describes the July 10, 1873, accident at Salt Run. Four girls were riding a supply cart that overturned into the water. Carrie Pittee survived. Her sisters Mary and Eliza died, along with a young African American girl whose identity the museum says its researchers had not established.

Preserving that uncertainty avoids erasing the third victim by assigning her to the Pittee family.

How Are the Girls Connected to Ghost Lore?

The museum recounts later stories of activity attributed to the children and places its ghost tours within a storytelling tradition. Attribution is crucial: a later sound or incident does not establish that a particular child caused it.

The accident's documentation supports the historical loss. It cannot independently verify a supernatural explanation for a modern experience.

Which Tower Was Involved in Joseph Andreu’s Death?

The museum's account of Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu concerns the earlier light and her succession after her husband's 1859 death. That event predates the present tower's construction.

The earlier account associated a shadow and cigar smell with Joseph without providing an original witness account. Neither observation establishes an identity.

What Do We Know About the Woman in White?

The archive supplied no name, date or record for that figure. Assigning a death or motive to her would go beyond the material available.

Exploring the Light Station

The museum's historical interpretation and attributed ghost stories can be read together while their evidence remains distinct. Consult its current information for tours and access.

Compare another light station where firsthand recollections preserve uncertainty in the Seguin Island article.

How should the separate histories of the three girls lost in the St. Augustine accident shape the way their later ghost stories are told?