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| The Haunted Wood Island Lighthouse |
Visitors swear they hear gunshots echoing across the island. Doors slam in empty rooms. Phantom footsteps pace the keeper’s house, and shadowy figures lurk along the cliffs. Some say the ghost of a murderer still roams the island. Others believe his victim haunts it, too.
This is Wood Island Lighthouse — Maine’s most infamous haunted site, where history and legend collide in one of New England’s most chilling tales.
Part Nineteen of Our Series
This is Part Nineteen in our series: The Scariest Urban Legend from Every State.
Last time, we traveled to Louisiana, where the Casket Girls of New Orleans were said to have unleashed vampires into the French Quarter. Now we sail north to Maine, where a violent murder-suicide forever cursed a lighthouse, leaving behind a haunting that chills visitors to this day.
What Is Wood Island Lighthouse?
Wood Island Lighthouse was built in 1808 on a small, rocky island about a mile off the coast of Biddeford, Maine. For more than two centuries, it guided ships safely into Saco Bay, warning them away from the deadly ledges and shoals that claimed countless lives.
But the lighthouse is remembered for more than its lifesaving service. In 1896, it became the site of a grisly crime — a murder-suicide that locals believe doomed the island to restless spirits.
Today, Wood Island Lighthouse is preserved by the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, who maintain the property and offer tours. Yet many visitors leave convinced they’ve encountered something otherworldly.
The Murder of 1896
The story that fuels the haunting began in the summer of 1896. Howard Hobbs, a drifter with a reputation for heavy drinking, was squatting in a shack on the island. His landlord, Frederick Milliken, demanded he leave.
An argument turned deadly. Hobbs shot Milliken in cold blood, the gunshot echoing across the island. Panic set in. Realizing what he had done, Hobbs fled to the lighthouse keeper’s house. There, in a drunken frenzy, he turned the gun on himself, ending his life.
Milliken died from his wound, and Hobbs’s body was found in the keeper’s home. The lighthouse had witnessed tragedy, and locals whispered the island would never be the same.
The Haunting of Wood Island
Since that day, the lighthouse has been plagued by reports of strange activity:
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Phantom Gunshots – Visitors and keepers alike have claimed to hear the sound of a gun firing, echoing over the waves on quiet nights.
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Disembodied Voices – Guests report voices calling their names inside the keeper’s house, even when no one else is present.
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Slamming Doors – Doors open and close violently on their own, as if pushed by unseen hands.
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Cold Spots – Entire rooms grow icy cold despite summer heat. Some describe the sensation of someone brushing past them.
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Apparitions – Figures in period clothing appear briefly in windows or along the shoreline, only to vanish into the mist.
Some believe Hobbs’s tormented soul still haunts the keeper’s house. Others say Milliken lingers, seeking justice for his murder. A few claim the island is haunted not just by them, but by centuries of sailors who perished in the surrounding waters.
Eyewitness Accounts
Over the decades, stories from keepers, Coast Guardsmen, and tourists have piled up:
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The Coast Guard Keeper’s Report – During the 1970s, a Coast Guard keeper swore he was awakened by the sound of heavy boots pacing outside his bedroom. When he opened the door, no one was there.
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Tour Group Encounter – A group of visitors reported hearing a gunshot during a daytime tour. Guides assured them no weapons were allowed on the island.
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The Vanishing Man – One family visiting the lighthouse said they saw a man in a long coat walking along the cliffs. When they tried to approach, he disappeared into thin air.
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Phantom Music – Some visitors report hearing faint fiddle music or humming, perhaps echoes of the island’s long-lost residents.
For many, the haunting feels less like a story and more like an undeniable presence.
A Haunting That Became an Urban Legend
Like The Villisca Axe Murder House, Iowa, or Stull Cemetery in Kansas, Wood Island Lighthouse occupies the space between history and legend. The murder-suicide is fact, recorded in newspapers of the time. But the stories of restless spirits, phantom gunshots, and vanishing figures belong to folklore.
The overlap makes the haunting especially powerful. Unlike vague ghost stories, this one has a tragic anchor in real events — proof, some say, that the dead still linger where violence struck.
Similar Legends Across the World
Wood Island Lighthouse is part of a broader tradition of haunted lighthouses and cursed maritime sites. Across the globe, where death and isolation meet the sea, ghost stories thrive.
