WALDO COUNTY, MAINE, USA - Certain places just look like they might be haunted. Or perhaps more appropriately, like they should be haunted. Such is the case with The McGilvery House, the former residence of an illustrious sea captain, now a bed and breakfast inn.

Located in the tiny village of Searsport, Maine, the McGilvery House could have easily substituted for any number of dwellings that were birthed in my childhood imagination -- an imagination fueled by the reading of every ghost story I managed to get my grubby little hands on. Yes, this magnificent three story Victorian mansion that I was going to call home for five glorious days in Maine, could have played the part in any of those childhood dreams and nightmares.

Innkeeper Sue Omness says the house, which was built in 1860, always maintained the reputation of being haunted. It's the kind of place local children would cross the street in order to avoid. Omness says that through the years locals would claim they saw the image of a man, gruesomely hanging, in the large upper picture window which gazes out toward the sea. What makes the tale even spookier is the fact that former owner Capt. William McGilvery did take his own life on the property. The motive for the successful sea captain's suicide remains a mystery to this day.

The one problem with the myth, however, is that McGilvery didn't hang himself. He was discovered, shot by his own hand, in a back barn nowhere near the window in question.

Omness says it's all just legend. She has never experienced anything "ghostly" in the house. Nonetheless, by sheer virtue of its age and architecture, the beautiful and elegant McGilvery house remains a spooky place. Call it "Ghost Lite" for anyone not quite ready to stay in a "real" haunted house.

The Hichborn Inn

While the legends surrounding the McGilvery House seem based in fancy, those at the nearby Hitchborn Inn have more backing. The Italianate Victorian, originally built for shipbuilder Nathan Griffin Hichborn and later inhabited by Captain K. Waldmer Dahl, has more eyewitness accounts than a convention of UFO abductees.

Owners Bruce and Nancy Suppes first became aware of the inn's "other inhabitants" shortly after taking residence. The house had lots of unexplained creaks and noises, as most older homes do, and like many other "haunted" locations, phantom smells have been known to inexplicably waft through the air, particularly cooking aromas from the kitchen, as well as an old fashioned floral perfume.

The family has been comfortable with their housemates since the early days, when it became apparent the ghosts had the Suppes' best interests at heart. Bruce said their first real clue happened shortly after they moved in and before he had done any of the extensive restoration work that turned the inn into the exquisite showplace it is today. The family, in the process of leaving for a day's outing, was stopped in their tracks by a deafening crash emanating from the dining room. Upon investigation they found a mirror, which had previously been lying on the ironing board, on the floor on the opposite side of the room. When Bruce bent to retrieve the mirror he noticed the iron still plugged in and on. He feels that the home's former owners were telling him to be careful. Before the old house was re-wired, a fire would have been a possible result, had his "housemates" not intervened.

One winter evening shortly after, the family settled into the parlor for the evening. Nancy told of a red helium balloon that belonged to her daughter Morgan, hovering just below the ceiling. As she watched, the balloon "shot" from one side of the room to the other. When a startled Nancy pointed it out to her husband and daughter, it shot across the room again, and was then gently lowered by an unseen hand until it cleared the doorway. The balloon's journey terminated in the next room where it was found gently floating above the piano.

The piano seems to be a popular meeting place for all generations of the Hichborn Inn's inhabitants. Mary Hichborn played the piano, as do members of the Suppes household. Nancy says they have even heard singing when no one else was in the house, especially when the piano is played. While the Suppes family have, on rare occasions, have heard a stray note or two emanate from the home's second piano (in the front hallway), a neighbor apparently heard a ghostly recital.

Nancy explained that their friend is a scientist, a logical and skeptical person. One afternoon their neighbor returned a borrowed item by leaving it on the porch. She phoned Nancy later to explain she had dropped the item off because she hadn't wanted to disturb the beautiful piano playing. Nancy told her that no one had been at home that entire afternoon. Nonetheless, the neighbor insisted she heard music playing. She even identified the music's composer as Bela Bartok, who was coincidentally, popular during the period when Mary Hichborn was in residence.

Although the Suppes haven't seen him themselves, Captain Dahl has even made several appearances. Over the years, several guests have reported seeing a man standing in the upstairs window looking out to sea. Nancy has an old book with a photo of the captain and when she shows it to the guests, they invariably say, "That's him!"

The captain has, on a few occasions, walked right through one of the guest rooms on the way to his lookout!

One couple even caught something odd in their vacation photos. The husband was photographing his wife standing in the upstairs hallway of the inn, and he shot off two pictures in quick succession. In the first photo there is a small area blurred or out of focus area, while the rest is crisp. It is also of note that in this first photo, the front door of the inn is tightly closed. In the second photo, however, the door is clearly ajar, although no one was there (the second photo was shot mere seconds after the first). The blurred area also has a slight haze over it.

These are but of few of many ghost stories surrounding the Hichborn Inn. You'll have to schedule a visit to hear more, although you may or may not experience any ghostly activity yourself. Bruce and Nancy say that the more they have restored the house, the quieter the ghosts have become. "We feel they must be happy that we're taking such good care of the place", says Bruce.

The ghosts have good reason to be happy. The Hichborn Inn has been restored to its former elegance and its proprietors obviously love and take pride in their property. Even if you have no interest in ghosts, the Hichborn Inn still has a lot to offer, not the least of which is their first class gourmet breakfast. Hmmmm, I wonder if ghosts can smell apple crepes cooking?

Brass Lantern Inn

Another former sea captain's home turned bed and breakfast is the Brass Lantern Inn. Several guests have reported seeing the ghost of a man, presumably former owner Captain Pendleton, walking with a little girl. There is, in fact, an historical photo which pictures the Captain with his young granddaughter.

Owners Maggie and Dick Zieg, however, remain skeptical as they have had no personal experiences with the ghost.

