The location is great for Portland ghost enthusiasts who prefer sites that can be reached on foot or via Metro. (That’s local public transportation.)

Unfortunately, the cemetery’s location also makes it [...]]]> Bailey Cemetery in Portland, Maine has all the ingredients of a good, haunted cemetery. It has Colonial history, unmarked graves, and some neglected plots.

The location is great for Portland ghost enthusiasts who prefer sites that can be reached on foot or via Metro. (That’s local public transportation.)

Unfortunately, the cemetery’s location also makes it less desirable for research: It’s on a busy street and next to an active fire station.

All in all, we recommend this site for casual, repeated research. It’s the kind of location that tends to become more clearly haunted with repeated visits.

Sites like these tend to respond well to familiar visitors. In our opinions, the energy appears to organize itself and increase when the spirits realize that they’re getting attention.

[The area around Bailey Cemetery was recommended by Danielle of Portland, Maine.]

AT DUSK

Our first visit was at dusk. The site has a slightly eerie feeling, but nothing truly scary.

Two gravestones with pointing fingers reminded us of the legendary grave of Abel Blood, so we took a few photos. The results were surprising.

The first photo revealed no orbs.

The second photo included several.

We’d usually dismiss orbs in photos with lights and reflective surfaces in the background. We’d also suspect humidity when we see so many orbs, but it was a very dry evening.

Despite those factors, these two photos — taken just seconds apart — show such dramatic anomalies, we’re intrigued.

DAYTIME RESEARCH

We returned the next day for additional research. These were our results:

Unmarked graves – Numerous irregularities in the cemetery suggest unmarked graves (depressions) and unmarked plots (raised beds) throughout the cemetery.

For further study: Burial records for Bailey Cemetery are maintained at Evergreen Cemetery, 672 Stevens Avenue, Portland, Maine 04101 – 207-797-4597

Compass anomalies – Needle swings in excess of 20 degrees throughout the cemetery.

Dowsing rods – Several areas indicate energy surges. One followed a line, suggesting an underground spring. (Buried power lines are also possible, and indicated by a sign at the cemetery, but unlikely less than a foot from older graves.)

We noted the most consistent reaction about six feet north of the small headstone of Charles Howard. (That stone is more than halfway back in the cemetery, and towards the middle.)

Location: Bailey Cemetery on Forest Avenue (Rte. 302)
between Newton Street and Farnham Street (East of I-95)
Portland, Maine

Nearest parking: About half a block east on Forest Avenue.

Location, for GPS -

Degrees Minutes Seconds:
Latitude: 434149N
Longitude: 0701831W

Decimal Degrees:
Latitude: 43.69694
Longitude: -70.30861

However, many of Acadia’s residents close ranks rather than expose their many “visitors from the past” to the public. They would like [...]]]> Bar Harbor is one of America’s favorite vacation spots. It also has a rich history, between its magnificent coastline and the colorful people who have chosen Mount Desert Island for their summer homes.

However, many of Acadia’s residents close ranks rather than expose their many “visitors from the past” to the public. They would like their ghosts left alone, thank you very much.

These are just a few readers’ stories and published legends that we can share right now.  We hope to expand this list in the future.

As time permits, we’ll also investigate these stories ourselves.  In the meantime, they’re great starting points for other ghost hunters.

• Bar Harbor
  According to reader Jarrod, CleftStone Inn is haunted by two women who perished in a fire there, in 1947. These exhibit poltergeist-like manifestations: slamming doors, vases being thrown across the room, and so on.In addition, the air feels heavy there, like you’re in a slow-motion time warp. We’ve heard this kind of description before, and experienced it ourselves. Usually, this suggests ghosts more than poltergeists.

• Jarrod also reports that, next door to the CleftStone Inn, the Blue Nose Inn is reportedly “cursed.” It’s burned to the ground three times so far.
• Bar Harbor
  It sounds like a classic urban legend, but we’re informed that there’s a haunted corner in the Bar Harbor Funeral Home. It has a white orb of light, and you can almost see it in your mind as well, if you step into that corner. The maids avoid dusting near it.  (This info was kindly provided by site reader, Jarrod. If you can add to his stories, or tell us about more haunted sites, use the Contact Form above to let us know.)
• Soames Sound
  The site around Jesuit Springs is supposedly haunted by the eight Jesuit missionaries who were killed there in 1613, by English artillery. Their white shapes are seen at night, boats disappear (last reported: 16′ skiff of the Colby family, 1975), and a man in brown robes carrying a cross has been seen in a ghostly boat nearby.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 107.)

Maine is one of my favorite states, not just because it features one of America’s most beautiful coastlines, but also because it has such a rich history and many ghosts.

