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    Ghosts of the Boothbay Region
    Ghosts of the Boothbay Region
    Ghosts of the Boothbay Region
    Ebook177 pages2 hours

    Ghosts of the Boothbay Region

    By Greg Latimer

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    About this ebook

    The pine-forested rocky coast from Boothbay to Southport hides dark mysteries and eerie haunts. Meet the ghosts of Mainers past who just could not leave this picturesque shore life, even in death. The soul of a lighthouse keeper's wife seems to linger on Burnt Island. The spirits of the Opera House remain hidden behind the curtain but come out to play when the living are away. One local might even have returned from the grave to greet his neighbors on a brisk spring afternoon. Investigative reporter Greg Latimer takes a journey to the Boothbay region's haunted side, where the ethereal residents are unrestrained by mortal bonds.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe History Press
    Release dateAug 3, 2015
    ISBN9781625854971
    Ghosts of the Boothbay Region
    Author

    Greg Latimer

    Greg Latimer began his news reporting career at sixteen. He has worked as a reporter, photographer, investigative reporter and police evidence photographer. Latimer presently resides in Maine, working for the Lincoln County News and as research director for MysteriousDestinationsMagazine.com. In 2001 he was recognized by the New England Press Association with an award for investigative reporting. He is the author of Haunted Damariscotta, published by The History Press in 2014.

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      Book preview

      Ghosts of the Boothbay Region - Greg Latimer

      forward.

      INTRODUCTION

      With its collection of hidden coves, dark woods and windswept islands, the Boothbay area of Maine is home to many haunts.

      These spirits can be as benign as a ghostly piano player still plying his trade, as frightening as an angry murder victim who confronts visitors to his home or as mystifying as a full-bodied apparition that paused during an afternoon walk to pass the time of day with neighbors.

      Boothbay Harbor image showing commercial fisheries on the wharves. Photograph by George French, courtesy of Maine State Archives.

      Modern-day Boothbay Harbor still retains its colorful past along a picturesque waterfront. Photograph by Steve Edwards.

      The homes to these hauntings include scenic lighthouses, historic buildings and lonely beaches, all of which provide the elements to weave a rich tapestry of mystery, intrigue and historical fact.

      After examining many such stories, I have selected the best for your reading pleasure. In each of these, the credibility of the tale was established through careful research and, in many cases, personal interviews.

      Readers may have a difference of opinion with the folks interviewed, but the people who told their stories did so with the absolute belief that they were relating the truth as they know it.

      So if it’s a beautiful Boothbay summer day, pull up a chair on the porch. Or if it’s less than pleasant outside, choose a seat near the fireplace and read on—if you dare—about the ghosts of the Boothbay region.

      1

      A GHOSTLY VISIT

      Ghostly encounters are usually associated with dark, stormy nights; creepy cemeteries; and dilapidated Victorian mansions. But experience has shown that paranormal existence operates on its own terms, unfettered by the expectations of mere mortals. Such was the case on a sunny spring afternoon in the Boothbay region when a man and woman who are seasonal residents took a break from opening their home for the summer to enjoy a walk down their road.

      These coastal Maine neighborhoods are often quiet places in the early spring. Towns turn off water service to these homes before the freezing Maine winter settles in and then restore service when the spring thaw arrives. Many of the seasonal residents wait until well after Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer in Maine, to travel from their winter enclaves and undertake the chores that go with reestablishing their vacation homes.

      This couple had arrived early in the season, during the sometimes still frosty month of April. As they strolled down the familiar narrow road that passed their home, other buildings were still lifeless. Driveways were empty and windows still shuttered. Front lawns and gardens revealed themselves as ugly patches of mud combined with the dead stems of final blooms from last season that emerged from under the remaining snowfall. Instead of the sound of children romping in the fields or splashing about on the beach, there was only the whisper of a freshening ocean breeze wafting through the still, leafless trees and the twittering of newly returned songbirds as they readied their nests.

      Rambling down the lane, the couple enjoyed the early season respite, the quiet before the coming storm, when the single-lane road and surrounding vacation homes would be bustling with activity.

      Which is why they were somewhat surprised to see a seasonal neighbor strolling up the road with his dog. The neighbor, an older gentleman who wintered in Florida, was a longtime summer resident of the area. The couple knew him well and, over the years, had developed an amicable relationship with him and his wife.

      The couple greeted the neighbor warmly and fell into conversation about the upcoming summer, the condition of their homes, news about the area and what had transpired during the past winter.

      It was at this point that the neighbor noted sadly that he had experienced some health issues during the winter in Florida and that this might be the last season he would be physically capable of traveling to Maine and enjoying the summer from the sunny porch of his beloved vacation house.

      The couple acknowledged this with sadness but were pleased to notice that the neighbor seemed to be in good health at the moment. They never discussed in detail what malady the neighbor had suffered during the Florida winter, but whatever it had been, it didn’t seem to be bothering him now.

