Haunted America: The Ghosts of Bath, Wiscasset, Boothbay Harbor, Camden & Damariscotta, Maine

The state of Maine is undeniably blessed with a deep history filled with mystery, intrigue and ghostly sightings, and the five midcoast Maine towns of Bath, Wiscasset, Boothbay Harbor, Camden, and Damariscotta are no exception to this written rule. In fact a lack of explanation seems to occur more so than not when memory keepers decide to photograph historic sites that have a background for housing orbs, manifestations, apparitions, unexplained streaks of light, and strange mists that tend to show up during photo sessions.

The naked eye has been known to capture these ghostly images as well, and there are plenty of them to see if you are looking for them. This firmly places the midcoast region of Maine as one of the top hot spots for amateur ghost hunters, paranormal investigators and anyone else that enjoys a visit from active spirits who for whatever reason have decided that they prefer to walk amongst functioning humans versus remaining dormant, while residing somewhere deep within the other side in dark cramped quarters that lacks fresh air, sunshine, and life as we know it.

Everyone from paranormal researchers to amateur ghost hunters and historians have studied the towns of Bath, Wiscasset, Boothbay Harbor, Camden, and Damariscotta extensively due to many historic buildings that remain host to a wide range of active spirits and anomalies. The documented and photographed sightings are in the thousands, and people from all over the world flock to the area to participate in local ghost tours, both guided and unguided. The guided ghost tours offer visitors the added benefit of learning about the deep rooted history that the area has to offer, as well as a chance to socialize with other ghost hunters.

A favorite local guided tour that offers ghost hunters the best of all worlds is the Haunted History Tours. They offer first class tours from July through October of the midcoast Maine towns that have been reported as haunted. October is the favorite month for spirit hounds and thrill seekers to investigate apparitions, orbs and ghosts that seemingly want to come out and gravitate towards the living. This is also the favored time of year for manifestation hunters wishing to communicate with those who have passed on, but who may be unaware that they are currently deceased.

The walking tour is led by the infamous Red Cloaked Lady, who sports period clothing from the late 1800's. She will lead you through a series of known hot spots located on the back streets of Maine's midcoast towns that are not only haunted, but will chill you to the bone with their eerie past that spell out the horrifying and unnerving tales that explain the reasons that the ghosts refuse to rest. For more details go to www.redcloakhauntedhistorytours.com

Bath, Maine

Bath is nestled along the Kennebec River, and is comprised of many architectural gems, stately historical homes, maritime culture, secret gardens, sparkling beaches and bays, lush rolling farm land, islands and peninsulas. It is also the home to many a spirited soul, both alive and deceased. Bath is certainly no stranger to paranormal phenomenon, and these old ghosts are actively seeking to remain in the many private historical homes and businesses where they once resided in life. Many of these ghosts are at haunted locations that are included on the popular ghost tours, and according to local folklore and documents dating back several hundred years; these ghosts aren't going away any time soon as has been proven to exist by both electronic evidence and the human eye.

Paranormal activity has been captured on film in many areas of Bath. Faces of the deceased found in the Ecto-mist have been witnessed during tours scheduled on evenings when the moon is fresh and new. Everything from strange lights and shadowed figures to orbs and apparitions have been filmed and documented by the investigators conducting the Haunted History Tours. The Maine Ghost Hunters Society readily armed themselves in preparation with digital cameras, sound recorders, an EMF device, and their expertise in detecting ghosts and paranormal activity. The results were miraculous as the city of Bath delivered a live ghost fest of orbs and apparitions that flowed freely while EVP sound devices picked up voices from beyond the grave that thrilled ghost hunters and gave proof that the dead live amongst the living more freely than any of us fully realize.

Wiscasset, Maine

What do shadow people and Water Street have in common? You will find both of them in Wiscasset. According to local folklore these malicious spirits will cause havoc and torment your very being. They are typically caught out of the corner of your eye, and disappear before you can digest their full bodied image of their dark and evil Selves'. You will typically find them roaming around the darkest parts of Water Street late at night during the full moon.