There are few towns in Maine that don’t have ghost stories. Some of Maine’s [...]]]> [This list is continued from Ghosts of coastal Maine.]

Maine is one of my favorite states, not just because it features one of America’s most beautiful coastlines, but also because it has such a rich history and many ghosts.

There are few towns in Maine that don’t have ghost stories. Some of Maine’s ghosts are more famous than others.
Here are a few more documented sightings that make Maine one of America’s most delightfully haunted states:

• Thomaston – Josiah Thurston house, Rte. 73
  Lawyer Josiah Thurston began to build his grand Thomaston house in 1855 to impress the politicians he hoped to join in Washington. He was offered an appointment by the President, but the Civil War broke out before the position was secured. After the War, Thurston found himself bankrupted by the expense of his still-unfinished house. He sold the house and became a sailor. He is seen today in his seaman’s clothing, watching people from the roof of his former home.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 45.)

• Thomaston – the “house of healing”
  An 1830 house in Thomaston, dubbed the “house of healing” because it has been the home of three doctors (and their practices), and a boarding house.This house is not dramatically haunted, but the ghost of Walter James (one of the founders of Thomaston Bank, among his many accomplishments) slams windows closed, unlocks doors, and generally gives visitors a sense that they’re “being watched.”

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 33.)

• Port Clyde – Lighthouse Road
  The lighthouse road is haunted by a blond teenager named Ben Bennett and his murderer, a dark-haired bearded man who runs silently down the road in black boots, carrying a knife. The attacker is reputed to be an early 20th-century rumrunner who caught young Bennett watching him smuggling.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 9.)

• Northport – “house that wasn’t there”
  In a tragic fire in December 1954, the estate home of the Edward Cosgroves burned to the ground, killing their two children and the couple that was taking care of them that evening. All that remained after the fire was the stubble of one (of two) chimneys, and some children’s items.Soon after the fire, someone took a photograph of the scene, but the print showed the house as it was before the fire. Many others have taken pictures at the site, with the same results, and Northport has become a stopping point for curious visitors ever since.

  Others have claimed to hear the ghostly screams of the children, from where the house once stood.

  Author Carol Olivieri Schulte reports that one photo of “the house that wasn’t there” is on the wall of the diner at Northport.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 63.)

• Wiscasset – High Street: Smith House and the Musical Wonder House
  The Smith House on High St. in Wiscasset has long been known for having a ghostly old woman who rocks in a chair by the window.Next door, the Musical Wonder House, a museum of music boxes, also has a ghost. He is rarely seen but often sensed, and appears to be a young man in his late teens or early 20′s.

  (Source: Smith, Haunted Houses for the Millions, p. 45.)

• Wiscasset – Eastwind Restaurant
  This restaurant on the main street of town was built by Charles Dana. The ghost is Lydia, also called “Mother Dana,” who may have been Mr. Dana’s wife or mother. She opens latched doors, manifests other poltergeist phenomenon, and–as of 1966–has pushed and shoved owner Dorothy Apgar many times, resulting in broken bones.

  (Source: Smith, Haunted Houses for the Millions, p. 47.)

• Pemaquid – Ft. William Henry
  Wisps of light, sudden cold drafts, and a sad man seen walking one foot above the ground, are reportedly among the ghostly manifestations of Taukolexis, and Indian who died in the Fort’s prison in July 1696.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 69.)

• Wreck Island – four miles SW of Friendship Harbor
  Lights, and the forms of people outlined in light, are seen at Wreck Island at night. They are the eleven passengers of the Winnebec which went down in a December 1768 storm. They may have drowned before washing ashore, or been killed by some fishermen for their belongings. It is said that the fishermen each experienced the sensation of being strangled, shortly after the 1768 disaster, and many of them said their attackers were people in drenched clothing, surrounded by white light.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 57.)

• Monhegan Island – Burnt Head ledges
  A woman reported being pushed by unseen hands, towards the edge of the ledges. One possible ghost might be an 80-year-old woman who leaped to her planned death at this site in 1947.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 39.)

• Orr’s Island
  The spectre ship, Harpswell has been seen near this island.

  (Source: Snow, Strange Tales…, p. 221.)

Several of these chilling legends are featured in Ghosts on the Coast of Maine, by Carol Olivieri Schulte, (c)1989, Down East Books. If you’re interested in Yankee ghosts and their histories, this book is a delightful read.  It includes far more details than we’ve shared here.

Almost every town and every cemetery in Maine has at least one good “ghost story.” That makes Maine an ideal destination for ghost hunters.

Here are a few documented sightings of ghosts that make Maine one [...]]]> Haunted coastal Maine has so many ghosts and eerie legends, I could probably spend a month researching each town.

