From haunted roads to spooky bed and breakfasts to opera houses with unexplained sounds, Maine has a fair few ghostly places. But, did you know that there's an entire town in Vacationland that can be considered the most haunted of them all? If you just can't keep track of each individual paranormal location in the state, head to Bucksport where you'll find some pretty insane paranormal activity in one town. Here are some of the most notable reasons and places to visit if you're hungry for a scare:
1. The infamous Buck's Tomb.
How could we start this list of reason why Bucksport is the most haunted town in Maine without first referencing the famous tombstone of Colonel Jonathan Buck. The founder of Bucksport, fell in love with a woman who later gave birth to his son. Upon learning of this, he forced her to leave. She soon returned to Colonel Buck requesting assistance in caring for his son, which he refused. To ensure she would not bother him again, he pronounced her a witch and had her burned. During the fire, her leg was fetched by her son who ran away to bury it on his own as a memorial to his mother. After Colonel Buck's death, his own tomb showed signs of a stain in the form of a leg. Despite attempts to remove it (including changing the stone for a new one) the leg image remained. It is still there today.
2. The Cemetery for the Lost Red Paint People.
The Red Paint People were in Maine long before anyone else. While not much is known about this tribe of native people, we do know that they buried their dead in the land with red ocre. There are burial spots all over the town of Bucksport, but one well-known area is the current cemetery off of McDonald Street. There are even traces of the Red Paint People in the older homes where areas are painted red with ocre just like the Red Paint People. Bucksport is full of areas where the burial grounds have been disturbed to create a place for Mainers to live.
3. The Robinson House, AKA Jed Prouty's Senior Center
Jed Prout's is currently a senior home, but was built all the back in the 1780s. While you'd never guess it, the home has been used as a tavern and inn with plenty or questionable stories. When Maine was a dry state, the house is said to have been used for smuggling, hookers and other nefarious criminal activity. It sat abandoned for about two years and during this time it was investigated by ghost hunters. You guess it: they found it to be very, very haunted!
4. The former Maine Seaboard Paper Company Mill.
In 1930, The Maine Seaboard Paper Company opened in Bucksport. It was also the site of a large archeological dig that revealed the site to be another burial ground for the Red Paint People. Is the disturbance of this burial site the reason the mill has faced a number of unfortunate accidents? From fires to bad business, this place might actually have some serious bad luck.
5. The disappearance of Sarah Ware.
Sarah Ware was a well-known resident who went missing one night in 1898. Her body was later found headless. Her skull was found elsewhere. There are several theories about her disappearance and a few people were tried, but the real story has never been known. She's now buried in her family's plot at Oak Hill Cemetery. Today, the stories revolve around what's exactly IN the cemetery. Her body? Her head? Hard to say.
6. Ghostly Silver Lake.
While beautiful, Silver Lake is actually a man-made body of water created in support of the Bucksport mill. But, before the lake could be created graves needed to moved. Today, if you're at the lake you'll see the tombstones up on the hill. However, there's speculation that the speed of the work meant that some steps were overlooked - including the actual removal of the BODIES along with those stones. Today, there may just be bodies at the bottom of the lake. It's also quite near where Sarah Ware's body was found and some have reported seeing her ghost in the area.
7. The murder of the Trim Family.
Back in 1876 Robert Trim lived in town with his daughter and granddaughter. One night in October, neighbors found the Trim family barn on fire. Inside were the remains of Robert ad his daughter. His granddaughter was never found. A local, Captain Smith, was charged with the murders. Today, you can drive down their street - Bucksmills Road - and never guess that anything this horrible happened.
8. The historic Penobscot River
The Penobscot River is the site of a fair few battles in Maine. One of the most notable was The Penobscot expedition, near Castine. It resulted in the largest loss of lives in the US Navy until the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Closer to town, the Battle of Hampden took place just above Bucksport. The river is also notable for its use in the Maine lumber industry, which also resulted in deaths along its banks.
9. And, its proximity to Prospect, home to haunted Fort Knox.
Without the presence of Fort Knox, some might drive right past Prospect. But, it's the fort itself that gives the town its haunted appeal. Visitors have reported seeing, hearing, and even feeling ghostly presences when they explore the fort’s cavernous inner-workings. The fort has been featured on the paranormal investigation show Ghost Hunters, as well as this independent documentary by a team of ghostbusters. The fort was never used in battle during the Revolutionary War, so no notable deaths have taken place there. But plenty of soldiers still manned it when it was operational. Some of them may simply be going back to work.
If you love Maine ghosts stories, check out the most haunted street in the state by clicking here.
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