Abstract:
As the author discovered, the explanation for the light was based on belief, not fact. There was no Joe Baldwin decapitated during a train accident in 1867, but a Charles Baldwin who died from injuries sustained during a train accident in 1857. However, there is still truth within the legend. It is represented in a visit inspiring President Grover Cleveland to share with a national audience his experience with the light. It is also represented in a street named Joe Baldwin Drive.