The Story of Joe Baldwin, a train conductor, starts on his ride home late one night along what is now the Wilmington-Florence-Augusta line, a few miles west if Wilmington.
Baldwin was resting in the first of two trains when he discovered his car had become disconnected from his line. In horror, Joe realized his fate as the second train came speeding at his loose car from behind, cloaked in the dark of night.
A the locomotive approached Joe waved a lantern back and forth and yelled, trying to warn the approaching freight line. However, it was no use. Joe Baldwin died waving his lantern back in forth, begging for his life not to be swept away.
The next morning a search party searched the wreckage of the trains. They found Joe Baldwin's body, but his head was severed in the accident, never to be found. Joe's latern was found in the swamp waters, still possessed with a warm heat.
Over the years, people began reporting seeing Joe's lights in the darkness. The lights became so frequent that it confused engineers for true singles; freight lines began to require that two lanterns be used for signaling, one green and one red.
Some claim that the lights are the Spirit of Joe Baldwin looking for his head. Others claim it is merely reflections off of the nearby highway 74.
The section of railroad when Joe Baldwin was killed has been removed, but locals still claim that the lights are still visible on dark, cold, rainy nights.
