Beyond the Veil Magazine

The Brown Mountain Lights

Issue #42: June 1982

In the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, strange lights have been observed for at least two hundred years. They rise from the slopes of Brown Mountain, hover in the air, and disappear without explanation.

The Brown Mountain Lights are among America’s oldest and most persistent unexplained phenomena.

The Mountain

Brown Mountain is a low ridge in Burke County, North Carolina, rising to about 2,600 feet. It is covered in dense forest and has no permanent inhabitants. The surrounding area is rural, with scattered farms and small towns.

The lights are typically observed from vantage points overlooking the mountain: Wiseman’s View, Brown Mountain Overlook, and the Lost Cove Cliffs. On clear nights, witnesses may see multiple lights over the course of several hours.

The Phenomenon

Witnesses describe spheres of light, typically white or yellow, that rise above the mountain, hover for seconds to minutes, and then fade or drop back below the tree line.

Some lights appear small and distant. Others seem large and relatively close. Some remain stationary; others drift across the mountain’s face.

The lights are unpredictable. They may appear several times in one night or not at all for weeks. Weather affects visibility but does not seem to cause or prevent the phenomenon itself.

Historical Accounts

The earliest written account dates from 1771, when German engineer Gerard de Brahm observed strange lights while surveying the area. He attributed them to “nitrous vapors” rising from the mountain.

Native American traditions describe the lights as spirits of Cherokee maidens searching for warriors killed in battle. The legend predates European contact, suggesting the lights have been observed for centuries.

The lights became famous after national newspaper coverage in 1913. The US Geological Survey investigated in 1916 and 1922, attributing the lights to automobile headlights and locomotive lamps from nearby roads and railways.

But this explanation fails to account for observations from before automobiles or railways existed. The lights were reported in the 1700s and by Cherokee traditions before that.

Scientific Investigation

Several studies have attempted to explain the Brown Mountain Lights:

Train Headlights: The 1922 USGS study concluded that the lights were refracted locomotive lamps. But the lights continued during railway strikes and after lines were closed.

Automobile Headlights: Vehicle lights from nearby Route 181 might be refracted by atmospheric conditions. But witnesses report observing the lights while standing on that very road.

Ball Lightning: Unusual electrical phenomena might produce glowing spheres. But ball lightning is typically short-lived, while Brown Mountain Lights persist for extended periods.

Swamp Gas: Decomposing vegetation can produce ignitable gases. But Brown Mountain is a forested ridge, not a swamp.

St. Elmo’s Fire: Electrical discharge during storms can create luminous effects. But the lights appear in all weather conditions.

Geological Factors: Some researchers suggest that seismic stress on quartz-bearing rocks might produce piezoelectric discharges. Brown Mountain does contain quartz. But no correlation with seismic activity has been established.

First-Hand Accounts

Thousands of people have observed the Brown Mountain Lights. Their accounts are remarkably consistent across decades:

A farmer in 1909 described “floating balls of fire” that rose from the mountain and drifted eastward.

A Park Service ranger in 1958 observed lights that “appeared and disappeared without any pattern” over several hours.

A professor from Appalachian State University in 1977 recorded multiple lights through a telescope and found no evidence of refracted vehicle lights.

The witnesses range from uneducated farmers to trained scientists. All describe essentially the same phenomenon.

A Mystery Preserved

The Brown Mountain Lights continue to appear. The mountain has become a minor tourist attraction, with visitors gathering at overlooks on clear nights hoping for a sighting.

Scientists continue to investigate. Each new theory is tested against the evidence and found wanting. The lights refuse to conform to conventional explanations.

Perhaps they are an unknown atmospheric phenomenon. Perhaps they represent some form of energy we do not yet understand. Perhaps the Cherokee legends are closer to the truth than modern science dares to admit.

Brown Mountain keeps its secrets. The lights continue to rise, hover, and fade, as they have for centuries, as they may for centuries more.

Readers who have observed the Brown Mountain Lights or similar phenomena are invited to share their accounts with our research department.