Seguin Island Lighthouse
The Piano Player
Ah, Seguin Light...home of Maine's only First Order Fresnel lens, home of the highest light above sea level in Maine, and home of one of the more gruesome tales of haunting in the state. Seguin Light sits on an island 10 miles from Boothbay Harbor. Although it's fairly close to the mainland (3 miles to the nearest shore), in the winter it would get very isolated. One keeper, newly married, brought his young wife out with him to tend the light. Becoming very bored, the wife complained about not having anything to do. Thinking it would occupy her, and keep her mind off the boredom, the keeper ordered a piano to be brought to the island before the next winter set in. Winching it up the side of the rocky ledge that is Seguin, he proudly presented it to her. The wife was delighted, but could not play without sheet music. Fortunately, one song had come with the piano, so she set to playing it. By this time, the island was icebound, no other deliveries could come in. She played her piano, though. The same song, over and over and over again, driving her husband insane. Even when he had had new sheet music brought out to the island, she kept playing the original tune. Finally he'd had enough, took an axe and chopped the piano to bits. When she complained, he turned to her and chopped her up with the axe, nearly decapitating her. Then he killed himself. It's said, on a quiet night, you can hear the tinkling of the piano floating up the Kennebec River. The keeper has also been seen, still tending to his duties.
From a recent email:
"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 at the keepers house 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."
Ram Island Lighthouse
A Lifesaving Spirit
Ram Island, located near the entrance to Boothbay Harbor, Maine has a long history of being a warning to mariners even before a lighthouse was finally constructed there in 1883. It is home to Maine's most protective ghost. It was traditional for fishermen from the early 1700s to put a light on the island to warn mariners of the rocks. This practice changed slightly when a fisherman began to hang a light on his dory, and the last one coming in through Fisherman's Passage would light the light. Unfortunately, these lights weren't bright enough to warn ships. Hence a woman in white waving a lighted torch over her head appears to warn sailors of the dangers. She has been seen even in recent years, manifesting just in time to prevent tragedies, such as the one mentioned by this boat owner: "Seeing her, I spun my wheel just in time to avoid being dashed on the rocks." A fisherman: "There was a flash of lightning, and there, standing on the reef at Ram Island, waving her hands in warning was this lady all in white, as if full of electricity. If it weren't for her I would have struck the ledge." Another fisherman: "I was in danger of running into the rocks when I saw a burning boat near shore, about to smash on the rocks and in the boat was this woman, warning me away. I quickly changed direction. The next day I saw no trace of the burning boat or the mysterious woman."
Hendrick's Head Lighthouse
A Surprise Gift
The ghost of a beautiful young woman dressed in white walks the shores of the beach near Hendrick's Head Lighthouse, Southport, Maine. Is she the ghost of a woman who was found drowned there one morning, or is it the mother of a shipwrecked baby? In 1871, a vessel went aground on the ledge about a half mile off shore during a March gale. The keeper had no way of getting out there, so he watched helplessly as the ship went under. Some of the debris washed ashore, and the keeper and his wife went to pick through it. The keeper spotted what looked like two feather mattresses bound together with rope. He called his wife over, and they hauled it in. Untying the rope, they found a wooden box wedged inside, which was making strange noises. Opening it, they found an infant girl. Apparently the mother had done the best she could to save the baby, and succeeded. The keeper and his wife rushed her to the house where they dried her, warmed her and fed her, and kept her as their own. But the real mother, filled with grief and longing, may be the ghost who walks the beach.
Owl's Head Lighthouse
The Brass Polisher
Owl's Head, near Rockland, Maine, has two ghosts, one a former keeper who keeps the brass polished, and the other known as the "Little Lady," who is often seen in the kitchen. Doors have slammed shut unexpectedly, silverware gets rattled, but mostly the Little Lady gives a feeling of peace when she has been encountered. But she's not the only one. The unknown keeper has been encountered by other, later keepers, who have usually seen him out of the corner of the eye. His footprints have been seen outside in the snow. In fact, a 3 year old girl once woke up her parents and told them they needed to get up because it was going to get foggy, and they needed to ring the fog bell. When questioned on how she knew, she revealed she had an "imaginary friend," whose picture was suspiciously resembled an old sea captain. The lighthouse keeper's house is currently used as quarters for the local (Rockland) Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer, and this specter keeps lowering the thermostat. Obviously frugality passes on into the afterlife. He also is noted for polishing the brass in the light tower. Brasswork was the bane of lightkeepers, as the Lighthouse Board required it to be polished daily, so it's very possible this is one very welcome ghost.
See the sidebar for two stories about Owl's Head Lighthouse.
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