HGB Ep. 503 - Maine's Kennebunkport

Moment in Oddity -  Underwater Music Festival

Diane and I love the ocean along with the creatures who live there. Here in Florida, there has been an Underwater Music Festival held for nearly 40 years. The festival takes place yearly in the lower keys near Big Pine Key and this year it attracted hundreds of divers and snorkelers. The purpose of the festival is to bring awareness to the protection of 3,800 square miles of ocean which includes the only living coral reef in the continental United States. The location of the music festival is part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and spotlights the importance of reef conservation to the attendees. The underwater ecosystem here is magnificent and of course the ultimate message of all the musical harmonies enjoyed is how to appreciate, protect and reduce underwater footprints, I mean fin-prints, to ensure the health of our reefs and oceans. Now, the entertainment at the festival includes divers mimicking musical performances underwater according to videos posted. There are mermaids, guitar players and even some on brass. However, the actual musical festival is held on a sandy area removed from the reef because one would not want to cause underwater reverberations of music to disturb the creatures which are the focus of the protection. Some of the music performed this year were the theme song from The Little Mermaid, Yellow Submarine and many more. The videos we have seen of divers mimicking bands performing ocean themed hits were entertaining but the thought of musical performances underwater certainly is odd.

This Month in History - Peter the Great's Beard Tax

In the month of September, on the 5th, in 1698, Russian Czar Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards. Prior to this tax being created, the Czar traveled through Europe in disguise as 'Sergeant Pyotr Mikhaylov'. His purpose was to study the innovations employed by Great Britain and the Dutch which had made the countries so powerful for the time. Peter the Great spent time working at a shipyard for the Dutch East India Company where he studied their shipbuilding innovations. He also worked in the Royal Navy's dockyard in Deptford. His fact finding mission also led him to exploring factories, arsenals, schools and museums. At one point he was even able to attend a session of Parliament. Once he returned to Russia, he began working on modernizing his country to try and compete with the other European superpowers. He put into effect many reforms regarding the economy, government and religious matters. One of those reforms was for his military to go beardless as he had viewed on many of the Western Europeans he had encountered while traveling. At one point he was said to have brandished a large barber's razor at a reception he was being honored at. He then proceeded to shave the beards of many of the guests. He then announced that all Russian men had to remove their beards which resulted in massive pushback. This rejection included the Russian Orthodox church who declared the shaving of beards, blasphemous. From there, the Czar determined he could use the idea as a policy to make money for the state. Peter the Great imposed a tax for those men wishing to keep their beards. It is recorded that nobility and merchants had to pay a tax as high as 100 rubles per year and commoners as little as 1 kopek. Those who paid the tax received a token as proof of their payment. Suffice it to say, of all the reforms established by Peter the Great, his beard tax is certainly one of the more unusual ones.

Maine's Kennebunkport

Kennebunkport is a Maine town that goes back hundreds of years. This coastal resort town plays host to several haunted inns. The Kennebunkport Captains Collection in Maine are four historic homes that had belonged to the Captain Daniel Walker family. Two of them are reputedly haunted. There is also the Nonantum Resort, which is the oldest inn in town. And the Kennebunk Inn hosts a well known spirit in the town. Join us for the history and hauntings of Maine's Kennebunkport.

Kennebunkport was originally known as Cape Porpoise and was first incorporated in 1653. The early white settlers began to leave shortly thereafter as local indigineous tribes raided them regularly. Eventually, settlers returned and they formed a new community that they called Arundel in 1718. In 1821, Arundel became Kennebunk Port with Kennebunk meaning "long cut bank." The earlier town names can still be found in the city in smaller village areas. The main economies in the area were shipbuilding and river trade. By the 1870s, people started looking to this area of Maine as a summer destination. Hotels and homes were built all along the coast. Today, this is still a popular place for tourists, which has included the Bush family. The Bush family owns the Walker's Point Estate in Kennebunkport and it served as the Summer White House for President George H.W. Bush.

The Walker family has deep roots here. Gideon Walker was one of the first settlers to come to the mouth of the Kennebunk River in the mid-1700s. He was born in October of 1719, in Kittery, York, Maine. He married Hannah Palmer in 1741 and they settled on a large swath of land that Gideon had inherited. Much of this land would become Kennebunkport. The couple had seven sons and three daughters. One of those sons was Captain Daniel Walker and he inherited much of his father's land when Gideon passed away in 1805 at the age of eighty-five. Daniel Walker married a woman named Lois and they had five children and after each child married, Daniel deeded them some land upon which they could build their own homes. These homes were all close to each other as the men of the family all became captains and were often out to sea and their families liked to be close to each other for support. Four of these homes still stand and passed through generations of seafaring families before becoming small boutique inns. 

They got a big upgrade in 2021 when New England's Lark Hotels bought the houses and unified them under what they describe as a single village resort with 45 rooms for rent. This village is known as the Kennebunkport Captains Collection and each property has its own distinct character as designed by Massachusetts-based interior designers Rob Blood and Megan Kennedy of Elder & Ash. The resort’s shared amenities include a grand drawing room, library, dining room, gardens, lounges and a Butler’s Pantry bar. There are also complimentary bicycles and a courtesy car for guests wanting to explore beyond downtown. What we really love about the collection is that there seems to be ghosts here.

