[This list is continued from Ghosts of Coastal Maine, Part 1.]
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.
Most towns in Maine seem to have ghost stories, though 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 rum runner who caught young Bennett watching his 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 20s.(Source: Smith, Haunted Houses for the Millions, p. 45.)
- Wiscasset – Eastwind Restaurant
This restaurant on the main street of the 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 phenomena, 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 HenryWisps of light, sudden cold drafts, and a sad man seen walking one foot above the ground are reportedly among the ghostly manifestations of Taukolexis, an 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.
