Maine Ghost Hunters

Author: MaineGhostHunters

  • Maine’s Lost Governor

    Maine’s Lost Governor

    Who Was Enoch Lincoln? 

    Born into a politically powerful family in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1788, Enoch Lincoln was destined for greatness. His father, Levi Sr., and his older brother Levi Jr., both held prestigious political positions, including the roles of State Representative, Lieutenant Governor, and even Governors of Massachusetts. 

    Enoch himself was a highly educated and capable individual. After graduating from Harvard and receiving an Honorary Master of Arts degree from Bowdoin College, he studied law with his brother Levi Jr. and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1811. 

    By 1815, Enoch was serving as the assistant U.S. district attorney, and by 1818, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. His political career culminated in 1827 when he was elected as Maine’s 6th governor, a position he held for three terms, winning over 90% of the votes cast in his re-elections. 

    Enoch Lincoln was not just a political player; he was a man of wide-ranging interests and a champion for those in need. He opposed slavery, appreciated Native American culture, and advocated for women’s education at a time when such views were unheard of. 

    The Legacy of Enoch Lincoln 

    Enoch Lincoln left an indelible mark on the state of Maine. He is the reason Maine’s capital is Augusta, not Portland. He commissioned Charles Bullfinch to design Maine’s new statehouse in 1827. He was also a poet, having published a poem in 1816 called “The Village,” which earned him the title of “Maine’s 1st Poet.” 

    One of his most significant achievements as Governor was to protect Maine’s Northernmost boundary when it came under scrutiny by England. Despite pressure from the federal government, Enoch stood his ground, ensuring no boundary change occurred under his watch. 

    The Mystery of Enoch Lincoln’s Disappearance 

    However, a mystery surrounds Enoch Lincoln. In 1986, a work crew entered the vault where he was supposedly buried to do some restoration work, only to find it empty. So the question remains – where did Enoch Lincoln go? 

    Some speculate that he was buried under the tomb, not in it, because the state legislature didn’t approve a monument dedicated to him until 1842. Others suggest his body was removed during an earlier cleaning of the vault back in the 1950s and never put back. There’s even a nearly forgotten rumor that his body was removed from the crypt on purpose and re-interred in his ‘home state’ of Massachusetts. 

    Five Things to Know About Enoch Lincoln: 

    1. He was betrothed to Mary Chadbourne-Page of Fryeburg, Maine for a few years, set to be married only a few months after he died.
    2. He was expelled from Harvard for engaging in the Rotten Cabbage Rebellion of 1807.
    3. He was in the process of collecting materials and documentation for writing a book on Maine history, and another on the language & history of the Aboriginals.
    4. He once challenged another lawyer to a duel when he lived in Fryeburg.
    5. He knew he was dying and was buried with Military Honors.

    Enoch Lincoln was a man ahead of his time, a champion for those in need, and a figure who left an indelible mark on the state of Maine. His life, his achievements, and the mystery surrounding his final resting place continue to intrigue us to this day. 

  • Anson P. Morrill

    Anson P. Morrill

    Early Life 

    Anson Peaslee Morrill was born on June 10, 1803, in Belgrade, Maine. As one of the older children in a large family of 14, he spent his early years hunting, fishing, and trapping on the land. His education was sporadic, attending school when it was open and working for his father’s mill, which included a grist mill, carding machine, and saw mill, when it was not. Despite these humble beginnings, Anson’s reputation for honesty and integrity was established early on, earning him the trust of those around him. 

    Early Adulthood and Political Life 

    At the age of 21, Anson opened a mercantile store in Belgrade. A year later, he was appointed Postmaster of Dearborn, a position he held until 1841. He moved around a bit, living in Belgrade Hill, Madison, Mount Vernon, and Readfield. In Readfield, he took over the management of a woolen mill that was near financial ruin. He invested his life savings into it, and it became prosperous, allowing him to live comfortably for the rest of his life. 

    Adulthood and Politics 

    Anson held various political posts throughout his life. He was elected to the Maine State Legislature in 1834, served as sheriff of Somerset County for a term in 1839, and was elected to the State House from Madison in 1844. He was elected as the first Republican Governor of Maine in 1855, receiving 44% of the votes. He ran for Governor again in 1855 but the legislature chose Governor Wells. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1856 and was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1860. 