The William Jefferds House

The Captain William Jefferds house is at 5 Pearl Street. Sarah Walker was born in 1783 and she married William Jefferds, Jr. in 1802. Both of them had been born in Kennebunkport. Sarah's father, Daniel, gifted the couple “80 square rods of land, with love and affection” the following year. This was on a lane leading to Walker’s Wharf and they built a two-story, hipped roof Federal-style house on the land. The couple had eleven children and were fairly well off with Kennebunkport considering them one of the most aristocratic families in the town. Captain Jefferds made his money as a ship owner and by conducting trade in the West Indies. He later became a merchant and died in 1851. Sarah continued to live in the house until her death in 1871 at the age of eighty-eight. The furniture in the house was auctioned off and the house sold. The Agnew Family owned the house in the 1880s and they remodeled the home, adding Colonial Revival touches like a large central dormer and portico. The house passed through other families until it was purchased in 1996 by the Bartholomew family and they converted it into a bed and breakfast that they ran for nine years. The next owners were Erik and Sarah Lindblom and they completely renovated the inn and continued to run it as a commercial enterprise. Lark Hotels gave the house a new design that features sixteen rooms with mostly white furnishings that gives the whole house a light and airy feeling. The inn retains the original moldings and wood beams. Six of the rooms are located in a carriage house on the property that is attached to the house. 

The Acton Patterson House 

The Acton Patterson House is located at 35 Maine Street and was built in 1807 by Captain Daniel Walker and is also a two-story Federal styled home with two brick chimneys. The house had four bedrooms. Captain Nathaniel Lord purchased the house to live in while his mansion was being built nearby and after he passed, the house was passed down through the family until Captain Acton Patterson bought the home. His daughter ended up marrying Nathaniel Lord's son and so the house ended up back in the lord family. The house was inherited by their daughter and eventually became an annex for the Nathaniel Lord Mansion. After Lark Hotels purchased the property, it was renovated with a country gentleman style that included plaids and distressed leather furniture. The house is available for an entire rent-out.

The Captain Nathaniel Lord Mansion

The Captain Nathaniel Lord Mansion is located at 6 Pleasant Street and is the centerpiece of the resort. Captain Nathaniel Lord was born in 1776 and he married Phoebe Walker in 1797. The couple had the home built in 1812 on a corner lot. Nathaniel had made his money running a shipyard and so when the British created a blockade of Kennebunkport during the War of 1812, he had his shipbuilding staff build his home. Lord hired architect Thomas Eaton to design the Federal-styled house and spared no expense.
Captain Lord and Phoebe Walker had eight children together and "adopted" a ninth child that was the result of an extramarital affair Nathaniel had with the maid. Phoebe agreed to raise the child as one of her own. The Captain didn't get to enjoy his big beautiful home for long. He died from influenza at the age of 38 in 1815. 

Charles Clark was Lord's grandson and when he inherited the home in 1898, he decided to give it a makeover and added a three-story addition that was designed by architect William Ralph Emerson. Emerson was known for his work with "Shingle-style" homes. He added hallway arches, hand-grained doors, the elliptical staircase in the front, high-Victorian wainscoting, beamed ceiling, and a bay window with a curved window seat. The home would stay in the Lord family until 1972, so they had a long run with it. What caused the family to lose the house were tax issues for Captain Lord's great-great granddaughter Julia Buckland Fuller. She had to liquidate the estate, including the furniture. The property sat neglected for awhile and then Bev Davis and Rick Litchfield purchased it in 1978 and they restored the mansion using old photos as a guide, so they could replicate the 19th century wall coverings and the paint used on walls. The wood floors were stripped and refinished and the twenty-two fireplaces were converted to gas. They brought in antiques that matched the aesthetic as well like a late 1800’s Chippendale dining table with matching chairs and 19th century four-poster beds, and other 19th century antiques. Lark Hotels kept most of the antiques that were in the mansion. They stripped back the carpeting to reveal pine floors and added velvet drapes, enhanced the crown moldings and updated the bathrooms.

It is believed that a member of the Lord family has stayed on in the house after death. This is believed to be Phoebe. She raised nine children in this home almost by herself since Nathaniel had died young, so its not hard to believe she would be attached to the dwelling. Phoebe's spirit became most active when the mansion opened up for the first time as a bed and breakfast. She seemed pleased with the restoration. Her former room was named Wisteria, meaning "remembrance of the dead," and this is where she is most active. The apparition has been seen wearing a long, flowing white nightgown or dressing robe and walking or floating through the room. She once startled a newlywed couple who were lying in bed and watched as Phoebe floated through the room and disappeared into a wall. Often the spirit is standing on the spiral staircase leading up to the cupola. Other times she is floating up and down that staircase. This had been a favorite spot as it was with most captain's wives who liked to watch their husbands come in from being out at sea. People claim to see her looking out of the cupola.

The Captain James Fairfield House

The Captain James Fairfield House is located at 8 Pleasant Street and was built in 1813, designed as a two-story Federal-style mansion. James Fairfield was born in Arundel, Maine in 1784. His father was a ship captain and he followed in his footsteps, becoming a captain as well. He was a short guy at five and a half feet tall, but he was self-assured and described as quite handsome. Daniel Walker's daughter Lois married James Fairfield in 1807. James went in with his brother-in-law, Captain Joseph Lord, and bought a six acre lot across the street from Captain Nathaniel Lord’s mansion. They planned to build two homes connected to each other, so their wives could keep each other company while their husbands were away at sea, but the homes would have to wait for a bit. Fairfield was the captain of the MacDonough during the War of 1812 when he was 31-years-old. He wasn't fighting in the war, but rather, running a privateering venture with three other Captains. The MacDonough was captured by the British and he was sent to Dartmoor Prison in England where he was a prisoner of war for five months. This was a horrible place to be a prisoner. They were all issued a hammock, bedding and blanket. A bloody massacre took place in the prison on April 6, 1815 with eight prisoners killed and forty-five wounded. James tried to get himself released with the first group of prisoners sent back to America by buying another man's place on the ship, but when the authorities called out names, the man he had paid went forward and took his own turn leaving Fairfield to wait for his. He wrote this letter to his wife after his capture:

