To the outside world, Maine is vacationland ripe with rugged coastlines and vast wilderness. Anyone who has spent any time here knows the real treasure of Maine exists in its people and their legends. The area is ripe with tales of phantom voices, misty figures and things that go bump in the night.
Many of the ghost sightings in Maine consist of phantom images or voices that appear in the same time and place, completing the same tasks. They don’t interact with the observer – in fact, they act as though the observer doesn’t even exist. These “haunted” locations are likely the result of a residual haunting.
Paranormal experts tell us that a residual haunting, or a residual ghost, cannot interact with the observer because it really isn’t there – it only appears to be. But, that shouldn’t be confused with mere imagination.
The theory behind residual haunts or residual ghosts is that the image or sound was somehow imprinted on the environment during a period of intense emotion – often, but no always, a traumatic event. This image then replays similar to the replaying of a movie. Those present see and hear the event as though it was still happening.
How this happens, no one really knows for sure – but most experts agree that certain geological features of the land make it more common. Two of those features – water and rock formation – are abundant in most parts of Maine.
If you are experiencing phantom sounds – like footsteps in the hall every night at 10pm, or the eerie sound of people singing in the night - you may be hearing the sounds of events that occurred long ago. Likewise, images that appear regularly – whether it is every night or each year in June – and appear to be going about their business with total disregard to you, you are likely dealing with a residual ghost.
Of course, not all Maine ghosts go their merry way performing familiar tasks. Some, like the eerie presence at the Cushman Cemetery in Springfield, or the ghostly activity at the Edith Lombard Elementary School, interact with observers to make themselves known.
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