Ever since I moved to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, I've been drawn to the town's ghost stories. I can't help it-there's something about the history, the whispers of the past, and the occasional unexplained bump in the night that keeps me coming back for more. And time and again, whenever I asked locals about haunted places, one name kept coming up: Spruce Point Inn.

Perched on the rocky coastline of mid-coast Maine, Spruce Point Inn has been welcoming guests since 1892. It's a place of history, elegance, and-if the stories are to be believed-ghosts. The inn has hosted famous guests like the Kennedy family and Ernest Hemingway, who supposedly carved his initials into the headboard of his favorite room. But it's not just the living who have left their mark here.

The Haunted Heart of the Inn

The main building at Spruce Point Inn is the oldest on the property. Originally a hunting and fishing lodge, it later became a tea house and inn under the ownership of Mrs. Holland, who ran it until her death in 1932. Over the years, guests and staff alike have reported eerie encounters, particularly in this original structure.

One of the most chilling stories comes from Maintenance Manager Dave Largen. Late one night, while waxing the floor of the Salty Stag restaurant, he saw an antique gas lantern floating through the room. Mr. Harold, a former owner of the inn, was known to carry a lantern on his nightly rounds. Could it be his spirit still making the rounds?

Dave isn't the only one who has seen strange things in the Salty Stag. Former General Manager Cindy Maestellas and current Operations Manager Ben Bickford have both spotted a man sitting alone at a table late at night-only for him to vanish when they looked again.

A Dance with the Departed

Ben has had more than one eerie experience at the inn. One night, he heard music coming from the bar area long after closing time. When he went to investigate, he saw a couple slow dancing in front of the fireplace. As he stepped closer, they disappeared into thin air.

I can't shake the image of that couple dancing in the firelight, only to vanish before my eyes.

Another time, Ben was in the bar area when he caught sight of a woman glaring at him through the glass French doors. Later, he recognized her in an old photograph hanging in the library-it was Mrs. Holland herself, the long-deceased former owner.

The Phantom Phone Calls

General Manager Drew Strout had his own brush with the supernatural on a cold November night. While working late, he heard a telephone ringing. Following the sound, he found an antique phone in the lobby ringing insistently. The only problem? That phone had been disconnected for 20 years.

When Drew picked up the receiver, all he heard was static, then silence. Cindy had experienced the same thing years earlier, right after the tragic murder of a beloved employee named Julius. Some believe the ringing phone is Julius, reaching out from beyond.

The phone had been dead for decades, but it rang loud and clear that night.

A Thin Place Between Worlds

Spruce Point Inn has been a gathering place for over a century, but its history stretches back even further. Native Americans once fished these waters, and some believe the land itself holds a special energy. In Scottish folklore, there's a concept called a thin place-a location where the veil between this world and the next is nearly transparent. Could Spruce Point Inn be one of those places?

It certainly feels that way. Every time I visit, I sense something just beyond my reach, a presence lingering in the air. Maybe it's the spirits of past guests, reluctant to leave such a beautiful place. Maybe it's something older, something woven into the land itself.

Whatever the truth may be, I'm determined to find out. This winter, when the inn is closed for the season, I'm hoping to spend the night. Just me, the ghosts, and the whispering wind off the Atlantic. Wish me luck-I might need it.