"Onboard his Majesty frigate Bacchante Hallifax

November 12th 1814

Dear Wife

It is with regret that I have to inform you of our misfortune of being captured 30 hours after leaving you by the above frigate. By carrying away our aft and main topmasts in the chase we are all onboard this ship at present but expect to be sent onboard some other ship to be sent to England in about eight days where I expect we shall have to remain until peace which God send may be soon, I cannot get on shore nor hear any thing from Oliver but we are all well and in good spirits considering our situation[.] My dear I wish you to make your self as happy as you possibly can and I would advise you to sell your horse at any price you can get as the expense of him is considerable and sell any thing you have rather than suffer. I don’t know what part of England we shall go to but shall write every opportunity. Could you find out where I am[.] Nothing but my liberty would give me more pleasure than a line from you, or any of my friends my dear I hope this will find you in good health as it leaves me. Asa is well and contented and Capt. Lord likewise. With love and respect I remain your loving and affectionate husband until death."

James and his brother-in-law Joseph Lord began their homes in 1813 and finished them in 1815. They were two Federal-style mansions connected to each other. James and Lois were gifted the money for their house by her father Daniel. Joseph Lord would unfortunately die in 1817 when the ship he was sailing to Europe to trade cotton, sunk killing him and his entire crew. His wife Polly remarried and remained in the double house. James died from pneumonia in 1820 and Lois sold their mansion to Abner Stone. She then moved in with Polly and her new husband. She would only live two more years herself. The houses eventually just became one and went through six or seven families and then in the early 1980s, the mansion was turned into an inn. In the early 1990s, Chef Dennis and his wife Bonnie bought the inn and restored it and several years later they sold it to Rick Wolf. He converted it into more of a bed and breakfast and owned it until Lark Hotels bought it. Today, the James Fairfield house is described as "artful and eclectic" and features nine rooms with working fireplaces and abstract art on the walls.

The first stories about paranormal activity came when the first renovations were started. The spirit of James Fairfield has been seen in the basement, usually hanging out in a dark corner. One person who reported seeing this was Chef Dennis Tellagnon. The ghost seems friendly and is clearly attached to a copy of a portrait he had painted of himself that hangs in the inn. The original is at the Brick Store Museum on Main Street. The crazy story connected to this painting is that James had it done while he was on a voyage. He had it sent back on a ship that sank. Fortunately, the painting was rolled up in a metal cylinder that floated to the surface of the water and was picked up by a Swedish ship two years after James died. Lois had already died by then too, but her sister Polly accepted the portrait and had it framed.

Kennebunk Inn 

The Kennebunk Inn sits in the center of the town and was built in 1799. This started as a private residence for a man named Phineas Cole. Benjamin Smith bought the house from Cole and his family owned it until 1875. In 1876, Dr. Orrin Ross bought the home and gave it to his son, Dr. Frank Ross, in 1880 as a wedding present. Right across the street Frank built what came to be known as the Ross Block. The doctor built a two-story wooden building in 1881 and it housed his office and a pharmacy. This burned to the ground and he rebuilt it in 1895 only to have that burn down too. He got smart the third time around and made the third version out of brick. This one still stands today and is three stories tall and has hosted a variety of businesses through the years. Dr. Ross specialized in obstetrics and never lost a mother, having helped with over 1,000 deliveries. The doctor died in 1926 and Mr. and Mrs. George Baitler bought the house in 1928 and converted the private home into a hotel called “The Tavern.” They added a two-and-a-half story wing and rented out 50 rooms. The inn was named the Kennebunk Inn in the late 1930s and has changed hands several times. Today, this is a very charming inn with verandas on the first and second floors.

There is a very well known spirit here that is believed to have belonged to a former nightwatchman and auditor named Silas Perkins. He was the son of Captain Fordyce Perkins and fancied himself a poet. He was born in 1880 and died of a heart attack at the age of 72 in 1952 at the Inn.  He is said to be a mischievous spectre. Former owners Arthur and Angels LeBlanc told the Bangor Daily News in 1991 about their experiences with Silas' ghost. A waitress told the couple she was psychic and refused to go down into the basement, claiming there was a strong presence down there that she thought was named Cyrus. Angela said, "We pooh-poohed it and laughed." That was until Silas lifted three mugs off of a shelf and smacked the bartender in the back of the head with them. Silas apparently didn't like the guy. Angela said, "This kind of made a believer out of me. I was seated at the bar when it happened." A line from one of Silas' poems goes like this, "I want to laugh with the common man Wherever he chance to be, I want to aid him when I can Whenever there’s need of me." Perhaps his ghostly pranks are just him trying to help out.

Locked hotel doors will unlock themselves and even swing open in the middle of the night. This may happen over and over in one night. Boxes in the basement tumble over by themselves. Glasses sitting on trays fly through the air and smash into walls. The most active room on the property is Room 17. A housekeeper had unplugged the TV so she could move it to clean and the TV turned itself on without power. Owners Brian and Shanna O’Hea hosted a meet and greet session with psychic Vicki Monroe in 2012 at the inn. Monroe claimed there was a female spirit at the inn as well who went by the name Sara Emily. This ghost likes to stand on the main stairwell and greet visitors when they enter. No one knows where she came from. 