The Watchtide

Nancy-Linn Nellis of the Watchtide B&B didn't have a clue when she purchased the 18th Century Inn, that the amenities included ghosts.

Originally built in 1795, the building became well known in the early 20th century as the College Club Inn, hosting presidential wives, including Eleanor Roosevelt, who made frequent visits.

Shortly after she moved in, a dear friend of Nancy's came to visit. "I walked out of my dressing room one morning and spied her in the dining room looking at the Winslow Homer painting we had just hung," she says. "I said hello to her and we exchanged some pleasantries - all the while she kept looking at the painting while I stood in the dressing room door.

"About 1/2 hour later Jane arrived in the kitchen and my husband asked when she had come down. She replied 'Just now.' To which I replied, 'yes - but she was down here about 1/2 hour ago.'"

Jane looked at Nancy in surprise and declared, "No I wasn't, I just came downstairs."

Nancy asked Jane how come she saw her looking at the Winslow Homer painting to which Jane replied that she hadn't and inquired about Nancy's mental health.

Nancy claims that quite a discussion followed and that Jane got skittish over the situation. It didn't bother Nancy though. "I can still see that apparition," she says. "It took quite a while before Jane would come for a return visit she is always very inquisitive about our ghosts!"

Incontinent Ghosts?
A few months later, the inn's the previous owner enlightened Nancy to some of his own strange experiences in the house - including toilet paper being strewn from one end of the house to the other and finding little puddles of water under chairs.

Nancy says nothing like the toilet paper incident has ever happened to her. At least not yet! However, she has frequently found little puddles of clear water - about the size of a silver dollar - beneath chairs in the library. There is no rhyme nor reason to why the puddles appear or to where their origins might lie. Nancy says "we call that our incontinent ghost - but then again - it may be a puppy dog of our couple."

A few years later, a guest, who had stayed at the inn on many occasions, came down for breakfast one morning and inquired, "Do you have ghosts?"

Nancy answered with the question, "Why do you ask?"

The guest answered, "Because they were in our room last night."

She described a middle aged man and woman dressed in clothing from a few centuries back. She said the man had light hair and they were quiet - just stood there looking at her. "Since then we have had more occurrences of ghosts and their antics in the English Garden room", says Nancy, "but one thing prevails - they seem to like music."

Radios on the inn's second floor have acquired the annoying habit of turning on at any time of the day or night. Various guests have told us they unplugged the radios because they didn't understand why one would go on during the night and awaken them. Often times, several radios on that floor would come to life at once. These occurrences continue to this day, regardless of whether the floor is occupied.

In addition to the Inn, Nancy runs a gift shop out of what was once the barn. She specializes in "Angel" objects. No matter how carefully the doors are locked, Nancy says she frequently finds them open. Nothing is ever missing, but the doors refuse to stay locked.

Still, Nancy remains comfortable with her ghosts. She says they are friendly and quiet. "We've just come to live with and accept the fact that someone is watching over the house at all times. This house is filled with angels and quite possibly that has tempered our ghosts!"

Buck Cemetary

It seems appropriate that a cemetery would have the reputation of being haunted, and visitors can see evidence of an alleged haunting in Buck Cemetery to this day. While not officially in "Waldo County" it is so near that it's an yeasy visit.

Of particulr interest is the final resting place of Bucksport founder Jonathan Buck as his tombstone bears mysterious markings. Legend has it that Buck, who died in 1785, ordered a woman burned at the stake for witchcraft. I'll repeat that this is legend, for there are no records of anyone having been accused of witchcraft in Waldo County.

True or not, the tombstone bears an image that, with a healthy dose of imagination, resembles a leg and foot. Some say these images were painted on the stone by the risen corpse and that nothing has been able to remove them from the stone. Not that many haven't tried throughout the years.

You can view the stone by parking on Hincks Street in Bucksport. The cemetery is across the street from Shop 'n Save. The town has provided an elevated viewing place on the sidewalk for this popular attraction, as visitors are not allowed inside the fenced Buck family graveyard.

For all kinds of information about Waldo County, Maine, call their helpful tourism number 800-870-9934. Click here to visit the Waldo County, Maine website!

Waldo County is located in mid-coast Maine on Penobscot Bay, 100 miles north of Portland. If you plan on flying, US Air is a good choice into Portland, where Budget Rent-A-Car can put you in the driver's seat to nearby Waldo County.

• US Airways - 800-428-4322, on the web www.usairways.com.
• Budget Rent-A-Car - 207-772-6789 on the web www.budgetrentacar.com.
• McGilvery House B&B, Searsport, Maine - 207-548-6289 or email waldo@mint.net
• Hichborn Inn, Stockton Springs, Maine - 207-567-4183 or 800-346-1522 (USA), visit their website at www.hichborninn.com.
• Brass Lantern Inn, Searsport, Maine - 207-548-0150 or 800-691-0151 (USA) or email brasslan@agate.net
• Watchtide B&B, Searsport, Maine - 207- 548-6575 or 800-698-6575 (USA), email stay@watchtide.com or visit their web site at www.watchtide.com .

Also About the Maine Coast:

• How to Cook a Perfect Lobster: Advice from a Maine Lobster House
• Clint Brownfield Visits the Maine Coast
• Kitsch Classic: Bryant's Stove Museum
  
  

Fabulous Travel Recommends:

The National Directory of Haunted Places -- Dennis William Hauck's encyclopedic reference is a must for ghost hunters and fans of the unexplained with state-by-state listings of Weird Wanderings!

• Cheri Sicard, a former circus performer and magician, now spends her time working as editor of FabulousTravel.com and its sister site FabulousFoods.com. She lives in Playa del Rey, California with her dog Zoey. Follow this link to learn more about Cheri.