    Later Business Life 

    After his political career, Anson went on to become the President of the board of Directors of the Maine Central Railroad Company from 1873 to 1875, and later served as its Vice President from 1876 to 1887. 

    Retirement 

    In 1879, Anson moved to Augusta, where he lived in retirement. However, even in his retirement, he was elected for the state legislature in 1881-1882, at the age of 77. He passed away in his Augusta residence on July 4, 1887, after suffering a short illness which involved paralysis. 

    Personal Life 

    Anson was a universalist who attended church regularly and financially supported it. He was known for his generosity, often helping out his friends in their business ventures, even if it meant suffering financial losses. He was known as a patient, understanding, forgiving, and charitable man, truly the whole package. 

    Anson Peaslee Morrill’s life is a testament to his dedication to his community, his state, and his country. His legacy lives on in the institutions he helped build and the values he upheld. 

  • Privacy Policy

    Privacy Policy

    MaineGhostHunters.org Privacy Policy

    Maine Ghost Hunters values the privacy of our website visitors. Our team website exists to collect and share data. If you would prefer to remain anonymous regarding any information you share with us on our website, please understand this before engaging with maineghosthunters.org.

  • Contact Us

    Contact Us

    Maine Ghost Hunters
    (207) 504-6224
    maineghosthunters@maineghosthunters.org

    Please do not use this form to request an investigation. If you’re looking to request an investigation please use the “Investigation Request Form” page. 

  • Investigation Request Form

    Investigation Request Form

  • Requesting an Investigation

    Requesting an Investigation

    The Maine Ghost Hunters organization is fully equipped to investigate spiritually active historic public access locations in Maine, and in some cases, the greater New England region. 

    Among our primary team goals is to share our passion for local history with MGH followers, supporters, and viewers. If we’re hyper-focused on anything it’s our desire to excite the masses to take a look at the history that sits locally ‘in their own backyard’.  We strive to be a force of encouragement, sparking ‘the curious’ to visit the places we showcase. 

    Maine Ghost Hunters leads with the allure of the paranormal, and curious visitors leave your spiritually active historic location with a deeper appreciation for local history.  It really is a win-win scenario.

    Making the contents of our investigations public is the best way to meet that team goal, and this is why focusing on historic public access locations for our investigations resonates with us as strongly as it does.

    Maine Ghost Hunters has a fairly large following and we’d love the opportunity to advertise your business on your behalf.  If you’re the owner or legal steward of an historically significant location with paranormal activity and you’d like to get the word out to attract more patrons, visitors, customers, and the like, we’d enjoy the opportunity to team up with you to help spread the news. 

    Maine Ghost Hunters does not charge for investigations nor the videos we produce on behalf of the locations we investigate. We invite you to visit the Maine Ghost Hunters YouTube channel as well as our ZeroLux Paranormal YouTube channel which hosts our online ‘paranormal reality’ series.

    Locations MGH typically investigates

    • Historically relevant public access locations in Maine and New England
    • Businesses in historic buildings such as, but not limited to;
      • Inns, Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels
      • Restaurants, Dining Facilities, Taverns, Bars, etc..
      • Closed healthcare facilities, schools
      • Museums, Historical Societies
      • Jails, Prisons, Asylums, Sanitariums
      • Abandoned locations
      • Historic Mills, Industrial Complexes
      • Old Churches, convents, rectories
      • Ex-funeral homes, morgues, body storage sites
      • Forts, Lighthouse keeper quarters, lighthouses

    Location types we do not typically investigate

    • hazardous locations
    • locations we don’t have permission to investigate
    • Apartments
      • Apartments are not usually owned by the requesting client. And since all private/non-public-access investigation requests must come from the owner of the location we’re being requested to investigate, this would preclude an apartment renter from asking us to get involved with their case.
      • Another reason, and probably the most significant in terms of data collection, is because apartments are almost always in immediate proximity to other dwellings.  A major part of our investigations involve sensitive sound recording equipment, and a lot of video recording.  Being aware of the limitations investigation environments can afford us in terms of controlling sound, motion, and outside stimuli is how we’re able to provide as successful a data collection experience as we possibly can.  Having no control over nearby environments, nor any certain awareness of what’s going on in other dwellings close enough to us to contaminate our evidence, is likely to result in evidentiary uncertainties.  If we can’t stand by the evidence we collect in any certain environment, then why would we waste our time, or our client’s time, obtaining it? What would be the point?
    • Locations that are; loud; close to neighboring buildings; a forum for transient populations; and unpredictable in terms of environmental stimuli.
    • Locations that have been the site of ‘recent history’. Legends and lore aside, deaths and murders, or crimes of these types that happened recently enough in the past that the event is still fresh in our state’s local collective consciousness is a moral issue we struggle to challenge.

