1890 lighthouse at Gasparilla Island's tip, now a state park museum, where the ghost of a keeper's daughter who died young is heard humming at night — and where a headless figure called Josefa is part of the island's pirate legend.
880 Belcher Road, Gasparilla Island State Park, Boca Grande, FL 33921
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Florida State Park entrance fee required for Gasparilla Island State Park; museum admission included. Docent-led tours with lighthouse climb offered October through April. See floridastateparks.org for current fees.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Flat state park grounds; lighthouse interior accessible via stairs. Beach access nearby.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1890 · 1890 screwpile-style lighthouse marking Boca Grande Pass into Charlotte Harbor · Served the tarpon-fishing resort and phosphate shipping economy of Southwest Florida · Decommissioned 1966; restored as Florida State Parks museum · Docent-led tours operated October through April
Gasparilla Island lies at the northern entrance to Charlotte Harbor, one of the largest estuaries on Florida's Gulf Coast. The harbor was a significant commercial route: phosphate shipped from inland mines, fishing fleets, and by the late 19th century the tarpon-fishing resort economy that made Boca Grande one of Florida's earliest elite vacation destinations.
The federal Lighthouse Board constructed the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse in 1890 to mark the shallow passage at Boca Grande Pass, the deep-water cut between Gasparilla Island and the small islands to the south. The lighthouse is a two-story structure with the lamp room mounted atop the keeper's dwelling — a screwpile style design adapted for Florida's coastal soil conditions. The original Fresnel lens and lantern room are preserved in the museum.
The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1966 after the Coast Guard erected a modern skeletal steel tower nearby. The keeper's dwelling and tower fell into disrepair before state preservation efforts led to the structure's transfer to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for management as part of Gasparilla Island State Park. A full restoration followed, and the museum opened. Docent-led tours with lighthouse access are offered from October through April, when the Florida heat is manageable for visitors.
The Boca Beacon, the island's local newspaper, has documented the site's ghost legends alongside its factual history in multiple features over the years.
Sources
Port Boca Grande Lighthouse carries two ghost legends that are distinct in origin and character.
The first involves the young daughter of one of the lighthouse's early keepers. She died on the island — accounts specify diphtheria or whooping cough, both common childhood diseases of the late 19th century — and is reported as an auditory presence on the second floor of the keeper's dwelling. Visitors and docents have described hearing humming, and occasionally the sounds of a child playing, coming from upstairs rooms when the second floor is unoccupied. American Ghost Stories documents this legend with reference to the keeper's family context and the nature of the reported sounds.
The second legend involves Josefa, a figure from the Jose Gaspar pirate mythology that has been part of Gasparilla Island's identity since at least the early 20th century. In the legend, Jose Gaspar — a Spanish pirate said to have operated off the island's coast — captured a Spanish princess named Josefa and held her on the island. When she rejected him, he executed her by beheading her on the beach. Her headless ghost is said to wander the shoreline near the lighthouse.
A historical note worth recording: the Jose Gaspar legend as a whole is disputed. Historians of Florida piracy have found no primary documentation for a pirate of that name operating in the region; the legend appears to have been substantially constructed in the early 20th century by a promoter. The Josefa ghost story is built on this uncertain foundation. The Boca Beacon's local coverage treats both legends as part of the island's oral tradition without asserting historical accuracy for either.
Notable Entities
Seasonal docent-led tours of the 1890 lighthouse and museum, offered October through April. Tours include the lighthouse history, keeper family life, and the documented ghost legends associated with the site. The lighthouse interior and tower climb are accessible on tour days.
The keeper's dwelling houses exhibits on the lighthouse's history, the fishing and resort culture of Gasparilla Island, and the local pirate legend of Jose Gaspar. Accessible during museum season.
The southernmost tip of Gasparilla Island is a Florida State Park with beach access, Gulf fishing, and views of Charlotte Harbor. The lighthouse grounds are accessible year-round even outside museum hours.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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