Almost every town and every cemetery in Maine has at least one good “ghost story.” That makes Maine an ideal destination for ghost hunters.

Here are a few documented sightings of ghosts that make Maine one of America’s most delightfully haunted states. This list starts at the New Hampshire border, and continues up the haunted coastline.

Unless noted otherwise, these legends are from the references listed. We include them so that other researchers can investigate them, and because they’re great stories and provide starting points for further study.

For Fiona’s original New England research, see our other articles at this website.

• York, Maine – Old York Cemetery
  According to several books, Mary Miller Jason, a “witch,” haunts the Old York Cemetery since her 1774 death. She was known as an herbalist and an exorcist in her lifetime. It is said that the crows which frequent the cemetery near her gravestone, are her “familiars.”

  (Primary source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 143.)

  BUT…, during Fiona Broome’s research visit to the Old York Cemetery, she found the headstone for Mary Nasson, d. 1774, which is supposed to be haunted. It otherwise matches the description provided by Ms. Schulte, above, with a distinctive headstone and footstone, and a heavy block of stone covering the grave between the two markers.

  For more information about this “Witch’s Grave,” see Fiona Broome’s article, Haunted York, Maine – Mary Nasson’s grave, and her comments at Haunted ‘Old Burying Yard’ – York, Maine.

• Scarborough – Massacre Pond (formerly Black Point)
  The bloody ghost of Richard “Crazy Eye” Stonewall is seen at the pond where he was buried in Oct. 1697. Mr. Stonewall’s wife and infant son had been killed by Indians, and he avenged their deaths by joining the military and killing every Indian he found.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 125.)

  (Don’t confuse the ghost Richard “Crazy Eye” Stonewall with a New Hampshire ghost, Richard “Salt Eye” Storr.)

• Freeport – Desert of Maine

The “Desert of Maine” is now a tourist attraction, but it is the product of the ghostly work of Thomas Grayson who bought the 300-acre farm in 1797. Upon his death, Mr. Grayson made his second wife promise to give the farm to his son, David.

Instead, the farm was given to the widow’s own son from a previous marriage.

Everything seemed fine for the first dozen years or so. Then one day, a small saucer-sized ring of sand appeared to have been pushed up from the soil near the barn. The sand grew daily, and eventually covered all of the formerly fertile land, including trees, plows, the springhouse, and even part of the barn.

At its worst, 800 acres were covered with sandy dunes and valleys.

(Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 119.)

• Edgecomb – Boothbay Harbor region
  Marie Antoinette’s ghost supposedly haunts the home of the late Arthur Clark and his wife. Mr. Clark claimed to have been part of a conspiracy to smuggle the Queen of France to Maine. In anticipation of this, a ship loaded with the Queen’s possessions had been sent to Edgecomb, and Mr. Clark’s home filled with the furniture, paintings, sculptures, and other valuables.This story accounts for the extraordinary French antiques that sometimes appear in auctions and antique shops in this part of Maine.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 75.)

• Rockland – the former location of Jewell’s Boutique
  This shop, formerly a funeral home, is haunted by a ghost named “George,” perhaps George Golden who–according to legend–was killed in a car accident on his way to serve in the military in Viet Nam. George moves items in the store, and closes doors, among other poltergeist-type manifestations.

  (Source of Boutique legend: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 15.)

  Additional notes: A friend of Hollow Hill reports that the house where the Boutique was located, was originally a hospital. Then Mr. Davis bought the house and it became a funeral parlor. Jewel’s Boutique was the third owner of the haunted house. Today the shop is a private office.

  This reader also spoke with the former owner of the funeral home and Jewel herself, and says that the ghost is the doctor who ran the hospital. The ghost not only opens and closes doors, and moves furniture, but he also pinches the bottoms of the ladies.

  The former funeral parlor owner checked his records and found no notes concerning anyone named George Golden. He reports no other stories about a man tragically killed on his way to the military during the VietNam era.

• Lincolnville – Mt. Megunticook Trail
  The translucent form of 13-year-old Sarah Whitesell is seen at the top of the mountain at “Maiden’s Cliff,” where she fell to her death while picking flowers in May 1865. She appeared most frequently in the 1930′s and 40′s, and her last documented appearance at the mountain was in 1976.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 21.)