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Seguin Island Lighthouse (Maine)
Not far from Wood Island, Seguin Island Lighthouse has its own legend. A keeper brought his young wife to the lonely station. To ease her boredom, he bought her a piano. But when she played the same tune over and over, he snapped, murdered her, and then himself. Visitors claim they still hear piano music drifting across the water. -
St. Augustine Lighthouse (Florida)
Built in 1874, this lighthouse is famous for the ghosts of two young girls who drowned nearby. Guests report giggling, shadows darting up the spiral staircase, and the sound of children’s footsteps. -
Smalls Lighthouse (Wales, 1800s)
Two keepers stationed on the remote rock had a bitter relationship. When one died in an accident, the other was forced to live with his decomposing body for weeks. By the time he was rescued, he was mad with grief and fear. Locals say their spirits still haunt the waves. -
The Flying Dutchman (Global)
The most famous ghost ship legend, the Flying Dutchman is doomed to sail the seas forever. Sailors claimed seeing it was a sign of disaster, much like hearing phantom gunshots at Wood Island.
These legends remind us that lighthouses, though built to save lives, often became the setting for tragedy — and fertile ground for haunting tales.
Honorable Mentions: Other Maine Legends
While Wood Island Lighthouse is Maine’s most chilling legend, the state has others worth noting:
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The Specter Moose
First reported in the 1890s, this massive white moose is said to stand over 15 feet tall, with antlers spanning 10 feet across. Hunters claimed their bullets bounced off its ghostly hide. Some believe it’s a spirit of the forest, appearing as a bad omen before disaster. -
The White Monkey of Danforth
In the 1850s, lumberjacks near Danforth described encounters with a strange, white-furred creature resembling a large monkey or small ape. It was said to move with unnatural speed and strength. Though sightings are rare today, the “White Monkey” remains one of Maine’s strangest cryptid tales. -
The North Pond Hermit
Christopher Knight vanished into the Maine woods in 1986 and wasn’t seen again until 2013, when he was caught stealing food from a summer camp. For 27 years, he lived alone without fire, enduring brutal winters in silence. Though not supernatural, his extreme isolation made him into a modern legend — the “last true hermit.” -
Colonel Buck’s Cursed Tomb (Bucksport, Maine)
Colonel Jonathan Buck, founder of Bucksport, is buried beneath a granite monument that bears the mysterious image of a woman’s leg. According to legend, Buck condemned a woman as a witch and had her burned. As she died, she cursed him, saying her leg would mark his grave forever. No matter how many times the stone has been replaced, the image of the leg always reappears.
Together, these tales show the variety of Maine’s folklore, from ghostly apparitions to cryptids, hermits, and witch’s curses.
How to Survive an Encounter
If you ever visit Wood Island Lighthouse, here are some tips for avoiding unwanted ghostly attention:
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Stay Calm – Paranormal enthusiasts say fear can strengthen a spirit’s hold.
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Respect the Site – Remember this is both a historic landmark and the scene of a real tragedy.
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Don’t Provoke – Visitors who mock or challenge the spirits often report stronger reactions.
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Bring a Light – Shadows are thick on the island. A lantern or flashlight may keep you grounded.
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Listen Carefully – Gunshots, footsteps, and voices are the most common signs of haunting.
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Leave If Overwhelmed – Some guests describe nausea or dizziness; don’t ignore it.
Why We Still Tell the Story
Wood Island Lighthouse endures as Maine’s scariest legend because it balances three elements:
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A Real Crime – The murder-suicide of 1896 is historical fact.
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Paranormal Reports – Generations of visitors have added to the haunting.
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Maritime Mystery – Lighthouses already carry an aura of isolation and danger.
The story captures what we fear most: that violent death leaves an imprint, and that some places can never truly be free of the past.
Final Thoughts
The Haunting of Wood Island Lighthouse is more than a ghost story. It is a reminder of how tragedy clings to a place, echoing through generations. Some say the gunshot still rings out on quiet nights, a warning carried by the wind. Others claim the spirits of the island watch from the keeper’s windows, waiting for company.
This concludes Part Nineteen of our Scariest Urban Legend from Every State series. Next, we’ll journey to Maryland, where tales of demon dogs, cursed bridges, and spectral horsemen roam the countryside.
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