Nonantum Resort

The Nonantum Resort is located at 95 Ocean Avenue. This area had once been the site of a trading center between Native Americans and early settlers. Nonantum is Algonquin for "blessing" or "pray." Captain Henry Heckman built the Nonantum  and opened it on July 4, 1884 with 28 rooms. It was built in a late Italianate style. The waterfront area was expanded in 1887 and a small addition was constructed in 1891. At this same time, alterations were made to the inn, adding a Georgian Revival facade that included pilasters capped with Corinthian capitals and cartouches and a wide front Piazza. The new elements were designed by architect Henry Paston Clark. Heckman died in 1920 and the inn was sold to Felix Bridger and he did extensive renovations, which included an elevator and forty additional rooms. A steam heating system was also added. Felix passed away at 79 in 1953 and his daughter Phyllis Bridger Leathers took over and ran the Nonantum until her death in 1970. In her time, an outdoor swimming pool was added that was filled with salt water.

Phyllis' son, William Bridger Leathers, and his wife, Margaret, were the next proprietors and they added a three-story annex. The inn passed out of the hands of the Leathers family in 1987. The Portside Lodge was added to the property in 1987 and increased the number of rooms available for guests. The original part of the inn is now called the Carriage House Inn. Lots of renovations have been made through the years. There are 110 guest rooms and this is a popular wedding venue. Jean Ginn Marvin is the current innkeeper and she has been with the establishment for over 24 years.

The resort gets most active right before it closes to guests for the winter. Staff claim that the 27 spirits who haunt the place are friendly. Lights turn on and off by themselves and the doors open and close on their own. Plates on tables spin around on their own. Staff have been unsettled when vacuuming in hallways because when they turn and look to the end of the hallway, they find that furniture has been turned as if to seat someone unseen who wants to watch them work. And people often feel that they are being watched by someone that they can't see.

One of the spirits is said to be a former guest named Sadie. This apparition has been seen wandering the hallways. A ghost named Julia likes to warm her hands by the lobby fireplace. The kitchen is haunted by a spirit named Ursula. Tim Ames was the sales director back in 2007 and he told the Seacoastonline, "Four ladies from New York were sharing a room when one of the beds began to shake violently. Another time, when he was working the front desk late at night, he got a call from another woman on the third floor. She said, 'Should we evacuate?' And I said, 'Why?' While all was quiet and calm in the lobby, it appears this woman's room was rocking as if an earthquake was occurring. Ames raced upstairs, but as soon as he arrived, the woman said, the shaking stopped."

Psychic Vickie Monroe also visited this establishment and she told the hotel that it had 27 spirits and most enjoyed looking out the windows. A very old piano had been removed from the lobby and Monroe reported that a very large male ghost named Will or Bill wasn't happy about that and that he wanted the piano put back. She had no idea that there had been a piano in the lobby. Turns out that a man named Will had once been an owner. He weighed in at 600 pounds and had a wife who had owned that very piano. Monroe also said that there were several child ghosts in the inn and that they especially liked playing pranks in the bathrooms. The spirit of a small, balding man also made himself known to the psychic.

Kennebunkport is a beautiful coastal community with quite a few charming and historic inns. They make a great place to get away in New England, especially if one is interested in interacting with a few ghosts. Are these inns in Kennebunkport haunted? That is for you to decide!

Ep. 260 - Haunted Islands of Maine

 
Moment in Oddity - Why Does Dracula Wear a Tuxedo?
Suggested by: Susan Elizabeth Whigham

Have you ever asked yourself, why does Dracula wear a tuxedo? Yep, I know, you ponder these things. Bram Stoker, in his novel Dracula, describes the visual appearance of Dracula's face and such, but not much about his attire, so where did we get this idea that Dracula wears a tuxedo, cape and medallion? Where did we get that he had an aristocratic demeanor? After all, the first movie inspired by the novel was Nosterafu and the vampire in that movie is a hideous creature. In 1924, Raymond Huntley played Dracula on stage in London and this would be the first time that the character was portrayed as charming and wearing a tuxedo. Legend claims that Huntley provided his own costume. When Dracula came to the stage in America in the late 1920s, Bela Lugosi played the title role, and he went with the tuxedo and well-coifed hair as well, adding the cape. When the stage play was produced by Universal as a movie starring Lugosi, the image of the Halloween Dracula was cemented. The medallion that is part of the costume was inspired by Lugosi who wore the ornamental medal on his chest and some believe that it was his own personal possession. The origins of the medallion are mysterious and it only appears in two scenes. Lugosi was allegedly buried with one version of the medal and as we know, he wore his Dracula cape as well and that certainly is odd!

This Month in History - The Confederates Destroy the Merrimac to Prevent its Capture

In the month of May, on the 9th, in 1862, to prevent its capture by Union forces, the Confederate Ironclad Merrimac was destroyed by the Confederate Navy. Towards the beginning of the Civil War, the Confederates seized the Merrimac from the Union shipyard in Virginia. They transformed the ship into an ironclad so strong that it could not be harmed by cannon balls. The Confederates quickly used the Merrimac to sink two Union ships, the Cumberland and Congress. The Union feared this ship and knew they had to build something formidable before the Merrimac could destroy more of their navy. Within 100 days, the Monitor was built. This ship had been built in secret and was described as a "cheese box on a raft." It was made from iron and had a revolving turret with two big guns inside it. In March, the Merrimac and the small Union Ironclad Monitor met and came to a draw. This was history's first duel between ironclad warships. The ships met again in April, but did not engage. Then in May, the Confederates had to evacuate Norfolk and they destroyed the Merrimac. The Monitor would later be lost during a gale off Cape Hatteras. The encounters of these two ironclads changed Naval warfare forever, making wooden ships obsolete.