    What to do if you think you have a haunting

    • Communicate with the spirit presence vocally, out loud, in the place you think you’re noticing paranormal activity.
      • Be friendly. Treat the spirit like you would a new friend. Be kind and accommodating.
      • Tell the spirit what you’re uncomfortable with, and lay out clear boundaries of when and where he/she/it can make its presence known. There is no need to be rough with your approach. Speak casually and in a friendly tone. This environment is yours but you’re allowing the spirit presence to know you’re aware he/she/it is among you so long as he/she/it stays within whatever boundaries you lay out. Use this approach repeatedly over the course of time.  Communication is a big player in a lot of spiritually active cases.
        •  When describing your boundaries be specific. Ex: “I don’t mind you being here. I actually enjoy knowing you love this place as much as I do so I’d like to make my boundaries known to you, directly. You can express yourself in the communal areas when I’m away from the building. You’re never allowed in the bathroom when anyone is in there, ever.  To be clear, the bathroom is completely off limits. If a door is closed to living people it’s also closed to spirits, such as yourself.  Sometimes, we all need privacy.  When I communicate with you I will be nice and use proper manners and I would ask you do the same for me.  And please, don’t scare me on purpose. I promise I’ll do my best to respect your need to feel acknowledged and validated so long as you do your best to respect these boundaries that help me feel safe while we share this space together.”
      • If negatively disruptive behaviors continue try designating an area, preferably in the vicinity the paranormal activity is taking place, to leave gifts, toys, trinkets, etc… for the spirit(s).
        • Suggestions we’ve made in the past: cigars, tobacco, coins, paper dollar bills – for men; flowers, perfume, thimbles, jewelry – for women; marbles, farm animal figurines, toy cars, balls, stuffed animals – for kids. Be sure to communicate, aloud, these items are gifts for the spirits you think are making their presence known in your environment.
      • If you’d appreciate a more spiritual approach to the paranormal activity there is always the ‘sage’ route. You can perform a spiritual cleansing inside your home by lighting the tip of a hand-held sage bundle on fire, blowing it out, and releasing the smoke into all corners of every room in your house.  It’s believed that leaving windows, and even doors (if weather permits), open while doing this will help the spirits understand, further, that it’s time for them to move on, and away from the location being saged.  Be sure to make your intentions known while performing this ritual, by stating aloud your expectations that the spirit move on to another location outside of your house and away from your property, and that they aren’t allowed back unless specifically invited by you, personally. Set the smoking sage bundle in a safe place where it can extinguish itself naturally.  This could take some time so take this into consideration when allowing the sage to burn out on its own. If you still notice disruptive occurrences at your historic public-access location which you think may be from a paranormal source, you might want to drop us an investigation request.

    When should you request an investigation?

    • If you’re wondering ‘at what point’ you should request an investigation we suggest a few considerations;
      • whether or not there is physical contact taking place
      • are people being physically hurt by an unseen entity?
      • Is the activity disrupting daily life in ways you consider negative?
        • If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’ then this may be a good time to reach out to us to request an investigation. If you’ve tried communicating directly with the paranormal presence as explained in the above section and you’re still having negatively disruptive issues, this might also be a good time to drop us a line.
    • Maine Ghost Hunters rarely investigates locations with negative or dangerous spirit presences, so if you’re just curious about the paranormal activity you’ve been experiencing at the historic public access location you represent, drop us a line.
      • The overwhelming majority of spiritually active locations Maine Ghost Hunters has investigated have been benign presences meaning no harm to those they share their day-to-day. 
    • If you run a business in an building steeped in history which you think may benefit from having Maine Ghost Hunters investigate and possibly advertise via our online streaming media programming, we’d enjoy speaking with you.

