Maine Minutiae: Haunted Maine - Seguin Island Lighthouse

Being a lighthouse keeper in the late 18th on into the early 20th Century had to be a lonely ass job. It's not like the lighthouse keepers of the day were able to catch I Love Lucy reruns on a flat panel TV or plug in a computer to keep themselves and their family entertained, especially when the winter came. Winters up here can be brutal. Even a "normal" winter ain't exactly a walk through the park. Which leads us to our story.

Seguin Lighthouse is situated 186 feet high on the rocky cliffs two miles off the Maine coast at the mouth of the Kennebec River. As the crow flies that's about 50 miles from where I sit. Getting supplies to the island back in the 19th Century was a tedious task. Summers in the area were great, but when Old Man Winter came, not so much.

On one occasion, a guy took a job as the Seguin Island Lighthouse keeper and with him he took his young wife. Needless to say, she became bored in a very short period of time. So, the husband, wanting to keep his wife sane and happy had a piano shipped to the island. This does not end well. Here  is where you can read the whole story.

Lighthouses are usually thought of a beacons of hope and guidance, but in some cases, such as the one in the story above, lighthouses become places of loneliness and despair.

Texas Tidbits: Haunted Texas - The Alamo

Sacred Ground

Yesterday when I wrote about the alleged spirits at The Menger Hotel in San Antonio, which is adjacent to the Alamo, I was curious as to why there was no mention of ghosts at the most Sacred Ground in Texas, the Alamo itself. I employed the use of my legendary Google-Fu and came up with some very interesting stories about just such a thing - ghosts at the Alamo.

Rather than give you a synopsis of each ghost story related to the Alamo, I'll give you the link to them and let you read them at your leisure. There are several of them and they are fairly short, so reading a couple at a time shouldn't present too much of a problem. After the links, I will have a final word on my thoughts about what the stories have to say.

• Ghost stories of the Alamo

Confession: I am a Catholic, so I guess "confession" is a good choice of words. :) I believe in the paranormal. I think that we mere humans must bore God to pieces sometimes, so, in my mind, there has to be something else out there - some kind of "bridge" between life as we know it and the afterlife, Angels and demons and all that. I obviously have no proof of this "bridge" between the living and the dead, it's just something I believe. Having said that, it comes as no surprise to me that there would be ghosts, apparitions, spirits, pick a name, at the Alamo. I mean the Battle of the Alamo is a historic event of mammoth proportions - a symbols of man's yearning to be free and what he is willing to do to live free, even if it means certain death. Surely when Colonel William Barrett Travis saw 4000 Mexican soldiers awaiting the order to attack the Alamo, he had to think, "We may all die here today, but our sacrifice will inspire men everywhere to stand up for their freedom, no matter the odds." I think that God allows us to see these spirits at places like the Alamo to remind us, amongst other things, that freedom ain't free and sometimes we must make incredible sacrifices to keep it, like the sacrifice that Jesus made so man could eventually be at the right hand of The Almighty. Dieing for freedom is not a choice of life or death, so much as it is a choice to live, not only today, but forever. God bless the defenders of the Alamo and God bless Texas.

Colorado Chronicles: A Haunted Mine Story

Haunted?

I have written many stories about Colorado on this blog, and there's a recurring theme to most of them - something to do with mines. On two other posts today, I wrote about a haunted hotel in Texas and a haunted lighthouse in Maine. I think each of those topics are appropriate for the state they are located in - Texas, Wild West, Hotel and Maine, Lots of coastline and a lighthouse. So what could be more fitting as we near Halloween, than a haunted mine in Colorado? The best way to tell this story is to let the old time newspaper articles speak for themselves.

• Here's an excerpt to a newspaper article dated October 13, 1840. Read it the click on the orange "McDygut Journal" link at the bottom left of the story.
• The "McDygut Journal" link above takes you to a new page with a replica of the journal in question. When you get to this point, the bottom right hand corner of each page of the journal is "dog-eared". Click on the "dog ear" and turn the page by dragging the dog ear to the left. The journal features the original writing of Mr. McDygut on the right hand page, and a transcription on the left hand page. 

This is real stuff and it's real good. let me know what you think in the comments.  :)

Maine Minutiae: A Haunted Lighthouse

Haunted? Wood Island Lighthouse c.1858*

With Halloween only days away, I thought I'd get to posting some spooky stuff. Like they say, the early bat gets the blood. Or something like that. A ghostly story that has been around for more than a century continues to haunt the residents of Wood Island , Maine. This tale begins in 1896 with a murder-suicide near the lighthouse at Wood Island where a drunk lobster fisherman (imagine that! a drunk fisherman!) , Howard Hobbs, and a buddy (also a drunk) were renting a chicken coop from one Frederick Milliken, who just happened to be a part-time Sheriff at Wood Island. After a night on the mainland getting FUBAR'ed Milliken invited the two drunks to his home to discuss some overdue rent on the chicken coop. Hobbs took a rifle to the meeting and you can guess, nothing good was gonna come from that. Hobbs shot and killed Milliken and then ran to the nearby lighthouse where he proceeded to blow his own brians out. But! The story does not end there. It is said that ghosts, presumably Milliken and Hobbs, haunt the lighthouse to this very day. As a matter of fact, one lighthouse keeper was so distraught by the hauntings, that he, too, commited hari kari. nelights.com has the story in great detail. It's pretty spooky and just in time for Halloween.

 **Photo courtesy of StrangeMaine.com**

Texas Tidbits: Haunted Texas - The Menger Hotel in San Antonio

The Menger Hotel - Does It Have Ghostly Guests?