Haunted Islands of Maine (Suggested by listener Katrina Ray-Saulis)

Based on its location, Maine has been a prime spot for explorers. There are 4600 islands off the coast of Maine and each of these islands has its own unique history. Some of that history is tragic and it is these grievous stories that seem to have led to some haunting experiences. Outer Heron Island reportedly has buried treasure, a haunted cave and apparitions on the beach. There is Jewell Island with its residual ghost soldiers and stories of buried treasure. Boon Island has its very own haunted lighthouse. Long Island has its phantom ghost ship and crew. And listener Katrina Ray-Saulis joins me to share a mostly unknown history about Malaga Island that highlights the racism that led to some cruel treatment and ultimately some haunting activity. Join me as we explore the Haunted Islands of Maine!

No one is sure how Maine came to have that name. Native Americans were the first to brave the cold and harsh terrain of Maine. They used birch bark canoes to explore the Maine coast. They were hunter and gatherers, but eventually began growing corn and beans in the summer. Leif Erikson was the first European to explore the coasts of Maine as early as 1003. John Cabot was a Venetian explorer and he claimed the New England area for Britain in 1498. In 1622, Sir Fernando Gorges and John Mason received a royal grant for all the land between the Merrimac and Kennebec rivers and then in 1639, Gorges was granted exclusive rights to Maine by another English King. Eventually though, the Massachusetts Bay Colony claimed jurisdiction over Maine in 1647 and purchased proprietary rights from Gorges’ heirs in 1677. Several French and Indian Wars took place on Maine until the Treaty of Paris in 1763, in which France surrendered all claims in North America. Maine developed a fishing, shipbuilding and lumber industry in the ensuing years. Massachusetts maintained control of Maine, which tried voting for separation and statehood several times, but low voter turnout prevented that from happening. The tide turned during the War of 1812 though when Massachusetts provided little support to Maine. Maine achieved statehood on March 15, 1820.

Outer Heron Island

Outer Heron Island lies a few miles offshore from Boothbay Harbor. There are stories of a buried pirate treasure here near a cave. Paranormal activity is reported at this cave and some claim that the cave is a power point on the island. Photographs have revealed several weird anomalies there with what appear to be multiple spirits. In one picture, there appears to be a ghostly pirate peeking out from behind a treasure hunter being photographed in front of the cave. There is a legend of a lost grave here and some claim the skeleton in the grave wears an emerald seal ring given to Sir Francis Drake by Queen Elizabeth I. The claim is that this is the body of Drake's great grandson, who died on a trip to Maine. One man claims that he saw a gathering of ghosts on a beach one night. There was a bonfire as well. He did not know that he was witnessing a ghostly scene until he snuck up on the group and when he jumped into the open, the fire was gone and no one was on the beach.

Jewell Island 

Jewell Island is eight miles from the city of Portland, Maine and the outermost island. It is named for George Jewell who bought the island in 1637. He ended up drowning in Boston Harbor after a drunken night and didn't get to enjoy his island for long. Jewell Island eventually became a strategic center during World War II and the military built Battery 202 there. Three years after V-day, Battery 202 was abandoned by the soldiers physically, but it seems as though some essence has remained behind. A woman named Margaret visited the abandoned Battery 202 when she was a young girl. She happened upon a doorway that was the entrance to the tunnel that led to the gunnery. She could hear men speaking inside the tunnel. She called out and the voices stopped. They started up again a moment later. She entered the tunnel, but found nobody.

There is a legend that a gold treasure had been buried on Jewell Island. A ship sailing from Bermuda shipwrecked near the island and survivors saved the gold and buried it on the island. They never retrieved it. At least, that is one of the stories told. Another is connected to the pirate Anne Bonny. There is a claim that she and seven men buried a treasure and then she killed all the men so that only she knew the location. And then there are the rumors that Captain Kidd sailed along the coast here and buried some of his treasure there. There are tales of ghosts connected to these treasures roaming the beaches. Perhaps looking for their treasures.

Boon Island

Boon Island is only 400 square yards, located six miles from York, Maine and was given its name by a group of sailors that were shipwrecked on the island in 1682. Boon means lucky place and they felt it was lucky that the island was there and that a bonfire they built brought them rescue. Boon may not really be such a lucky island. A phantom fire is seen blazing on the island on stormy nights. It leaves no burn marks and when people seek it out, it disappears when they get too close. The Native Americans who had lived here would light bonfires for sacred offerings on Mount Agamenticus.

Another shipwreck here was of the Nottingham Galley in 1710. The sailors managed to build a bridge to the island with the ship's foremast and they were relieved to be saved by the island. Until they realized they had no food, fresh water or way to build a fire. As is the case with so many of these castaway or stranded stories, cannibalism is about to enter the picture. There was Captain John Deane and thirteen of his crew. The first to go was the cook. But he was not eaten as the men turned to raw mussels and seagulls for food. But before long, they were starving. And this was winter, in Maine with no fire. Frostbite was causing fingers and toes to be lost. When the carpenter died, they butchered his body and lived off it for the next two weeks until they were rescued on January 2, 1711. They had survived twenty-three days on the island. The spirits of the cook and carpenter are said to still be on the island. Their deep moans are heard on the wind and disembodied footsteps are heard on the ground when no one is nearby. Workers on the island have long reported feeling as though they are being watched when they worked. Full-bodied apparitions and emaciated figures wearing ragged clothes have appeared to keepers as well. As though the guilt of being cannibals has brought back the spirits of the survivors.