Another popular spot that draws in the spirit world is High Street. Several businesses report paranormal activity occurring on a regular basis, and the Smith House, built in 1852, tops the list with the active spirit of an elderly lady who enjoys rocking her time away while sitting by the window. It is believed that the female ghost is a direct descendant of Governor Samuel Smith. Happy ghost children can also be heard laughing in the attic.

The ghosts of Wiscasset appear to be fixated with several businesses on High Street for some odd reason. The local restaurant, built in 1800 as a home, reports that the resident ghost loves to pat diners and staff on the back, and pull silly antics on the staff by moving dishes and chairs to unlocking doors and turning dishes upside down. Neighboring businesses report a male apparition that simply refuses to leave the area. Paranormal investigators have captured several entities on film in this highly active area, and it is documented as extremely haunted, and a must see for ghost hunters.

Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Constructed in 1894, the Boothbay Opera House was once the original headquarters for the Order of Knights of Pythias; a non-sectarian fraternal order in line with the more prominent Freemasons. Because of the strong nature of the members of this secret society, it is thought that the second floor of the opera house is haunted; due largely to the fact that this was their regular meeting place. The historical building is also host to every imaginable act under the sun, including the super natural. The active spirits of the opera house roam around freely, and the most dominant ghost is thought to be none other then musician Earl Cliff. He was once a regular of the theater during the early 1900's, and his presence is still heavily felt today.

The instruments at the opera house appear to have a mind of their own, especially the piano which plays by itself at odd times throughout the day and night. Witnesses have watched in horror as the ghost piano player skillfully manipulates the ivories. In fact one rendition took place at a celebration in front of hundreds of startled guests. No reasonable explanation can be found other then the opera house is plain and simply haunted from the rafters, right down to the strong foundation that has kept it standing for over a century. In 2008 the Boothbay Opera House was added to the National Registry of Historic Places, and whether you enjoy ghosts or not this beautiful lady is worthy of a visit due to her entertainment value, arts and cultural activities that she offers to her guests.

Location: 86 Townsend Avenue, Boothbay Harbor, Maine Phone: 207-633-6855

Camden, Maine

Paranormal investigators have researched the ghostly sighting of 12 year old Eleanor French, the girl that fell to her death in May of 1864. Local folklore handed down from historian's states that a local church group climbed to the top of Maiden's Cliff. Upon reaching the top of the cliff the winds grew so strong that it swept the 12 year old girls crepe bonnet off of her head. She immediately started running after her pretty pink bonnet and without warning, accidently plummeted 300 feet onto a pile of rocks when she fell off of the edge of the cliff.

Eleanor passed away later that evening in her home from internal damages. A white cross marks the location of the young girl's fateful plunge, and a white mist is often found hovering over the immediate area. Many sensitive's, paranormal investigators and historians claim that they heard a faint scream while visiting the haunted and spine tingling site that took Eleanor's life way before her time.

Location: Camden Hills State Park, Camden, Maine

Damariscotta, Maine

Located just 18 miles from Bath, Maine is the village Damariscotta. The people of this small village are hard working seafarers that keep their community immaculate and quaint. However as the night time settles in, the village becomes anything but quaint unless you consider orbs, ghosts, spirits and apparitions charming. Tour groups, paranormal investigators and visitors to the area are never disappointed when it comes to strange sightings in this small community.

The Maine Ghost Hunters Society uses various techniques that include sound, images and electromagnetic field detectors that generally never fail to pick up activity in the village. Perhaps these eerie events are due to the vanishing crew of the Ellen Austin ghost ship. The three massed schooner ship was 210-feet in length and weighing in at 1812-tons, and built of white oak at Damariscotta, Maine, in 1854 for the wealthy Tucker family of Wiscasset, Maine. Local folklore and naval records states that a severe storm eventually took the Ellen Austin and her crew to a watery grave after many strange events occurred on the ship. Everything from the ship being wrecked in 1883 to more then one missing crew have been investigated, but the biggest mystery that remains is that of the missing ship logs, lack of communication from crew members, desertion, and eventually the ships demise.

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