    Some of what you should expect from an MGH investigation

    • Before we start our investigation we have our clients sign legal liability forms and media release waivers so we may share our findings in video form.
    • The investigation environment will need to be cleared of all people and animals for a period of time that spans as little as 6 hours and as long as 14 hours
      • Oftentimes, we request a single supervisor/docent of the location to be present while we’re investigating
      • In certain situations, due to the late hours we conduct our business, we are often left with the responsibility of being in charge of the investigation environment, without a supervisor/docent overseeing our investigation.
    • Heavy camera presence, both still-photo and video.
    • That Maine Ghost Hunters will respect the investigation environment to the best of our collective ability.  We strive to conduct ourselves in a “no trace left behind” manner.  We’re acutely aware we’re in historically important locations during some of our investigations and we never take this for granted. We treat every invitation to investigate as the gift that it is. And we appreciate it, equally as much. We realize your residence/work environment is as sacred to you as ours is to us and we treat it that way.  Should we be invited to investigate your place of business you can be ‘rest assured’ we understand what a privilege this is.
    • Multiple Investigation Dates
      • One of the stronger aspects of our organization’s evidence review protocol exists as a means to ensure we’ve done our due diligence in terms of ‘debunking’ potential investigation contaminants.   Often times (not every time) this requires our investigators to revisit the location to collect evidence in some of the same general places as the previous visit; places that are thought to have previously yielded evidence and/or curious data patterns.

    Why night time investigation hours?

    • Investigating at night allows MGH to be more aware of the contaminants in our investigation environment.  There are less sights and sounds to contend with at night than there are in the day time.
    • Investigator availability due to work schedules generally relegate our investigations to night time weekend dates.
    • Night time investigations also allow us to utilize video equipment that can see different ranges within the light spectrum. Ranges we can’t easily access in bright daylight.

     Some of what Maine Ghost Hunters expects from our clients

    •  We’re a 100% volunteer organization with each member not only providing this investigation service for our clients ‘for free’, but also paying money out of our own pockets to do so.  We just ask that you keep this in mind when communicating with us, or about us.  When we dedicate ourselves to a case we give it every bit of attention we can afford. This is our commitment, not only to you, but to the legacy of our organization.  We put much of our own time, effort, and money into providing this service because we believe in what we do.
    •  We expect our investigation locations to be clean and non-toxic.  We’ve heard countless stories from some of our peer investigation teams who drove hours to arrive at client locations that had piles of putrid odor filled garbage stored in open rooms within the residence, feces filled diapers they had to dodge in their direct investigation path, hoarding scenes that were clearly unsafe and which made investigators sick from unidentified toxins hidden within heaps of unknowns, and highly toxic black mold infestations.
      • Please take the time to clean the investigation environments you would like us to spend time in.

     What should I expect after the investigation has been completed?

    • We ask that clients give our team 6+/- weeks from the last investigation we did for you, to complete our evidence review of your location.
    • You can expect to receive digital communication regarding your case and/or downloadable documented evidence provided by MGH within 8 weeks post ‘final investigation’ date.
      • There may be exceptions to this timeline, particularly if our case load is stressed, and also – if we attempted to coordinate a follow-up investigation with you and it didn’t quite work out.  In the latter case, our initial evidence review may be put on hold at a certain point while we await the go-ahead to compare environmental factors during a return investigation visit.
     
    Click Here For The ‘Investigation Request Form’
  • Lot Myrick Morrill

    Lot Myrick Morrill

    Lot Myrick Morrill: A Beacon of Leadership in Maine 

    Lot Myrick Morrill, the 28th Governor of Maine, was a figure of steadfast leadership and unwavering moral character. Born on May 3, 1813, in Belgrade, Massachusetts, Morrill’s journey from a small-town boy to a prominent political figure is a testament to his dedication and commitment to public service. 

    Early Life and Education 

    Morrill’s early life remains largely undocumented, but it is known that he received his education at Colby College, then known as Waterville College. After college, he served as the principal of a private school in New York called Western College, marking the beginning of his career in public service. 