We are just three days away from Halloween, so I thought it would be kind of cool to post some ghost stories and what have you for the next few days.

I did a little reading to find out some things about the haunted history of Texas. I was surprised to learn that Texas is one of the most haunted states in the nation. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised considering that all my exes live in Texas. I'm just sayin'. That said, it doesn't surprise me that a place as large as Texas would have over 200 ghost towns within its borders and a large number of haunted hotels as well.

The World Famous Menger Hotel in San Antonio has been a part of Texas almost since Texas was granted statehood. located adjacent to the Alamo and built in 1859, the Menger has hosted Presidents, Buffalo Bill, Geronimo, Babe Ruth, Robert E. Lee and more than one ghostly apparition. In fact, the Menger is considered to be one of the most haunted hotels on the globe and is believe by many to house at least thirty-two spirits from beyond.

One of these alleged spirits is a man who is dressed in a military uniform who is suspected of being Teddy Roosevelt, who as Secretary of Navy in 1898, recruited some his famous Rough Riders in the hotel bar. Bully!
Another suspected ghost is that of Captain Richard King, founder of the historic King Ranch. captain King fell ill while staying at the Menger and spent his final months there. He is said to be frequently seen standing in the doorway to the King Ranch Room. Of the many alleged spirits roaming the halls of the Menger, the most-seen is a lady named Sallie White. Sallie was a chambermaid at the hotel and was murdered there by her husband in 1876. Sallie is seen wearing an old gray skirt and a bandana, carrying towels that she never delivers. Her footsteps are reportedly heard in the hallways of the Menger, to the delight of many of the hotel's guests.

The Menger would be a great place to spend Halloween, in search of the spirits of  the long departed. and if you fail in your quest to see these ghosts, a few shots of tequila from the Menger Bar and you'll have all the spirits you need.

Plus One: The Wrap Up to Country Music Month - Bocephus

It's been a great Trip Through Time and Country Music over the last four weeks, but like all things, this too must end. We began our tribute with a bang with Garth Brooks, and now we're gonna end it with a BOOM! 

My favorite artist from any genre of music, bar none, is Hank Williams, Jr. I am very familiar with Hank's trials and tribulations over the years. He has told me about many of them in person, during the three times I had a chance to talk with him. As we drank shots of whiskey and nursed a few beers, Hank related to me one great story after another. Most of them were just general stories about the music biz, his role in it, his Dad (of course) and some other stuff. The one subject that Hank told me about was when on Augusta 8, 1975, he fell almost 500 feet down the side of Ajax Mountain in Montana. He went over the accident that nearly killed him in chilling detail. He probably would have fallen further down the side of the mountain except for one thing - a BFR. A Big Fuckin' Rock. He smashed into it face first into it and it opened his skull like it was on a door hinge, his brain exposed to the elements. Hank was hiking with his buddy, Dick Willey and Willey's son, Pete (I think, his name escapes me) when the accident happened. The senior Willey had to hike several miles back down Ajax to get help, while his son, who was about 10 years old, IIRC, tried to keep Hank awake and alert. The boy prove to be a hero. Hank told that if it hadn't been for the cold weather, he probably would have died right then and there. Two years of reconstructive surgery and rehab, including learning how to talk all over again, followed the fall down Ajax. Amazing story.

Already recorded prior to Hank's accident, was an album called Hank Williams, Jr and Friends. The link provides only clips of the songs, but I urge you to take a minute to listen to them. this album, in my opinion, is the single greatest album ever recorded. It was the single most influential album that initiated the Outlaw Movement in Country Music. I know, I know, Willie and Waylon and all that. I agree that W & W were the ones that popularized Outlaw Country, but Hank, Jr and Friends was before all that. Hank and Friends consists of nine songs that are my life set to music. It's the ultimate Country record. It's that great.

We know what many of Hank's hits are. Below I will list some of his better-known songs and some that aren't. But I promise you, they will all be good, and maybe you'll look at Hank from a different point of view.

• A Country Boy Can Survive - Arguably Hank's most popular song. A classic.
• Family Tradition - Another Bocephus classic.
• I've Got Rights - Justice, country style when the system fails.
• Country State of Mind - If the sun don't come up tomorrow, people I have had a good time.
• The American Way - Blue collar anthem.
• Hotel Whiskey - Clint Black makes a cameo.
• Honky Tonk Women - Hank rocks The Stones.
• Lone Wolf - I no longer run with the pack. 
• Outlaw's Reward - Gospel. Thinking of eternity.
• Whiskey On Ice - Whiskey on ice, women on fire.
• Feelin' Better - Becoming Bocephus. Waylon does harmony. Killer story.
• Blues Man - Bad ass tune. 
• Born to Boogie - Title cut from the 1986 Album of the Year

What a great way to end our tribute to Country Music Month. Hank Williams, Jr, who once had NINE albums in The Top 75 at one time (!), has a ton of YouTube pages with his music on them. Make time to listen to some of Hank's songs that were never released as singles. There's a treasure trove of kick ass Country tunes and songs that paint a vivid image in your mind that I think you'll really like.

New Sidebar Content!

On the sidebar to the right, I have included a new page element! It's an Open Invitation to YOU to be a contributor to Three States Plus One! It's a simple process. Write up something about one of the 50 United States and send to me at: threestatesplusone AT gmail DOT com. That's all there is to it! I'd love to see what you, the reader and aspiring writer, have to add to the blog's content. You DO NOT have to be a pro, just write an informative and/or entertaining article, send it to me and I'll look it over. That's it. Join the staff of Three States Plus One (that's me) and have some fun and share your knowledge with our ever-growing worldwide audience! Send your submission today!

Thanks,
Toby