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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.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: An American Folktale that Teaches Lessons on Strength, Teamwork, and the Power of Legend

Long ago, in the rugged northern forests of America, where towering pines whispered to the wind and the snow stretched farther than

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

Davy Crockett and the Frozen Dawn: An American Folktale that Teaches Lessons on Boasting and Humor

In the early days of the American frontier, when the land stretched wild and untamed across Tennessee, there lived a man whose

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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