The Facts & Myths of Bingham’s Light
For about 10 weeks from mid-March to mid-April amidst the swampy lowlands of Latta, look up into the night’s sky and you may witness the legendary Bingham’s Light. It’s an eerie, aerial spectacle that’s been going on in the country since the late 1800s.
There are quite a few explanations for the Bingham’s Light phenom, so here is what we found:
The Paranormal Effect
It’s said that the mysterious flickering light lore traces back to a man named John (or Bill), who was walking along a railroad track carrying a lantern at night in an area that used to be known as Bingham in Dillon County. … Then he fell on the tracks and got stuck on the tracks and met his demise as a train rolled over him. The man’s spirit lives on in the area through the lights seen swirling in the night sky.
A more suspenseful paranormal backstory is that Bingham was the name of a farmer/murderer, who would bury the bodies of his victims near the railroad track. The lights you see represent the farmer holding a swaying lantern looking for a spot to hide the next body. Goosebumps, anyone?
Swamp Gas
A less exciting, but more logical explanation is the appearance of methane gas around Little Reedy Creek, where Bingham’s Light is often witnessed. Methane gas is formed from decaying organic matter at the bottom of standing water that bubbles up on a regular basis. The glow is created from a type of self-ignition in certain conditions.
Phausis Species
Some say that the intermittent darting and hovering blue or green lights are the result of a species of Phausis, or blue ghosts, which is a type of firefly found in the eastern and central part of the United States. These fireflies dimly glow instead of flash, like other lightning bug species, and the males cluster around the glowing female. The time of year the phausis are spotted is sort of like their mating/courting season. It’s reported that the males’ flights happen shortly after full darkness at approximately 8:30 p.m.; the flightless, worm-like females also glow from the ground at the time and the sight of the lights last for only about 15 to 30 minutes.
You’ll have to bear witness and decide for yourself what you think the cause and effect of Bingham’s Light is. We’d love to hear your stories in the spring!
