JOPLIN SPOOK LIGHTS - Weird Story Locations on Waymarking.com

The Hornet Ghost Light, also known as The Joplin Spooklight, the Tri-State Spooklight, the Neosho Spook Light, the Seneca Light, and the Devil's Jack-O-Lantern, is located in extreme southwest Missouri on the Oklahoma border. The closest towns are Joplin, MO and Quapaw, OK. Hornet is an abandoned village close to the location of the sightings. The light has been seen many times since the Civil War era along a rough gravel road outside of Joplin.

Theories about the light abound. Folklore attributes the light to the spirit(s) of Indians from various local tribes such as the Quapaw, or as an ethereal miner searching for his wife and/or children who were kidnapped by Indians. Another old tale relates the light directly to the Devil himself. Legend had it that if a bridge in the area was crossed a certain number of times, the Devil would appear. The road the ghost light appears on became known as "The Devil's Promenade" after this old story.

Several scientific theories have been put forward to try to explain the lights. Swamp gas and car lights have of course been mentioned. Other ideas include minerals in the air set to light, electrical or sub-atomic disturbances caused by the New Madrid fault, and heat rising from the ground at the end of each day. The trouble with these theories is that none of them can fully explain the bizarre behavior of the light. In 1946 the Army Corps of Engineers supposedly studied the Hornet Light and could not find a cause for it. They called it a "mysterious light of unknown origin."

Physically, the light is described as a yellow or orange colored ball that travels eastward down the road, sometimes at great speed. The light emits sparks and a few witnesses have reportedly felt heat as it came close to them. The light does some interesting acrobatics as well. It has been variously described as hopping, swaying, spinning, or moving in arcs. Some have even reported that the light "landed" on the hood of their car or even inside the car. However, the light will avoid anyone who approaches it. It has been known to disappear in front of a person and then reappear behind them.

One thing is for sure the light exists and thousands of people have seen it.

Type: Ghost Stories and Local Haunts Referenced in (list books, websites and other media): THE HORNET GHOST LIGHT By Paul A. Roales http://home.ionet.net/~paroales/Ghost.htm Joplin Spooklight Investigation http://www.ghostresearch.org/Investigations/Joplin.html Website Reference: [Web Link] Additional Coordinates: Not Listed

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   12/05/2021 22Bongo visited it 09/12/2021 OcrazyS visited it 10/23/2020 The Snowdog visited it 05/23/2019 BWJM visited it 10/10/2016 TerraViators visited it 06/24/2016 stevepre2 visited it 07/21/2015 bluesnote visited it 06/11/2014 BuckeyeFinnigan visited it 03/25/2014 biscuitt bunch visited it 09/20/2013 stlee visited it 09/02/2013 rilekyle visited it 01/02/2013 geenef visited it 04/26/2012 MeanderingMonkeys visited it 03/02/2012 bunyanpaul visited it 07/22/2011 InGodsHands visited it 01/30/2011 lyonden_ut visited it 05/13/2010 Queens Blessing visited it 10/03/2009 gtbii visited it 08/30/2009 Ashallond visited it 04/11/2008 Gredgeman visited it 11/11/2007 dogtulosba visited it 07/19/2007 adam_658 visited it 11/26/2006 GEO*Trailblazer 1 visited it 08/21/2006 RIclimber visited it 06/07/2005 ODragon visited it

View all visits/logs