Obviously, the seas around the island are treacherous and a lighthouse was needed, so the station was established in 1799 and the original lighthouse was built in 1811. That was authorized by President James Madison during the War of 1812. The one that stands today was built in 1855. The lighthouse was made from granite and rises 133 feet tall, making it New England's tallest lighthouse. Keepers have experienced paranormal phenomenon. One of them owned a Labrador retriever and that dog would snarl and snap and something unseen and even chased something that the keeper could not see. And we have a woman in white here. She is seen at dusk or dawn on the rocks at the waters edge. No one knows who she is or why she is here.

This ghost could possibly belong to Katherine Brights who was the wife of lighthouse keeper Luke Brights. He died one night while going out to save their boat during a violent storm. He tied himself to the lighthouse with a rope, but he was soon battered on the rocks. Katherine dragged his body to shore and then into the lighthouse. She maintained the light for five days with his body decaying near the stairs. Then the light went out. A group came to see what happened and they found Katherine stark raving mad. She died a few weeks later later in the hospital. It is thought that her spirit returned to Boon Island. Fisherman hear her cries and see her figure on the rocks. So sounds like she could be the woman in white here. One night, a keeper was unable to return to the island to light the light, but it came on by itself and it was attributed to Katherine.

The light was automated in 1980 and maintained by the Coast Guard. The island was put up for auction and is now privately owned, so no one can visit it or tour the lighthouse.

Long Island

Long Island is off of Portland, Maine and actually seceded from the city in 1993. As is the case with most of the islands, Native Americans were the first residents, but left when Europeans arrived in the 17th century. The first to build a house here was Col. Ezekiel Cushing. He bought the island in 1732. and is credited with being the first European to settle and build a house on the island. He willed the island to his nine children when he died in 1765. Farmers and fishermen came soon thereafter. Soon after, other settlers arrived to make a livelihood out of farming, fishing, and catching lobsters. In the late 1800s, the island turned to tourism and the Granite Spring Hotel and Casino was built. People arrived on steamboats and paraded with their parasols on the boardwalk until a fire right before World War I burned it all to the ground. During World War II, Casco Bay became United States Navy base Sail. Tourism started up again and it is still a popular place in the summer for visits.

One ghost story told about this island is about an experience a little girl named Isabel had one day on her way home from school. The crew from the Sea Maiden was thought to have been shipwrecked at sea, but she saw the entire crew walking up the wharf from the trip. They looked to be carrying things they had brought back from their voyage to foreign lands. She noticed that even though they should have been happy and cavorting, they were very grim and took no notice of her or any of their surroundings. She hurried home to tell her family that the Sea Maiden had made it to port. Her family went to a neighbors to tell them the good news and found that no one had seen or heard from the crew and one of the neighbors was the family of the first mate. They headed down to the wharf and saw that there was no ship there. The next day, the village learned that the Sea Maiden had been shipwrecked and the whole crew had perished.

Malaga Island

Listener Katrina Ray-Saulis joins me to discuss the history and possible hauntings in connection to malaga Island. This island has a tragic history that many are reluctant to talk about. Connected to this are the graves that were moved from Malaga Island to the Maine School for the Feeble-Minded, which is today Pineland Farms, a 5,000 acre working farm. Maine Ghost Hunters did an informal investigation of the cemetery there and reported, "While on location TonyL claims to have had an experience we tried to get on digital camera and on tape but couldn’t because the battery to my video camera was sucked dry, and all of the photos we took after TonyL announced that the “experience” was taking place came out purple and blurry.  My camera batteries for this digital camera also went from “full” to “dying” in an extremely short period of time.  We are planning a return nighttime trip with “permission” in hand by the proper authorities in the next 2 months."

A psychic named Kelly Spurlock was visiting the island and she saw a group of ghostly African American women dressed in white dresses and white head cloths. There were twelve of them and they ranged in age from twelve to around eighteen. They faded into the air as Spurlock's boat landed. She noted that they seemed to be an intelligent haunting as they made eye contact with her and definitely saw her. They gave off a sense of foreboding. The ghost of a woman named Beth McKinney is said to roam the northwest part of the island near an old well. Her name has been picked up on the Ghost Radar app and the strong smell of perfume has been detected. The well is at the site of the former home of the McKinney family. Beth died in the home and was buried in the cemetery there. Until she was dug up. Strange images have been caught on film, usually featuring a white billowing shape or strands of light orbs with faces. Batteries drain and camera shutters freeze up.

The islands of Maine are each different with their own unique history. And they each have their own individual ghosts stories. Are any of these stories true? Are these islands haunted? That is for you to decide!

