Tampa: Suicidal Ghosts Leap Off the Sulphur Springs Tower

Long ago, before Tampa, Florida was fully established, a lighthouse served as a landmark in the area.

This lighthouse was said to have aided pirates navigating the coastline.

It’s unclear when this lighthouse was destroyed, but a water tower was put in its place in 1927.

One of the First Structures of Tampa

Updated 2/10/2020 – The Sulphur Springs Tower was built for a local developer in order to supply a sufficient amount of water to the Sulphur Springs Hotel and to Mave’s Arcade, which is recorded as being the first shopping mall in Florida.

Tampa flourished for two years, until the Great Depression hit the United States.

Many believe that the Sulphur Springs Tower was then used for a solemn purpose—committing suicide.

Businesses in the surrounding area slowly recovered, but today the water tower stands as a testament to the darker side of American history.

Several locals believe the Sulphur Springs Tower is haunted by those who ended their lives there.

One such local, who considers himself a psychic sensitive, Jesse, is convinced that these rumors and speculations are true.

An Eerie Observation…

“I grew up in Tampa, and I remember passing by the water tower on my way to school each morning.

Multiple times I thought I saw a man in a bowler hat standing at the top of the tower, looking over.

Even though I’ve always been attuned to the spirit realm, this still seemed strange to me.

“I remember registering that he was dressed in funny clothing, but my seven year old brain couldn’t comprehend anything else beyond that,” he said.

“As I got older, I started hearing more ghost stories about the water tower.

I finally decided that enough was enough…I had to know for myself,”

Jesse nodded.

“I grabbed my camera, picked up my car keys and drove to the Sulphur Springs Tower.

It was winter, so the sun was setting early that night.

But it had been a sunny day, and it was still pretty easy to see everything around me.

“The tower was bought by the city and has been cleaned up a lot, but prior to that it was caked with litter, beer bottles and urine.

As I circled the tower, a man coughed on the ground nearby.

’Be careful around here, sonny,’ he wheezed.

‘There are just as many dead folks hanging around here as there are homeless.’

“I thanked him for his honesty and adjusted my camera so it was pointed at the top of the tower.

I set it on a time lapse, bunkered down and waited,” Jesse said.

“It was only about an hour later when I began to see a misty apparition walking around the top of the tower.

I couldn’t make out any features, but it looked like it was wearing a dress, so I guessed it was a female ghost.

I watched in awe as she slowly approached the edge of the tower and then leapt off without a moment’s hesitation,” he said, in awe.

“It was like a train wreck, you know?

You want to look away, but you just can’t.

I watched her fall through the air and just when she should have collided with the ground she disappeared.

I have never been more spooked in my entire life, and I have told everyone I know in Tampa what I witnessed.”