The Gurdon Light is an
atmospheric ghost light
Atmospheric ghost lights are lights (or fires) that appear in the atmosphere without an obvious cause. Examples include the onibi, hitodama and will-o'-wisp. They are often seen in humid climates. Tsunoda 1979, pages 11-53
According to legend, so ...
located near railroad tracks in a wooded area of
Gurdon, Arkansas
Gurdon is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, Clark County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,840 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
History
The town was founded in the late 19th century as a railroad town for the timber ...
. It is the subject of local folklore and has been featured in local media and on ''
Unsolved Mysteries
''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television series, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Kar ...
'' and ''
Mysteries at the Museum''. The tracks are no longer in use, and the rails at least partially removed/covered, but it remains one of the most popular
Halloween
Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
attractions in the area.
[Brown, Alan (2002) "Haunted Places in the American South", University Press of Mississippi, ][McNeil W. K, Clements William M. (1992) "An Arkansas Folklore Sourcebook" University of Arkansas Press, ][Unsolved Mysteries: Gurdon Light, NBC (December 1994)] The light has been described as blue, green, white or orange and appearing to have a "bobbing" movement.
Folklore
According to folklore, the light is the swinging
lantern
A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a oil lamp, wick in oil, or a thermoluminescence, thermoluminescent Gas mantle, mesh, and often a ...
of a
ghost
In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
brakeman accidentally beheaded by a passing train, searching for his disembodied head. Another variation of the legend holds that the light is a lantern carried by the ghost of a worker killed in a fight with another railroad employee on the tracks. According to skeptical writer
Brian Dunning, very similar folklore exists for a number of such "ghost lights", and it's not likely "headless brakemen" could be such a common occurrence.
Explanations
The light has been proposed to be the reflection of passing cars on
Interstate 30
Interstate 30 (I-30) is a major Interstate Highway in the southern states of Texas and Arkansas in the United States. I-30 travels 366.76 miles from Interstate 20, I-20 west of Fort Worth, Texas, northeast via Dallas, and Texarkana, Texas ...
, but believers contend there have been reports of the lights since the 1930s, while the interstate was not built until the late 1950s.
[
]
See also
* Aleya (Ghost light), Bengal
* Aurora
An aurora ( aurorae or auroras),
also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
* Brown Mountain Lights
* Chir Batti
* Cohoke Light
The Cohoke Light is a reported ghost light in King William County, Virginia near West Point. The light has been frequently sighted along a stretch of Virginia State Route 632, where Mt. Olive Cohoke Road crosses the Norfolk Southern Railway.
Th ...
* Hessdalen light
* Longdendale lights
* Maco light
* Marfa lights
The Marfa lights, also known as the Marfa ghost lights, are regularly observed near Marfa, Texas, in the United States. They are most often seen from a viewing area nearby, which the community has publicized to encourage tourism. Scientists observ ...
* Min Min light
* Naga fireball
* Paulding Light
* Will-o'-the-wisp
In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp, or ; ), is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes.
The phenomenon is known in the United Kingdom by a variety of names, including jack-o'- ...
{{coord, 33, 54, 55, N, 93, 09, 19, W, region:US-AR_type:event, display=title, notes=[{{gnis, 2403775, City of Gurdon]
References
External links
Encyclopedia of Arkansas:The Gurdon LightMap depicting site of the Gurdon light
Clark County, Arkansas
Natural history of Arkansas
Atmospheric ghost lights
Paranormal
Supernatural legends