where can i go and see this vander light

I work with 4th Grade kids, and trying to keep them interested in learning. Today, I mentioned the Vander ghost tale that we had loved in the 70-80-90's. They were totally mesmerized with the tale. I promised to find out more about the light etc. and hit the internet. There you were! Thanks so much

We thought it would be cool, so we have started a hauted trial near the tracks of Vander.... Tho we havn't seen the light, sadly, were starting to think the trail is....visited by somthing, not happy..

When you say '...visited by something...not happy...', what exactly does that mean?

I'm doing a documentary on the light for a video project. Any witnesses, please contact me! I'd love you to appear on the video, but any info would be helpful!

If you'd like to be in the video project or have any info, send it to anime1fann@yahoo.com

thanks.

Too bad trains weren't invented until 1820's. Nice try! There are no such things as ghosts!

I used to go parking there when i was of that age a long time ago.  And all but one of those times

I never saw a thing.  Then I met this girl and she said that she had been to the vander light and always sat in the car... I told her..well i had walked the tracks and never saw a thing..

it was a week night and very dark..no moon at all..and we decided to go...and we walked the track

and then we got back to the car... I was hoping that we would get closer by this.  Up until this time she always sat on her side of the old Impala...next to the window....far away from me..

i pulled the seat back when we got back to the car and turned on the 8 track..geez..and she kinda looked around and out the window...and then it happened.  out on the track about 50 feet away

was a glowing light...dancing back and forth slowly.  we were on a dirt road and between us and the track was a slight ditch.    We stared for a few seconds at this light and she inched accross the seat closer to me..and further away from the light.   Then suddenly the light turned and moved towards us...and floated straight over the ditch towards the car.  And just as suddenly she jumped to my side and yelled for us to get out of there.   I was ahead of her as my feet reached for the distant gas pedal and my hands tried to turn the key.   finally the car started and i put it in reverse and punched it.   The light stayed right at the window..as we jumped to the road...and then i shoved the car into drive and we headed down the road.  the light faded in a few seconds from the window as we sped down the road.  Needless to say...I drove her straight home...We were both quite upset.  At her house I walked her to her door and came back to my car.  Then i saw it...I had a flat tire.  I changed it with the help of her father and went home.  The next morning, my father woke me and showed me 4 flat tires on the car.   My brothers and I used a bicycle pump to get the tires filled and my father and i went to a garage.  This is when we found out.that none of the five tires had a flat.  They were all fine.   Do I believe in Ghosts..  I do believe in the vander light and I have never returned at night, but I have driven by it..

When I was between the ages of 7-9 I lived in Dunn North Carolina. All of my moms brothers lived not far from the Vander light area. One night we all deceided to go a little ghost hunting. All of my uncles and dad led the way.  I guess we walked several miles up the train track and the whole way I carried my pocket knife in my hand and  looking around scared to death. What was a pocket knife going to do if I really saw the ghost. We spent about 4 hours out there on the track and never saw a thing. There was a old lady who lived just right up the road from the train tracks and we could see her lights on the whole time. We heard that she would shoot her gun at you if she saw you out on the tracks. I think that I was more scared of her than anything else. We had a great time and it will be something that I will always remember. I now live in Alabama and I always tell that story to all of my buddies. Is it true that their is a picture of this event

In 1976, me and 7 other friends went to see the "Vander Light". We all went to school at 71st high in Fayetteviile, and we heard from a teacher about the Vanderlight. We went to see for ourselves. Bad idea! We saw the light. We ran away from the light but it actually followed us at a brisk pace. I mean, it was as if it could have caught up to us if it really wanted to at any given moment but didn't. I will never go ghost hunting again. For me, thats nothing to play with.

I was born and raised in Fay. My dad would take me to the tracks and we'd wait. Sometimes he'd pretend that the truck wouldn't start, lol. Sometimes I saw it and sometimes I didn't. I now live in FL, but when I come back to visit, I go. I've taken my children now, too.

I just wrote about this for the travel website I work for. http://visitsouth.com/articles/article/vander-lights-fayetteville-nc/

Many of us visited Vander when we were Teens. Some nights we saw the lights and other nights we did not, Here is some info about the man who died and became the person they think began the Haunting. This was from Creepy,nc,com.

Laterz all

The Vander Light

If you happen to pay a visit to the quaint little town of Vander, located in Cumberland County, you may be welcomed with a well known ghost story. But if you're really lucky, you might actually get to witness the Vander Light, which appears on the train tracks in town, for yourselves.

The phenomenon, which has been observed since the 1800's, is thought to be the ghost of Author Matthews, a resident of Vander. Matthews was employed as a ticket master at the railroad, where he later met his untimely death.

One rainy night, as he sat waiting for the train, he noticed that the train was running behind by more than a half an hour. Concerned, he gathered his lantern and headed out to the tracks to take a look, hoping that he may either see or hear the approaching train. Unfortunately he could neither hear nor see anything in the thick darkness. As he turned to go back inside, however, a strange rattling noise coming from the other side of the tracks caught the ticket master's attention. No one knows what he saw or heard that night, and he didn't live long enough to find out himself. As he lifted his lantern to investigate, his foot slipped on the slick platform, and Matthews fell to the unforgiving tracks below, knocking himself unconscious on the steel.

As the train engineer approached the station, he noticed something out of the ordinary. His attention was drawn to a light shining brightly in the middle of the tracks. As the train grew closer, the light illuminated the face of Author Matthews, and the surprised engineer scrambled to apply the brakes as quickly as he could.

Though the wheels spit out sparks as it tried to come to a halt, the train inevitably continued on, right over Matthew's body, and past the Vander train station. When it finally rolled to a stop, the horrified engineer raced back down the tracks to the body, but it was too late. The train had crushed and mangled Author Matthew's body, leaving only his head and his lantern-still glowing-in tact.

I grew up in Fayetteville and my older brother and his friends took me to look for it one time back in the late 70's. We saw the light and as stated in other posts, when we started to move away from it, it kept pace with us and even looked like it was closing, which sent us into a full run. Haha. I don't know if it was a ghost or not, but I definitly saw a light and could not see anyone holding it.

we used to go the Vander light every weekend when we were teenagers and I only saw the light once. It came towards us until it was about 8 feet away then disappeared. When our other friends got there they did not believe us then it showed back up but this time as we went towards the light it went away from us then appeared on the other side of us and every one wanted to leave after that. I did not believe the light was real until I saw it myself.

wouldnt it be interesting to have a vander night....where people come from all over

to do this one evening...people of all ages lol...

just wondering

Back in 1964 or 1965. When I was growing up, I went to the railroad tracks and the first time I saw it the lantern was swinging side to side and it started following me. The first time I was scared but I kept coming back just about every day for a year. I would see the lantern and every once I saw a mist/shadow of him. I also used to go and turn off the headlights and then he would appear and we actually became friends. I used to talk to him all the time. He never talked back. Haven't been back to NC for over 20 years. Wonder if anybody else experienced anything like me?

i live very close to the old vander road near cape fear high school wont tell you where for safty purposes comment are seen bye everyone but im about to go look for it if it doesnt rain tonight in dont know if you all still come on ths website but if i see it ill let you all know ill be doing this for 3 nights and hope i come across it

i also grew up in fayetteville went to terry sanford graduated in 75 i saw the vander light myself along with a few other people that night we watched it for about 20 minutes back in 2012 i lived in rocky mount nc you can go to momeyer outside of nashville in see another light but not as amazing as the vander light my name is john dicristina live in mount dora florida now