An 1867 Lake Michigan lighthouse where keeper Mary Terry died under suspicious circumstances in 1886 — a forced entry, no theft, and a fire that killed her alone in the oil room.
1 North Lincoln Road, Escanaba, MI 49829
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Small admission fee collected during seasonal open hours; see Delta County Historical Society for current schedule.
Access
Limited Access
Lighthouse tower with stairs; grounds are flat and accessible. Tower climb requires agility.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1867 · Lake Michigan Lighthouse History · Early Female Lighthouse Keeper · Suspicious 1886 Death — Cold Case · Iron Ore Shipping Era Navigation Aid · Delta County Historical Society Preservation
The Sand Point Lighthouse was built in 1867 to guide iron-ore vessels through Little Bay de Noc into the port of Escanaba, then one of the busiest ore-shipping docks on the Great Lakes. The brick Italianate tower stands 53 feet tall and was decommissioned in 1939 when the channel marking was transferred to a pier-head light.
Mary Terry began serving as keeper after her husband John Terry died in 1877. Her appointment made her one of the first women to hold a Lake Michigan lighthouse post. She kept the light reliably for nearly a decade before her death on January 1, 1886. She was found dead in the oil room — the structure had caught fire, and the south door showed clear signs of forced entry. Nothing was taken. The cause of death was officially ruled accidental, but investigators could not account for the forced entry, and no suspect was ever named. The Delta County Historical Society documented the evidence of possible foul play in subsequent preservation materials.
The lighthouse was restored by the Delta County Historical Society in the 1980s after decades of vacancy and minor modifications. It is now operated as a museum. Mary Terry is listed in Michigan lighthouse records as an early female keeper whose circumstances of death remain unresolved by the historical record.
Sources
Reports of Mary Terry's presence at Sand Point Lighthouse circulate primarily through local media and paranormal enthusiast accounts. The core claim — her apparition appearing near the oil room or on the grounds — is documented in the Escanaba Daily Press's 2017 local haunted-spots survey and in WFMK's coverage of her history. The accounts are consistent in attributing the haunting specifically to Terry rather than to an unnamed entity, which is unusual and lends some specificity to the legend.
The circumstances of her death provide the kind of unresolved historical record that sustains this type of story: a suspicious forced entry, an unexplained fire, a victim who was alone. The oil room — the site where she was found — is the focal point of reported encounters. No formal paranormal investigation data is publicly available for the site.
The lighthouse's position at the end of a peninsula, isolated from the main park grounds after dark, reinforces its atmospheric reputation. During open seasons the site is a daytime museum visit; the paranormal dimension is oral tradition, not programmatic.
Notable Entities
Guided tours through the restored keeper's quarters and tower, covering the lighthouse's operational history, Mary Terry's tenure and death in 1886, and the Delta County Historical Society's preservation work.
Walk the lighthouse grounds on the Sand Point peninsula at the edge of Little Bay de Noc. The structure sits on a public waterfront park and the exterior is visible year-round.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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