Green Lantern: From Ghost Stories at Americanfolklore.net

A Michigan Ghost Story

retold by

S. E. Schlosser

There once was a lighthouse keeper who had lived on St. Martin's Island with his children, whom he loved dearly. They were all alone there, for the mother had died long before. Wanting the best for his daughter and son, the keeper had insisted that they continue their education, and for this purpose had purchased a small dory for them, which they rowed across to the mainland each day to attend school. One spring after, the children were rowing home from school when they were caught in a sudden squall. Their rowboat overturned and the children were thrown into the depths of the lake, never to be seen again. Their bodies were never recovered.

The shattered father searched the beaches of St. Martin's Island every night for the rest of his life, hoping to find his children. After his death, people started seeing the light of a green lantern moving along the beaches of St. Martin just before a storm. Folks said it was the spirit of the dead lighthouse keeper continuing his search. Others claimed that the phantom lighthouse keeper was still on duty, using his lantern to guide ships to safety so their crews would not share the fate of his poor little children.

You can a longer version of the Green Lantern in Spooky Michigan by S.E. Schlosser.