    A Life in Politics 

    In 1839, Morrill began his law practice, first in Readfield for two years, then moving his practice to Augusta. His political career took off in 1854 when he was elected as a Maine State Representative. Despite his disagreement with the Democratic Party’s policies and attitudes towards slavery, he served as the Chairman of the Maine Democratic Party. However, his stance on slavery led him to leave the Democrats and join the Republican Party in 1856. 

    As a Republican, Morrill was elected to the Maine State House as a Senator and was named President of the Senate. In 1858, he was elected as Governor of Maine, a position he held for three terms until the Civil War broke out in 1861. 

    A Legacy of Leadership 

    Morrill’s tenure as a U.S. Senator from Maine was marked by his strong anti-slavery sentiments. He advocated for freeing and educating freed slaves in Washington D.C., sponsored legislation to outlaw slavery, and advocated for equal rights for slaves. 

    Morrill was also known for his stance on the re-admittance of Confederate States back into the Union. He opposed punishing the South for their rebellion and was a strong proponent of the Military Reconstruction Act. In 1868, he voted in favor of impeaching President Andrew Johnson. 

    A Man of Principle 

    Morrill was a man of high moral and ethical standards. He loved his country more than his party, voting to expel Senator Bright of Indiana for being a Confederate sympathizer and communicating with Jefferson Davis. He also voted to impeach Andrew Johnson for his racist attitudes and opposition to political rights for freed men and ex-slaves. 

    Life After Washington 

    After his time in Washington, Morrill returned to Maine, where he was appointed as the U.S. Collector of Customs in Portland, a position he held from 1877 until his death in 1883. 

    Remembering Lot Myrick Morrill 

    Morrill is best remembered for his advocacy for civil rights, his stance on the re-admittance of Confederate States, and his commitment to national financial security. He lived in the Lot Morrill House at 113 Winthrop Street in Augusta, a Greek Revival Architecture building listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

    Lot Myrick Morrill passed away on January 10, 1883, at the age of 69, leaving behind a legacy of leadership and commitment to the people of Maine. 

  • The Sabattus Well Incident

    The Sabattus Well Incident

    The origins of the “Sabattus Well Descent” incident are unclear.  We’ve done a bunch of research but the results have all been super redundant and not at all forthcoming as far as specifics of the case are concerned.

    The Story goes like this:

    There were 3 teenage boys fooling around out in the woods one day when they came upon an old uncovered well.  Boys being boys they decided to challenge each other to a dare, and one of them accepted.  The dare was for one of them to be lowered into this well by the other 2 boys.

    So they found some rope laying around, and they located a small tire for the kid to sit on, and they lowered him down into this deep, dark, well until they lost sight of him completely. When it was clear he had reached the bottom, because the rope got loose, they pulled him back up.

    When he reached the top of the well they couldn’t believe their eyes.  The boy’s appearance had seemingly morphed into this horrid, hagrid looking old-man appearance.  His face looked like he’d aged 50 years in the past few minutes, and his hair had turned completely white.

    When they were able to pull him onto the ground beside the well he started laughing maniacally and when they tried to question him about his condition he responded with gibberish.  He had apparently lost his mind and gone insane.

    The story continues on that his condition was incurable.  There was no bringing him back from this sudden case of insanity and so he was sent away to a county mental institution to live out his days as a psyche patient, having no ability whatsoever to tell the tale of what happened at the bottom of that well.

    Getting there

    With a little help from some of the locals who are familiar with this legend, we think we might have a bit of a handle on where it could be located. Hopefully, if the well really did exist, it’s been covered up. But at least we can bring you to the general location of where this mysterious incident took place.

    Your first step is to head to Long Beach Road in Sabattus. From here you’re just a hop, skip, and jump away from the old Coombs cemetery on a little traveled side-road named Mitchell Street. It’s here that we’ve been led to believe the “well” is located; in the back, in the woods – but it’s been either filled in or covered up, thank goodness.

    We hoped to not find an open well just waiting for someone to fall into it.  Kids run around in the woods all the time, that would be a tragedy waiting to happen so we’re glad there is no readily visible open hole in the ground with no discernable bottom.

    We’ve also been led to believe the well is fairly close to the edge of this cemetery, off a back corner and away from the road.

