Author: Rhett Barnard
Near
the coastal areas of North Carolina, nestled in swampland, is the small town of
Maco. In this quaint little town lies a legend, one of tragedy and searching
from beyond the grave. That is the legend of the Maco light. In the years after
the Civil War, the railroad was king. Joe Baldwin, a flagman for the trains out
of Maco Depot Station, was asleep in the back of the caboose. He was awoken by
a loud noise and a violent shake. The caboose had become unhinged.
Joe ran to the
back to the train to alert another train, which was traveling nearly top speed
towards the caboose. Unfortunately, the conductor didn’t see Joe through the
mist, and hit the caboose at full speed. He was decapitated, and after much
searching for his head with no luck, he was buried without it. After his death,
many sightings of a mysterious light were reported. It was said to be Joe with
his lantern, looking for his head. Many people, including President Grover
Cleveland, claimed to see this light. That is until 1977, when the railroad was
torn up. The sightings stopped after this. The legend of Joe Baldwin has inspired
legends, skeptics, even videos about the subject.
The
story of Joe Baldwin is a tragic one. It is said that after his death, he was
viewed as a hero for giving his life trying to prevent a collision. Of course,
as with most legends, the lines between what really happened and what people
perceived became blurred. In this particular legend, even details about the
ghost became skewed. There are variations of this story that say Joe’s ghost
can be seen carrying a two light, one red and one green, to warn an oncoming
train. This is a stark contrast to the most widely believed accounts of him
carrying one lantern in search of his severed head.
In a short
documentary, those who claim to see it claimed that the light began to slowly
recede as they moved closer. The legend, however, states that the light will
suddenly disappear upon looking at it for more than a few seconds. As the years
go by, and the legend diminishes, the crazy claims are sure to outweigh the
long standing legend.
Though there will always be
skeptics, the legend of the Maco Light will live on in the hearts of the people
of Maco. The light is not predicted to ever be seen again, due to the railroad
being pulled up. There are, however, those who remain loyal to the legend of
Joe Baldwin. With the lack of reported sightings, it is a very large
possibility that this legend may disappear in areas far from this sight. But
this small town will surely never forget.
Works
Cited:
Steelman,
Ben. “THE MACO LIGHT | BRUNSWICK'S ‘TRUE' GHOST
STORY.” Star News. 10 October, 2008.
Web. 14 October, 2013.
“The
Maco Light.” Northcarolinaghosts.com.
N.p. n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.
Will
Davis. “The Maco Light ( & The
Legend of Joe Baldwin)” Yotube.com. Web.
14 October, 2013.
Links for Further Research
The Maco Light
darkartsmedia.com/Maco_Light.html
Leads to a
multimedia presentation on the Maco Light.
The Light at Maco
Station
Gives detailed
description on the Maco Light and leads to an interactive sight where multimedia
can be viewd.
History of the Maco
Light
Gives detailed
description of the legend along with credible real life sources that can be
found today.
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