      The couple parted ways with the neighbor to continue their walk but not before wishing him well and inviting him to drop by anytime during the upcoming vacation season.

      A few months later, in June, the couple was on another afternoon walk. Within that short amount of time, the neighborhood had come to life. Wildflowers were in bloom, lawns had started to green over and there were signs of activity at many of the homes.

      On this walk, the couple encountered the wife of the neighbor with whom they had spoken in April while he was walking his dog. While she was happy to see them, she also seemed somewhat subdued. They exchanged greetings and went on with conversation about the neighborhood and the coming summer months.

      At some point, the woman mentioned that she had lost her husband. Assuming that the man’s death had been fairly recent, the couple mentioned to the woman that they had enjoyed a wonderful discussion with her husband during the past April on the very same road.

      Suddenly, there was an uncomfortable pause in the conversation as the neighbor’s wife eyed the couple curiously.

      You saw my husband here? the wife asked. In April? The couple replied affirmatively.

      The woman was quiet for a moment and then replied, You must have been mistaken. He died in March, in Florida. Stricken with sudden disbelief, disconcerted that they had forced such a sad subject into an enjoyable conversation and bewildered by the circumstances, the couple chose not to pursue the issue any further. They continued the conversation, covering other subjects, until they felt it was appropriate to wish the woman well and part ways.

      The conversation on the walk back to their house centered on the encounter they had experienced months earlier. Was the man with whom they visited actually their neighbor? How was that possible? Neither of them believed in ghosts, but now they were beginning to wonder if they had actually engaged such an entity in neighborly conversation.

      First they wanted to confirm—for their own peace of mind—that the neighbor had, in fact, died during the time period specified by his wife. They turned to the Internet and soon located a website for the newspaper that covered the town where the neighbor had his winter residence.

      Driven by a surge of curiosity, they turned to the obituaries section and pored over the names of the recently deceased. It wasn’t long before they found the neighbor’s name, which led them to an obituary, complete with photograph. For a moment they stared at the image, confirming in their own minds that this was the man they had seen walking down their road. By the time they had closed the website, they were sure.

      The man with whom they had spoken not only looked exactly like their neighbor but also had acknowledged as much during various points of their conversation. But there was nothing ghostly about him. While they hadn’t had any physical contact (the neighbor wasn’t the type to shake hands or share hugs), he had appeared whole and hearty. There had been no strangeness about him, nothing to indicate that he was anything but what he appeared to be. Indeed, they had enjoyed an intelligent conversation with him on a face-to-face basis.

      I would have thought I’d made some error or that I had dreamed it except my wife was there, too, the man later said.

      They both took a moment to consider these circumstances and wonder about how something so real could be so unreal. They came to the conclusion that it was physically impossible that they had actually seen their neighbor in the flesh, but they were certain they had seen something and had even enjoyed a friendly chat with it.

      All that being settled, they took a moment to pause, and then suddenly, the same thought came to both of them: What about the dog? Where did that come from?

      They both knew that the neighbor enjoyed a particular breed of dog and that he had owned many of these over the years. Could a pet that had previously passed on have returned for a walk with its master? It was another element to the mystery.

      Later, they asked their minister about the incident, but he could offer no explanation. In a happenstance meeting with a Catholic priest, they were told they had seen an apparition, but there were few other details.

      Father Dwight Longenecker serves as the parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Greenville, South Carolina. (He is not the priest, mentioned earlier, with whom the couple spoke.) He is also a prolific writer who covers religious issues and is the author of five books. He writes a popular blog on patheos.com, Standing on My Head, that deals with a kaleidoscope of subjects regarding religion, including ghosts.

      According to Longenecker, Belief in ghosts seems to have been universal across human cultures from the beginning of recorded history, and it’s based at least in part on countless reports that the living have in fact encountered them.

      Longenecker notes that according to Webster’s [dictionary], the word ‘ghost’ means ‘the soul of a dead person, a disembodied spirit.’ That seems to fit best the popular use of the term, so we’ll accept it as a working definition. We should keep in mind, then, that in the present discussion, ‘ghost’ does not refer to an angel or demon, a poltergeist or even an extraterrestrial. Rather, it’s that part of a human being which is not corporeal (bodily), and which has been separated from the body through death.

      Longenecker cited an example of a ghostly appearance that has come down through the ages:

      One well-authenticated story comes from St. John Bosco (1815–1888). As a seminarian, St. John once recalled, he had agreed with a fellow student named Comollo that whichever of the two died first was to give the other some indication concerning the state of his own soul. Comollo died April 2, 1839, and on the night after the funeral, the indication came.

      Along with twenty other theology students gathered in the same room, John suddenly heard a mighty and sustained roar that

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