    Respecting Land Ownership and The Deceased

    After reading this blog entry we ask that you remember this is a sacred place – a cemetery – and when coming here, please respect the dead by walking on the outside border of the graveyard.  Pick up any trash you might see laying around, and pay your respects without disrupting the environment.

    We’ve been told that some of the residents nearby this cemetery are very well aware of the urban legend of the Sabattus Well Descent and they’re not too happy about people helping themselves while on private property.  So please have respect for the people who live here 24/7 and if you see someone watching you, ask them if you can have permission to be there if it’s their land.  If they say “no”, that’s their prerogative.  You can investigate from inside the cemetery.

  • Governor Selden Connor

    Governor Selden Connor

    In this blog entry you’re being introduced to Maine’s 35th Governor.  His name was Selden Connor and he was dedicated soldier, successful banker, and popular politician.  He was also one of Maine’s finest Civil War heroes, and one tough nut.  I’ll tell you why I wrote that in a minute.

    Selden Connor was born in Fairfield, Maine on January 25, 1839.  He was educated in local area schools, including The Hartland Academy in Hartland and the Westbrook Seminary before heading off to college at Tufts University.  After graduating from Tufts in 1859 he moved to Vermont to study law in the law offices of Washburn and Marsh.

    In his second year as a law student in Vermont the Civil War broke out.  Selden wasted no time.  Within just 5 days of the announcement, he had left his schooling to join the cause to preserve the Union by enlisting for a 3 month tour with the 1st Regiment of Vermont Volunteers.  He quickly moved up in rank to Major, and then Lieutenant Colonel of the 7th Maine.

    Selden Connor was involved in many important military campaigns;

    • In 1862, at the age of 23, he was put into temporary command of the 77th New York Regiment after the Union Victory at the battle of Antietam.
    • He was involved with the Peninsula Campaign, which was a direct Union offensive on the Confederate Capitol of Richmond, Virginia. The campaign lasted from April of 1862 to July 1862.   The Union was not successful at capturing the city.
    • He was also present at the Battle of Fredericksburg, where he was wounded, but not so badly he couldn’t continue on with his duties.
    • He was present at the battle of Gettysburg where the 7th Maine joined the right flank.
    • And he led his men to fight in the Battle of the Wilderness. It was in this campaign he was wounded by a musketball that struck his inner thigh, ripped through his quad muscle and essentially shattered his left femur.  This leg injury would cause him much grief for the remainder of his life.  It ended his field career and relegated him to administrative duty for the duration.

    Selden was promoted to Brigadier General after sustaining this leg injury but was mustered out of the service in 1866.  In 1866 he fell and fractured his leg again which left him housebound for 2 years, much of which he was bedridden.

    In 1868 is when Selden Connor’s political career began when he was appointed to the position of “assessor of internal revenue’ by governor Joshua Chamberlain.  Within a few short years he was appointed the “collector for the Augusta district”.

    In 1875 he made a successful run for Governor as a Republican and 2 follow-up re-election bids which he also won – serving from 1876 through 1879.  In 1876 he appointed James G. Blaine to fill an empty Senate seat when Lot Myrick Morrill was tapped by President Grant to become the US Secretary to the Treasury.  In 1882 he was employed as a U.S. Pension Agent, a position he held until 1886 when the office itself was abolished.

    From 1893-1897 Connor served as the 23rd Adjutant General of Maine. The Adjutant General is an esteemed military appointment, responsible for State Level Military.  So, in this capacity he was responsible for all facets of the Maine National Guard.

    His later life accomplishments included serving as the President of the Society of the Army of the Potomac, the Senior Vice Commander of the Loyal Legion, and the President of the Northern Banking Company.

    He was a lifelong member of the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity.  He also held memberships in the Maine Historical Society, the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts, and was the Senior Vice Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (or the G.A.R.).

