An 1849 granite lighthouse in Long Island Sound whose name may trace to drowned prisoners — and where serial killer Carl Panzram claimed to have dumped ten victims in 1920.
Long Island Sound (offshore, accessible by water taxi from Port Washington), Sands Point, NY 11050
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
$300 per room per night for overnight stays (max 2 guests per room, 3 rooms available). Day tours available in summer; contact for pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Offshore island; rocky shoreline; no electricity or running water on site. Access by water taxi only.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1850 · Designed by Alexander Parris, 1849-50 · Name traces to British Admiralty charts or disputed colonial legend · Carl Panzram claimed to dump ten murder victims here, 1920 · Automated December 5, 1979 · Deeded to nonprofit Historically Significant Structures, Inc. in 2009
The lighthouse stands on a low-lying cluster of rocks in Long Island Sound, roughly midway between the Westchester and Nassau County shores. Federal construction began in 1849; first light was lit in 1850. The designer was Alexander Parris, a Massachusetts architect who had also worked on Quincy Market. The 55-foot granite tower is painted white with a brown mid-section band and flashes white every ten seconds.
Two competing explanations exist for the name. The more historically grounded account holds that British Admiralty cartographers labeled the rocks 'Executioner's Rocks' because so many vessels ran aground and broke apart there — a straightforward navigational warning. A second story, first published by historian Robert Caro in 1974, holds that colonial-era slaveholders chained enslaved people to the rocks at low tide to drown. That account is undocumented in primary sources and historians treat it as legend; it is framed as such here following the fable build note.
In 1920, serial killer Carl Panzram — using a yacht bought with money stolen from former President William Howard Taft — claimed in his posthumous autobiography to have lured ten sailors from Bronx bars, murdered them, and dumped their bodies in the water near the lighthouse. Panzram was executed in 1930 for a separate murder; only five of his claimed 21 victims could be corroborated.
A 1918 fire at the lighthouse caused approximately $13,500 in damage. The station was automated December 5, 1979. In January 2009, Historically Significant Structures, Inc. received the deed from the federal government and began restoration work. The lighthouse now operates as a bed-and-breakfast-style overnight site and summer tour destination.
Sources
The legend of enslaved people chained to the execution rocks is the most dramatic origin story attached to the lighthouse. Robert Caro documented it in 1974, and the account has circulated widely since — but no colonial-era court records or other primary sources have been found to confirm it. Historians who have examined the name's provenance generally favor the British Admiralty explanation. The story is presented here as the legend it is.
Carl Panzram's lighthouse claim is a different kind of dark. Writing before his 1930 execution, Panzram described in detail how he bought the yacht Akista with money stolen from the Taft mansion in New Haven, sailed it out of City Island in the Bronx, and used it to murder sailors whose bodies he dumped near Execution Rocks. His autobiography was published posthumously in 1970. Law enforcement at the time could corroborate only five of his 21 claimed victims total; the ten Long Island Sound murders remain unverified but have never been disproven.
Ghost Adventures filmed an episode at the lighthouse in 2009, contributing to its paranormal reputation. The combination of the contested name, the Panzram claim, and the isolated offshore location has made it one of the more frequently cited haunted lighthouses in the Northeast.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Stay in one of three rooms inside the historic lighthouse keeper's quarters. Guests must bring their own bedding, food, and supplies — no electricity or running water on site. Air mattresses and bottled water provided. A portable camp toilet is available. Full payment required at booking; no cancellations within 30 days.
Seasonal guided tours of the lighthouse tower run in summer. Water taxi from Port Washington brings visitors to the island. Contact the nonprofit for current dates and pricing.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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