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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. I hope to expand this list in the future, as I investigate these stories myself.
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 at that address, 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. I’ve heard this kind of description before, and my team has experienced it at a few sites. Usually, this suggests ghosts more than poltergeists.
Jarrod also reports that the Blue Nose Inn, next door to the CleftStone Inn, is reportedly “cursed.” It’s burned to the ground three times so far, which sounds like a classic urban legend.
In addition, I’ve been informed that there’s a haunted corner in a Bar Harbor funeral home. (That may not be a surprise to any ghost hunter.)
That site has a white orb of light, and if you step into that corner, you can almost see it in your mind as well. The maids avoid dusting near it.
(This info was kindly provided by site reader, Jarrod. If you can add to his stories, or tell me about more haunted sites around Bar Harbor, leave a comment.)
Soames Sound
The site around Jesuit Springs—near Southwest Harbor—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—in a ghostly boat, nearby—a man in brown robes carries a cross.
(Source: Schulte, Ghosts..Coast of Maine, p. 107.)
*The scene in the photo is from Kittery, Maine, hours from Bar Harbor. I simply like that classic image and wanted to use it in an article. Photo courtesy of Jack Bulmer.