Ghosts on the Coast of Maine Read Free

Sarah’s mountain at the spot where she had slipped. A white wooden cross was decided upon and placed on the small hill overlooking the cliff.
    Many people have traveled the path up Mt. Megunticook since then. It’s a long walk, but it is so beautiful that a sense of purification captures the soul. The higher altitude might produce some lightheadedness, but that’s to be expected. One might be tempted to walk over to the edge of the mountaintop and catch sight of the whole expanse of Lake Megunticook and miles of surrounding lands below. Be careful, especially when the wind is blowing.
    It is the wind that blends with the spirit of Sarah and enfolds a person standing on top of the mountain. It bends the gentle grass backward and turns one’s head ever so slightly in the direction of the tall weather-beaten cross several feet away. It creates a chilling effect that might be heightened by the sight of a little girl hovering in the flowers with an angelic smile on her face.
    According to one witness, Sarah wears the clothes of her era, and colors can be distinguished, although her form is translucent. Another woman, a teacher, relates that Sarah does not stay long, and only seems to appear in the spring and summer months. People have experienced her as a non-threatening presence, simply a warm glow of friendliness. The sightings have been on good weather days, not cloudy or foggy ones, and the frequency of Sarah’s visits was greatest during the 1930s and early ‘40s. The last reported appearance was in 1976.
    Sarah’s flowers might be tempting, too, but the locals warn not to pick anything atop that mountain. They consider it bad luck. They want to keep Sarah’s mountaintop a place of inspiration and light, a place that people will remember by name, “Maiden’s Cliff.”

 

CHAPTER FOUR
THE COASTER MAKER
    T he lucrative shipping era of 1864–1874 produced men with big personalities and derring-do. They were generous with their investments (they could afford to, no income tax), then turned around and socked most of their money into supporting the home town.
    Shipbuilding was the industry that allowed most of these men to live out their dreams, but it was also a risk because it dealt with the sea. These men didn’t mind the challenge; they welcomed it. Because ship merchants were not afraid to put their money to good use, small coastal towns boomed with business.
    Tenants Harbor was the best example of this. Every other dock was littered with loads of cargo headed for Boston; New York; or Savannah, Georgia. They were boarded on schooners called coasters, which were built in the shipyards of Tenants Harbor. The busiest shipyard was Armstrong & Keane.
    Gilbert Armstrong fit the description of a nineteenth-century shipping magnate. He was proud, healthy and bold. He loved to look out upon the harbor and see piles of lumber, coal, and stone, waiting to be loaded on the queenly coaster ships that belonged to him. In the other direction, toward town, he could see the general store that he owned, which was a good-sized contribution to the Tenants Harbor economy.
    Gilbert stuck to the commercial end of the shipping industry. A shrewd trader, he knew ships, shipmasters, and buying and selling of materials. He was the richest and most respected merchant in town. He had a good eye for quality, and that’s what he saw just west of his establishment, in the year 1872.
    Harry Keane, ship builder, had just moved to Tenants Harbor and had set up shop on the shore below Armstrong. Harry was an excellent craftsman, with much experience and ability to choose the best materials for the job. He worked alone, but when the product was finished, she was a firstrate ship.
    Harry was also a good talker. When he realized the success of Armstrong’s operation, he coupled that with his own artistry as a builder, and asked his neighbor to go into business with him. Together they would build the