Show Notes:
Katrina's book: https://www.amazon.com/River-Katrina-Ray-Saulis/dp/1943490120

Marcus LiBrizzi book: Haunted Islands in the Gulf of Maine

HGB Podcast 32 - Seguin Island Lighthouse

Moment in Oddity -  Self Mummification

The term self-mummification probably inspires some weird images, thoughts and questions. How does someone self-mummify and why? Monks in the countries of India, China and Japan have practiced self-mummification as far back as the 12th century. The process is arduous and takes a long time, around 3,000 days. The monk will eat a diet of nuts, bark, roots and seeds and exercise strenuously all in an attempt to basically starve himself. The monk's desire is to rid his body of fat and moisture. When the desired effect was obtained, the monk would drink a poisonous tea that would help him vomit up bodily fluids that would help prevent maggots and bacteria. He would enter a tomb and assume the lotus position. A tube would be run into the tomb to provide air and a bell would be installed for the monk to ring every day that he was still alive. When the bell rang no more, the tube would be removed and the tomb sealed. Once 1,000 days had passed, the tomb would be opened again and if the monk was found in a perfect state of mummification, it would be declared that he was only in a trance and he would be placed in a temple for worship until he re-awakened. Self-mummification recently made the news when a 1,000 year old Buddha was given a CT scan. The scan revealed something extraordinary. Inside the statue was the mummified body of a Chinese monk from 1100 AD. Inside his body were scraps of paper with Chinese writing instead of organs. We imagine more Buddha statues will be facing scans. Self-mummification is not only a horrible way to die, but quite odd. 

This Day in History - Remember the Alamo

"Remember the Alamo." Those three words summon visions of heroism and call people to stand up against insurmountable odds. On this day, March 6th, in 1836, the final assault on the Alamo was conducted. The Battle at the Alamo lasted thirteen days. It began on February 23, 1836 when Mexican dictator General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his troops arrived in San Antonio. Santa Anna's force numbered 1500 men. The Alamo had only a little over 100 men to defend it lead by co-commanders William B. Travis and James Bowie. Travis sent out letters pleading for help, but no extra reinforcements were sent. For several days, the Alamo withstood cannonade from artillery batteries. On March 3rd, Travis sends out one final appeal for more men and declares in the letter, “I am determined to perish in the defense of this place, and may my bones reproach my country for her neglect.” In the early morning hours on March 6th, Santa Anna orders his troops to attack the Alamo and a 90 minute bloody battle follows with the Alamo falling in the end just before sunrise. Santa Anna ordered the bodies of those killed to be burned. Between 182 and 257 defenders were killed including folk hero Davy Crockett. The cruelty of Santa Anna's attack outraged Texans and drove many of them to join the fight in the Texas Revolution. Today, the Alamo is now the most popular tourist site in Texas.

Seguin Island Lighthouse

Seguin Island is an island off of Maine, which can only be reached by boat, and is home to Maine's tallest and second oldest lighthouse, Seguin Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse is known by its more common name, Seguin Light, and not only dates back to the birth of America, but it carries a rich history that includes a gruesome tale. What has happened at this lighthouse seems to live on, not only through stories, but through spirits as well. The light is always on at this lighthouse. Come with us as we climb the spiral staircase of legend into the afterlife.

Seguin Island sits ten miles from Boothbay Harbor at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine. The first English colony was established a few miles further down the Kennebec River in Popham in 1607. The colonists left after only a year because of hardships and returned to Europe. There is much debate as to how Seguin actually obtained its name. Most historians believe it is derived from both French and Native American, much like the name of Chicago. The Native American term was sutquin, meaning "where the sea vomits" because the ocean roils and pounds in this area. Originally, Seguin Island was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and it was the Commonwealth that gave the United States ten acres of the island that later grew to include the entire island after Seguin Light was commissioned.

President George Washington commissioned Seguin Light in 1795. The original structure that served as the lighthouse no longer exists. It was constructed from wood and rose to 50 feet. Oil lamps and crude reflectors served as the first lights. Obviously, wood was a bad idea and a new structure was built in 1819 out of stone. It too deteriorated. The current lighthouse was built in 1857. The tower was made from granite blocks that were painted white and the height of the tower makes Seguin Light the tallest lighthouse in Maine at 53 feet. The keeper's house was built of brick.

The 1st Order Fresnal Lens was installed at that same time. This type of lens is extremely rare. Fresnal lenses are beautiful masterpieces that were developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnal. The lenses have large apertures and short focal lengths enabling them to capture more light from a light source and send it across a greater distance, up to 20 miles away. The lens has 282 individual glass prisms. Seguin Light has the only 1st Order Fresnal Lens still in use in the state.

The lighthouse is currently lit by a 1,000 watt electric bulb that is powered by a 17,000 foot underwater cable, but originally a kerosene powered incandescent oil vapor lamp lit the lens. Lighthouse keepers were needed to not only keep the lenses maintained, but to keep the oil lamps burning. The lamps burned through two gallons of oil an hour. The first keeper was Major John Polerecsky and he established gardening on the island. He was described as genial and "Frenchy." He was replaced by Jonathan Delano in 1804, who was a less then stellar keeper. The Delano family traded thirty-six dozen wicks for tin ware and so he was relieved of his position in 1825 and replaced by John Salter. Many keepers and assistant keepers would follow including three women.

In 1895, a tramway was installed to make the half mile steep climb up to the lighthouse easier. The railway was 1006 feet long. The cart on the tramway was used to bring up coal, supplies, people and furniture. It is believed that originally oxen or mules were used to pull the cart upward. Later the entire tramway was rebuilt and a mechanical engine powered the tram. Passengers were no longer carried on the line after an accident in which the cable that pulled the tram snapped and a keeper's wife was severely injured in 1949.

Family life at the lighthouse was difficult. The lighthouse was hard to reach and supply and self-sufficiency was a must. Children were schooled by a tutor who would come for about two weeks every three months. Boredom was hard to endure and would lead to a disastrous outcome for one family at the lighthouse that we will share in a bit. Wives were expected to keep the quarters spotless in case of surprise inspections. The 1950s would finally bring changes in the form of electric generators, radio and television. In 1963, families were no longer a part of Seguin Light and the lighthouse went "stag."

