Haunted & Paranormal

Maine has its share of industry, some current and some obsolete. Over the last century, many industrial practices have grown and flourished while others have vanished entirely. Likewise, state institutions have seen vast changes in their structures and methods of operation.

Changes to our industry and institutions have left behind artifacts of a bygone era. Many of these artifacts are demolished, replaced, or vanish further into obscurity. This book offers a visual tour of our forgotten past and practices in hopes of preserving history to prevent it from vanishing entirely. Readers will explore an abandoned jail built in 1873 (in which its first prisoner was convicted of killing two people with an axe), the North Maine Woods in search of ghost trains abandoned in the wilderness close to a century ago, and more.

Forgotten Industry and Institutions of Maine contains images, interesting facts, personal anecdotes, and the stories that make these places unique and give them their distinctive character.

Follow Zwicker, author of Haunted Portsmouth and Haunted Pubs of New England, as she expertly navigates through this storied Yankee seaport's collection of creepy graveyards, tragic shipwrecks, eerie lighthouses and more. You?ll discover such haunting yarns as the story of Lydia Carver-the ?ghost bride? who drowned just offshore on the eve of her marriage- as well as the tale of the British captain and the American commander whose ghosts square off at nighttime in a famous local cemetery, a chilling reenactment of their fatal War of 1812 naval engagement. Read Haunted Portland and discover the dark side lurking beneath Portland's picture postcard exterior.

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.

Restless spirits in seemingly tranquil summer cottages and specters watching for phantom ships from a sea captain's mansion are among the many ghostly residents of one of New England's oldest counties.

The harshly beautiful coastline of York County has a long history of storm, revolution and violence that seems to lure deceased residents from the ether. From the otherworldly mariners in the Boon Island Lighthouse to the terrifying cells of Old Gaol, America's oldest prison, an abundance of mysteries reflects the region's turbulent past. Join Roxie J. Zwicker, haunted history author and owner of New England Curiosities tours, as she delves into the chilling secrets and ghostly lore of York County.

Whispers and shadows from the past linger in and around Damariscotta. Mary Howe might have been buried alive in a mystic trance in the late 1800s. Displeased with such a claustrophobic and premature end, her spirit is said to haunt the cemetery to this day. Did the ghost of pirate Johnny Orr reveal a fortune in gold? Does the Lady of Ladd's Hill move objects and bump around in the night? When things go missing in Sheepscot Village, there may be a little ghost named Abernathy to blame. Spectral apparitions also abide in nearby Newcastle, and the towns of Lincoln County have an abundance of supernatural occurrences. Investigative reporter Greg Latimer uncovers the history behind these seemingly unexplainable stories.

Bowdoin College boasts two centuries in higher education, and that rich history is laden with curious tales and ghostly happenings. Eerie legends about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Joshua Chamberlain and other distinguished graduates are still whispered in the halls of their alma mater. A dungeon complete with skulls and skeletons hidden beneath Appleton Hall plays to society's darkest fears about secret college societies. The many untimely deaths at Hubbard Hall lend credence to its haunted reputation. Misfortunes of Coleman Hall residents might have a connection with the building's site atop the remnants of the long-closed Medical School of Maine. Author David Francis reveals Bowdoin's spooky and maybe even ghostly history.