1898 lighthouse on the Graveyard of the Pacific — Washington State Parks rents the keepers' residences overnight, where Mary Pesonen's 1923 death is the center of documented staff and visitor reports.
Cape Disappointment State Park, North Head Lighthouse Rd, Ilwaco, WA 98624
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Overnight rental of keepers' residences through Washington State Parks; lighthouse tours available May–September at reduced admission
Access
Limited Access
Coastal cliff terrain; unpaved paths to lighthouse and residences; physically demanding access to some areas
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1898 · Built 1898 to Warn Northward-Approaching Ships — Graveyard of the Pacific · Complemented Cape Disappointment Light (1856) · Victorian Keepers' Residences Now Overnight Rentals · Death of Mary Watson Pesonen, June 9, 1923 · Ghost Adventures Season 22 Featured Site
North Head Lighthouse was completed in 1898 and stands on the headland at the northern end of Cape Disappointment, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. The stretch of coastline is known as the Graveyard of the Pacific — the treacherous bar at the Columbia River mouth has claimed more than 2,000 vessels since European exploration began. The Cape Disappointment Light, constructed in 1856, was positioned to warn ships approaching from the south, but the arc of its beam did not cover ships coming from the north. North Head was built to address that gap, making it one of the most specifically purposeful lighthouse siting decisions on the West Coast.
The lighthouse stands 65 feet tall and was equipped with a first-order Fresnel lens capable of projecting a beam visible 19 nautical miles. The two Victorian-era keepers' residences — the head keeper's house and the assistant keeper's house — were constructed on the grounds to house the lighthouse staff.
The most documented event in the lighthouse's human history involves Mary Watson Pesonen, wife of Alexander Pesonen, who served as head keeper. On June 9, 1923, Mary Pesonen was diagnosed with melancholia, a clinical diagnosis of severe depression in the medical terminology of the period. She left the keeper's house for a walk, accompanied by the family dog. The dog returned alone, visibly distressed. A search found her coat on the cliff edge and a trail through the coastal grass leading to where she had fallen to her death on the rocks below. The death was ruled a suicide.
Washington State Parks took over the property and restored the keepers' residences, which are now available for overnight rental through the state parks reservation system. The lighthouse itself is open for seasonal guided tours from May through September.
Sources
The paranormal accounts at North Head Lighthouse are documented with unusual specificity: they connect directly to a named historical person whose death is documented in the historical record. Mary Watson Pesonen was the wife of Alexander Pesonen, who served as head keeper. On June 9, 1923 — the year she had been diagnosed with melancholia — she left the keeper's house for a walk with the family dog. The dog returned alone, visibly agitated. Searchers found her coat on the cliff edge and followed a trail through the coastal grass to where she had fallen to her death on the rocks below.
Visionary Living, which documents paranormal history with a research focus on primary source accounts, covers the Pesonen death in detail, citing period newspaper records. Park volunteers who have staffed the overnight rentals report recurring power surges in the head keeper's house not explained by the electrical system, objects found displaced from their original positions, and — in a smaller number of accounts — a figure seen briefly in the residence.
Overnight guests staying in the head keeper's house have reported similar phenomena, with accounts describing the sensation of being watched in the upstairs rooms, lights flickering without cause, and sounds consistent with someone moving through the residence in the night.
Ghost Adventures, the Travel Channel series, aired a segment on North Head Lighthouse in 2018, bringing broader attention to the location's paranormal reputation and the Pesonen story.
The site's accounts are treated with editorial care given the suicide. Mary Pesonen was a person in documented severe distress in 1923 mental health terms. Her story is reported factually and without sensationalism; the paranormal attribution is covered as folklore connected to a real historical death.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Washington State Parks rents the two original Victorian keepers' residences overnight. Guests have the lighthouse grounds to themselves in the evening and morning hours. Both residences have been the focus of the site's paranormal reports, particularly the head keeper's house where Mary Pesonen lived.
Seasonal guided tours of the North Head Lighthouse itself, including the 65-foot tower and lens room. Tours depart from the keepers' quarters area.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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