• Bucksport – Bucksport Cemetery
  A friend of Hollow Hill and former resident of Lincoln, Maine, reports that Bucksport Cemetery is very haunted.The grave of Judge Buck bears the mark of a foot, the result of a curse placed upon Judge Buck when he sentenced a witch to death. During this reader’s four years in Bucksport, she recalls the judge’s headstone being changed at least twice, and the foot reappeared on each new stone, no matter what was done to remove the mark.
• Bucksport – Another cemetery
  The directions are, “Taking one of the back roads out of town there is a large water reserve with a cemetery directly across from it.” The reader informs Hollow Hill that a young woman was decapitated in the 1960′s and her head thrown in the reservoir. However, her body was not found, as it assumed that it was washed out to sea. On foggy nights, many residents have seen the headless ghost of this young woman, wandering on this road, looking for her head.
• Bucksport – Captain’s House, Bridge Street
  A Hollow Hill reader has witnessed ghostly manifestations in this house, which is a captain’s house, not named the “Captain’s House.” It’s a particular style of building that allowed several wives of seafarers to live in one building, while keeping separate quarters. Today, these buildings are often used as apartments.The reader witnessed knocking sounds, a feeling as if she was being watched, and the water being turned on in an upstairs bathroom when no one was there. She reported marks like blood had dripped on the fireplace, and numerous other frightening manifestations.Before she left, the spirit in the house was “sent back to Hell where it belonged,” by the prayers of several men from church.After moving out of this house, the new owner of the home found two skeletons in the basement, apparently teenage girls from the late 19th century.
• Rockport – bridge that crosses the Goose River
  Since 1920, the ghost of Revolutionary War hero William Richardson has appeared at a bridge in Rockport, near “lovers’ lane.” Mr. Richardson is a jovial ghost, usually offering a pitcher of ale to anyone he encounters. He was killed at the Goose River bridge by three Tories who were enraged by his celebrating, at the time of the Revolution.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 51.)

• Tenant’s Harbor – East Wind Inn
  Haunted by the ghost of Gilbert Armstrong, co-owner of shipbuilders Armstrong & Keane in the era of the three-masted schooners. His ghost is seen climbing the main staircase, and his footsteps are heard even when nothing can been seen on the stairs. Windows are closed with a slam, breaking the glass. Doors swing, unaccountably. There may be other ghosts in the Inn, as well. In 1987, a guest cheerfully claimed that she’d been held firmly in her bed by a ghost, putting pressure on top of her.

  (Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 27.)

This list of legends and spooky places continues in our next page, More ghosts of coastal Maine

On 17 Oct 1999, I visited the Old Burying Yard on Rte. 1a in York Harbor, Maine. It’s a small cemetery on the side of the road nearest the water, slightly west of the downtown area. You can park in [...]]]> At left: The haunted “Witch’s Grave” of York, Maine
Mary Nasson (1745 – 1774)

On 17 Oct 1999, I visited the Old Burying Yard on Rte. 1a in York Harbor, Maine. It’s a small cemetery on the side of the road nearest the water, slightly west of the downtown area. You can park in town and walk back to it.

On this day, I was searching for the grave of witch “Mary Miller Jason.” That was the name reported in at least one book about the ghosts of Maine, and at several websites.

Instead, I found a grave that matched the book’s description, but the woman was Mary Nasson, wife of Samuel Nasson.

(I’m fairly certain that the “Jason” spelling was originally a typo that spread as one resource copied another.  There’s a lesson in this: Double-check all resources, and don’t trust websites or books — even mine — until you’ve verified their research, yourself.)

I took several photos to document this grave, since — until other books and websites started using Hollow Hill as a resource — I was the only one who’d spotted the misspelled name.

(Footstone inscription)

The legend is that the stone is to keep her in the grave.

Historians disagree, saying that Mr. Nasson placed the slab there to keep cattle from damaging the grave. Whatever the reason for the slab, it is notable as the only grave of its kind; earlier and later graves in this cemetery do not have that kind of “protection.”

Mrs. Nasson’s grave is known as “Witch’s Grave,” and it is reported to be haunted.

Skeptical after the name was different from some published accounts, I put my hands on the stone slab covering the grave. The slab was reported to emit heat, and I found the stone to be much warmer where it meets the headstone (the larger of the two grave markers).

The crows which frequent the cemetery in the summer are reported to be Mrs. Nasson’s “familiars,” still paying tribute to her. There were none when I visited in October, but I often saw the crows in the graveyard when I lived in York.

The inscription on the headstone:

Here liest quite free from Lifes
Distrefsing Care,
A loving Wife
A tender Parent dear
Cut down in midst of days
As you may see
But – stop – my Grief
I soon shall equal be
when death shall stop my breath
And end my Time
God grant my Dust
May mingle, then, with thine.

Sacred to the memory of Mrs. MARY NASSON, wife of Mr. SAMUEL NASSON, who departed this life Aug. 18th 1774, AEtat 29.

However, Mrs. Nasson’s grave is not the only eerie one in the cemetery, nor the only reason why the cemetery may be haunted. For more information about the Old Burying Yard, see our other pages about York, Maine.