    Selden Connor died in 1917 at the age of 78. His death was determined to be caused by “Nephritis of 22 years and abscess of the kidney”.  He left behind a political legacy we all still live by today. Some things Selden Connor was known for;
    • He was a Civil Service Reform Advocate – which meant he was opposed to the “spoils system” in Government jobs where incoming presidents would wipe out government employees who weren’t of their political backing only to replace them with big money donors, or political party favorites.  In short, Civil Service meant that employees who were ‘civil servants’ wouldn’t necessarily identify with the party of the office of the President.
    • He pushed hard for a free public school system here in Maine.  And he signed an act that led to the building of a teacher’s school in Fort Kent, Maine in an effort to Americanize the state’s French Settlers in the Madawaska Territory. It was originally called the Madawaska Training School but that name morphed over the years to; The Fort Kent Normal School, The Fort Kent State Teacher’s College, Fort Kent State College, and finally, the University of Maine at Fort Kent
    • He was an outspoken voice in cleaning up the political arena of bribery & forced voting practices – where employers wouldn’t hire employees with opposing political ideologies, and who would also force employees to vote for whomever the boss told them to.
    • He was an outspoken proponent for the Women’s Suffrage Movement to the point he held the position of Vice President of the Maine Woman Suffrage Association.
    • And finally, Selden Connor was a mighty fine cook.  Being the son of a Lumberman meant he knew his way around a bean pot.  Lumbermen of the time had this special way of making Beanhole Baked Beans and Selden had perfected the recipe so deliciously it was darn-near legendary.
  • Governor Edwin Chick Burleigh

    Governor Edwin Chick Burleigh

    Edwin C. Burleigh: A Legacy of Leadership 

    Edwin C. Burleigh, the 42nd Governor of Maine, was more than just a political figure. His life and career were characterized by a deep commitment to the people and the state he served. Born into a family of politically active men, Burleigh’s upbringing laid the foundation for his future as a leader at both the state and national level. 

    Early Life and Career 

    Born in Linneus, Maine, on November 27, 1843, Edwin C. Burleigh was the son of Parker P. Burleigh, a prominent figure in his time. Edwin’s early education took place in the town school and at Houlton Academy. After completing his academic course, he taught for a time before taking up land surveying. His knowledge of the public lands of the state was unparalleled, leading to his appointment as a clerk in the land office in Augusta in 1870. He later served as Land Agent, Assistant Clerk of the House of Representatives, and State Treasurer. 

    A Governor’s Legacy 

    Burleigh’s tenure as Governor of Maine was marked by significant reforms and additions to the state’s laws. His administration saw the creation of a state department for agriculture and a forestry commission. He also implemented tax reforms that increased the State valuation by $104,000,000 and reduced the State tax to two and one-fourth mills. His efforts led to the refunding of the six per cent. State bonded debt at three percent., resulting in an annual saving to the State of $71,530. 

    Under his leadership, the State appropriation for pensions was increased, a permanent muster field was purchased and equipped, and the Australian ballot law was adopted. His administration ensured that no class of Maine’s population was neglected. Farmers, soldiers, scholars, merchants, workmen, rich and poor, all shared in the increased benefits of wise government and judicious conservation of Maine’s resources.

    Ten Things to Know About Edwin C. Burleigh 

    1. Timberland Owner: Burleigh owned vast amounts of timberland and was instrumental in passing the anti-forest-fire law, which imposed heavy penalties for purposely or carelessly setting forest fires. He also made the land agent Maine’s “forest commissioner” with wardens in every section.
    2. Investor in the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad Company: His investment helped open up the most northern and wooded areas of Maine.
    3. Owner of the Kennebec Journal: Along with his son, Clarence B. Burleigh, he ran the Kennebec Journal, a central point of communication for the Republican Party.
    4. Advocate for Mental Health: As Governor, he appointed the commission to find a suitable location for a second State Hospital in Bangor.
    5. Congressman: As a Congressman, he was a major reason the U.S. Government handed over the Arsenal in Augusta to the State of Maine.
    6. Lighthouse Builder: He secured appropriations of $140,000 for the building of Isle au Haut Lighthouse, also known as Robinson Point Light.
    7. Supporter of the National Guard: He is the primary reason Camp Keyes became a central muster point for the Maine National Guard.
    8. Saver of the Capitol: The Capitol was not moved to Portland because of Burleigh, saving the State of Maine over $2 million.
    9. Advocate for Representation: Burleigh is why Maine has two Representatives in the U.S. Congress instead of one.
    10. A Loving Husband: He died only one month (five weeks) after his wife, a testament to their deep bond.

    Edwin C. Burleigh’s legacy continues to impact the state of Maine and its people. His life and career serve as a testament to the power of dedication, hard work, and a deep love for one’s community.