North of checkpoint 1, the light appears as a steady light. The car headlights are viewed almost directly in the center. The lights are brighter, often containing the lights of more than one vehicle. Believers do not interpret this as the ghost light yet. 13 At checkpoint 1, the vehicle turns slightly to the southwest. The vehicle lights now dim and start to flicker as they are not being viewed dead on. Believers are now calling this the ghost light. The “ghost light” moves slowly but steadily towards the west from the viewing area at the crossroads. We can easily verify that it is our test vehicle through radio communications as it passes the checkpoints. The movement of the light is slow through checkpoints 2 to 4. After passing checkpoint 4, the speed to the light (from the crossroads) increases dramatically. By checkpoint 5, the lights have dimmed and are now barely visible. They have completely vanished by the time the test vehicle reaches checkpoint 7. This test was repeated four more times with identical results.
The Anson Light is the approaching car light from southbound traffic on US277. The section of the highway that is highlighted in red indicates where the phenomenon occurs. Hardcore believers of the ghost light often cite several instances which they claim “proves” that the light is of a paranormal origin. Here, we will address these claims by using information obtained from all of the investigations in this area.
How does the ghost light “fade” in and out?
Car headlights do not do that. The primary fading effect occurs when the car turns to the southwest. The headlights move from a dead-on viewing angle to an offset angle. This also creates the flicker effect of the light. Also, if you travel south on HWY 277 from Stamford to Anson, you will notice several road sections going uphill. This also provides the illusion of the light” fading in.”Why does the ghost light disappear when it is approached from the crossroads?
You must first go up a slight hill to reach the cemetery from the crossroads. This creates a blind spot that exists until you have climbed the hill, but by then, the road has veered just enough to the northwest that the light is obscured by the vegetation on the other side of HWY 180 unless you drive down into the ditch on the left side of the road.
How does the ghost light “move about”?
Many people have reported it. There are several explanations that we have noted during the investigations here. The most common is that vehicles also move on Co Rd 297, which also lines up directly with the viewing area. Another explanation comes from the few points of reference available at the crossroads. The main one is a streetlight located at a private residence just south of the cemetery. The light can be partially obscured by trees, and the wind moving the tree branches can cause an illusion that the light is moving. The actual car lights do actually move, although not much, as they travel down the highway. Others have reported that the light moves down the dirt road towards them. Once again, this is due to the varying degrees of brightness of the car headlights. A car with its lights dimmed can turn on its high beams, thus creating an effect that seems as if the light is moving closer.