The ‘Coolest Hidden Wonder in Maine’ May Also Be Haunted

Our Pine Tree State has many cool, hidden wonders, but according to this publication, this one is far and away the ‘coolest.’

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Choosing the 'coolest hidden wonder' in Maine can be tricky because if it's so cool and hidden, how do we even know about it? Once a hidden wonder is discovered, you might wonder if it’s still cool.

'Cool' is also subjective, and what one person finds fascinating, another might not.

Sandi Hemmerlein on Stacker recently highlighted ‘the coolest hidden wonders in every US state,’ and not to get ahead of ourselves, but Maine’s is pretty cool.

To determine the coolest hidden wonders in every US state, Stacker utilized data from Atlas Obscura and developed a unique methodology based on the ‘travel rarity ratio.’

This ratio was calculated by dividing the number of ‘want to visit’ votes by the number of ‘been here’ votes for each location. Only places with at least 100 ‘been here’ votes were considered.

This method used the data to highlight destinations that many people were interested in visiting but few had actually visited, ensuring a list of truly hidden gems.

So, what is Maine’s pick for the ‘coolest hidden wonder’ in Maine?

Maine’s pick was, surprise, surprise, a lighthouse. The Boon Island Light in York, ME, was chosen as our state’s ‘coolest hidden wonder.’

Hemmerlein had the following to say about Boon Island Light:

It makes sense that a lighthouse would be built on an island that's proven treacherous for sea vessels. It's clearly where a guiding light is needed most. But the tallest lighthouse in New England—Boon Island Light—was established on a site of a shipwreck so tragic the only way the survivors made it out alive was by eating their ill-fated fellow sailors' dead bodies. While you can see Boon Island Light from afar from the shore, the truly brave board a boat to get a closer view. As it's a working lighthouse, no interior access is currently available. However, you can see the 137-foot-tall lighthouse from a few key spots, including Sohier Park, York Harbor Beach, and Long Sands Beach.

Additionally, with Boon Island Light being a lighthouse with such a dangerous journey, so it's no surprise that there are haunted stories associated with it.

Allan Wood from New England Lighthouse Stories shares the tale of hauntings at Boon Island Light in Maine. One of the most chilling stories is about a lighthouse keeper's bride who went insane after her husband's death. You can read more about the lighthouse and the hauntings here.

What are your thoughts on Maine’s ‘coolest hidden wonder?'