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An illustration of the burning ghost ship Palatine appearing off Block Island on Christmas Eve.

The Ghost Ship of the Palatine: The Burning Phantom of Block Island

by Quwwatu-Llah Oyebode

October 28, 2025

American Historical Legends·American Legends

Off the rocky coast of Block Island, Rhode Island, the sea holds its own ghost, a ship that burns upon the waves each Christmas Eve, its masts aflame against the dark Atlantic sky. Islanders call it the Palatine Light, said to be the spirit of a doomed refugee vessel lost to treachery and greed long ago. The Wreck of the Palatine

Parchment-style illustration of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox in snowy woods, American folktale.

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Parchment-style artwork of Davy Crockett firing into the sunrise on a frosty Tennessee hill, American folktale scene.

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A realistic painting of an American alligator resting on a muddy riverbank at dawn, surrounded by misty wetlands and tall grasses under soft golden light.

The American Alligator Legend

In the vast marshes and slow-moving rivers of the southern United States, where the air hangs heavy with mist and the reeds

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The Ghost Ship of the Palatine: The Burning Phantom of Block Island

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