Sequin Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The station was automated in 1985 and decommissioned and the Friends of Seguin Island was formed to ensure the preservation of the site. The lighthouse is open in the summer and features a museum and tours. The lighthouse may not be open for business in the winter, but that does not mean that no activity is taking place at the location. Lighthouses around the world are famously haunted and Sequin Light is no exception.

Seguin Island was a treacherous place before the lighthouse was installed. The island is hard to see not only because of rough seas, but the fog that blankets the area on a regular basis is quite thick. Stories of shipwrecks near the island abound. There was the wreck of the Gondola in 1890. The Gondola was a Canadian schooner. A gale had trapped the ship and crashed it up against the rocky ledges. The crew left the ship in a small boat and despite their best efforts to reach the island, they were swept out to sea. Fortunately they were found and saved by another vessel. The Captain had stayed with the ship and witnesses watched helplessly as he clung to the hull of his destroyed ship. The Captain's body was never found. Could the Captain still be hanging around the island looking for his lost wrecked ship?

The most famous haunting at the lighthouse revolves around one of the keeper's and his wife, although no one is sure which keeper. As we mentioned earlier, life at the lighthouse could be quite boring. The keeper decided to buy his wife a piano to give her something to do. When the piano arrived, it came with only one sheet of music. The wife worked hard to learn how to play the piano and she practiced for hours with this one sheet of music. And then she practiced some more. And even more. The same melody droning on and on for hours and hours. Nothing, but that same endless melody. All Winter long. No supplies came that could have possibly included more sheets of music for different melodies. The constant banging of that music was driving the keeper insane. He couldn't take it anymore and he embraced his inner Jack from "The Shining" and took an axe to the piano, chopping it into bits. He then turned on his wife nearly decapitating her. His madness continued as he ran and threw himself off the lighthouse. The haunting tinkling of a piano has been heard over the decades. Former keepers have documented the occurrences in journals and people who visit claim to hear piano music. The keeper's apparition has been seen many times as though he were continuing to fulfill his duties as keeper at the lighthouse.

One such experience about the piano is reported at the Haunted Lights website:

"I wanted to mention to you that when I went out to Seguin Island, ME with the USCG a few summers ago, after going to two other lights, I did have an uncanny experience at Seguin Light. I should say first that I had heard nothing about any sort of ghosts, nor had I read anything at all about ghosts, and merely went along on this beautiful, sunny day with USCG while they did their repairs to the ATON. Just a few days before, a couple had moved in to be the keepers at Seguin for the season - they were from California as I recall. I was standing outside the tower at its base and casually speaking with the woman, and, as she was speaking, I heard a piano playing - a rather quick, Scott Joplin style tune - I thought perhaps it might be an unseen radio, although it did have an ethereal quality to it - almost more like a memory on the wind than music. Since she was speaking to me at the time, I did not think to question her about it, or say anything to her. We had just done a walk through the structures which are impeccably restored. When we returned to the USCG office, the Ex-O asked if his staff had told me about the ghost at Seguin which plays the piano!!....My heart literally stopped when I heard that question...There is no doubt that I had heard it. It is a true story and unforgettable - all the more so in a way, since it was a sunny, almost timeless day, so quiet yet with high winds on the top of that cliff, with the music like a memory more than a song."

Though not talked about much, it is believed that their were several suicides at the lighthouse. One of those was a keeper's daughter whose silhouette is seen walking near the cliffs on occasion. She was buried in the island near the lighthouse grounds. The spirit is seen inside the lighthouse as well. The girl has been reported by keeper's after they see her running up and down the stairs and her giggling is heard as well.

The Coast Guard has reported their own stories as well. Members have claimed that they heard and saw furniture move and that clothes would be moved as well. Ghostly sounds were heard also. When the Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse in 1985, they went in to pack items up. After they had the boxes packed, they turned in for the night, but not for long. The Warrant Officer claims that he was awakened in the night by a male apparition that was shaking his bed violently. When the ghost saw that he was awake, he demanded that the men leave his home alone and leave the furniture. The Warrant Officer must have thought that he had only been dreaming or he decided not to listen to the demands of a dead man because the next morning the furniture was packed onto a boat and sent to the mainland. Only the boat never arrived. It sank before it could reach its destination. Did the angry ghost get his revenge?

Connie Small was the wife of a Head Keeper at the lighthouse from 1926 to 1930. In an interview she said that they had been warned that there were several ghosts at the lighthouse. She said that she knew a woman who had lived at the lighthouse and needed to be put in an asylum after her stay. A retired lighthouse keeper was convinced that there was a presence in the engine room. He would feel it many times whenever he entered that room. And then there was the first lighthouse keeper at Seguin Light, Major John Polerecsky. He had a hard time on the island with little food and his boat had been destroyed and so he could not get back to the mainland. He was older and he died on the island. People who pass the lighthouse claim to see an older man on the island when no one is suppose to be there. The figure sometimes climbs the stairs as if he is going up to maintain the light, which is now automated and so it does not need the daily care of a keeper.

Seguin Island is abandoned most days of the year...at least by the living. Are the keepers from years past still carrying on their duties? Can the haunting melody of a piano still be heard to this day? Is Seguin light haunted? That is for you to decide!

Show notes
*For further information and a more extensive history please see: http://www.seguinisland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Seguin-200.pdf