Whether you actually believe in ghosts or not, October is the time of year where it’s fun to get a little freaked out by the paranormal. Maine is full of creepy buildings, spooky forests and old cemeteries that seem haunted, whether by real people who actually existed, or by characters in scary bits of folklore, passed down from generation to generation.
Here are seven places in Maine that some people claim are haunted, and which you can visit — or even make a whole day out of for a proper Halloween season adventure.
Black’s Woods Road, Franklin and Cherryfield
Locals have long passed down stories about the ghostly woman that walks along the side of Black’s Woods Road, aka Route 182, between Franklin and Cherryfield. The state route, which lies partly in Hancock County and partly in Washington County, winds through dense forest and hilly terrain. Some say it’s home to the restless spirit of a woman named Catherine, for whom a nearby hill was named, and who died in an accident at some point in the past two centuries. If you see a woman in white walking the road, don’t stop for her. If you do, you might regret it.
To do: The trailhead for Tunk Mountain is located on Route 182, offering views of babbling brooks, glacial boulders and the sweeping countryside from its 1,157 foot summit. Afterwards, The Paisley Loon, a charming coffee shop and breakfast and lunch cafe located in a historic Victorian house in Cherryfield, will hit the spot.
It’s perhaps the most famous ghost story in all of eastern Maine. Supposedly, sometime in the middle of the 18th century, Bucksport town founder Johnathan Buck sentenced a woman to hang for witchcraft, with the woman cursing Buck on the gallows, saying she’d chase him through the afterlife. After Buck himself died in 1795, the outline of a foot — a witch’s foot, some say — appeared on his grave. Nevermind that witch burnings had ceased a century prior to Buck’s death, and that Buck wasn’t even a judge to begin with. The story has stuck around, and would you want to hang out in that cemetery after dark? No, we didn’t think so.
To do: Despite having never seen combat during its nearly 200 years standing, nearby Fort Knox State Historic Site in Prospect has its own ghostly legends. And Bucksport hosts a yearly Halloween festival, Ghostport, this year set for Oct. 19.
There’s a reason Maine country singer Dick Curless wrote a song about Route 2A in Aroostook County. For truckers hauling goods to and from the County during foggy or icy weather, the hairpin turn in the town of Haynesville could be a death sentence — “A Tombstone Every Mile,” as Curless put it. Though records for the Maine Department of Transportation don’t exactly prove that stretch of Route 2A was actually that deadly, locals report having seen ghostly apparitions on the side of the road. At the very least, it’s creepy.
To do: Keep driving north on Route 2A (if you dare) and head into Houlton, where you can enjoy a meal from the eclectic menu at The Vault, have an ice cream at the legendary Houlton Dairy Bar, or wander around the city’s beautiful Riverfront Park.
Some say this historic movie theater in Skowhegan is the most haunted place in Maine. Employees there say they’ve seen a mysterious woman appear out of the corner of their eyes, only to vanish when they turn to look. Papers and pens fly across rooms. Electrical items short out with no explanation. Several unconfirmed deaths in the building over the decades have only added to the mystery. The theater has even caught the attention of national TV shows and paranormal investigators. You can visit it and see for yourself.
To do: See a movie at Spotlight Cinemas at the Strand. The Bankery, also in Skowhegan, makes scary good pastries and other treats. You could also drive a few miles out of town and visit the South Solon Meeting House, the interior of which is covered in eye-popping frescoes painted by artists from the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.
Some ghosts are angry and vengeful. Others, sad and lonely. But the ghost of the Goose River Bridge in Rockport is, by all accounts, a jolly fellow indeed. The story goes that when the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, a Rockport man partied a little bit too hard and wandered off from his friends. As he ambled across the bridge with his pitcher of ale, he came across some Royalist soldiers, with whom he got into a fight and ended up dead. More than 240 years later, it’s still said that the “Pitcher Man” can be seen on the Goose River bridge at night, offering passersby a pour from his vessel.
To do: Between Rockport and its neighbors Camden and Rockland, there’s a wealth of things to do, from dining and shopping to museums and hiking.
Winter Street Church, Bath
Today it’s used as a gathering and events center. Just more than a century ago, however, this historic coastal church became an auxiliary hospital for hundreds of residents of the Bath area that were sickened in the 1918 influenza epidemic. Bath was a hotspot for the epidemic in Maine, with a wartime boom at Bath Iron Works swelling its population to more than 20,000. It’s not clear exactly how many people died at the church, but some believe the scale of human misery present there left its mark, with reports of strange noises in the building, like footsteps and cries for help.
To do: The Chocolate Church Arts Center has robust arts and entertainment programming year-round. The Maine Maritime Museum will help give you context for Maine’s long history on the ocean — and they even had a ghost tour set for 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 17.
Seguin Island Lighthouse, Phippsburg
There are a number of lighthouses in Maine that people claim are haunted, but Seguin Island Lighthouse in the town of Phippsburg may take the spooky cake. The Friends of Seguin Island say there are a number of potential ghosts at the 1857 lighthouse, from a cranky former keeper who hates it when people move furniture around, to the wife of another former keeper who drives people mad with her incessant piano playing.
To do: The lighthouse itself is only accessible by boat, so use your own, make a friend or hire a charter. Nearby Popham Beach State Park is one of the best beaches in Maine and is beautiful year-round.
