History & local legend
Boathouse Row’s illuminated rooflines have been a Philadelphia landmark since 1979. The rowing clubs and their reflections form a familiar view along the Schuylkill, but one local ghost story concerns a light that moved independently of those fixed outlines.
Writer Michael McMahon recorded a club member’s account of a bright ball shooting across the river one November. The sculler reportedly managed to capture a few seconds of its movement on video.
McMahon included the encounter in his collection of city ghost stories.
