Seguin Island Lighthouse

History

Way up in the northeastern corner of the U.S, perched high on its own little barren island made of rock, sits Seguin Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse, located at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Georgetown, Maine, is the second lighthouse ever built in Maine (after Portland Head) and one of the oldest in the U.S. The little island of rock, located in an area that is frequently shrouded in fog — in the record year 1907, keepers logged well over 2,300 hours of fog — and hammered with cold, high winds, seemed almost designed by nature to harbor a lighthouse.

Merchants pushed for a lighthouse here for years, and in 1795, under President George Washington, the government ordered one built. Construction was supervised by Henry Dearborn, later Jefferson’s Secretary of War, and a notice in late October 1796 announced the buildings were complete. The first keeper, appointed in March 1796 at $200 a year, was Major John Polereczky, a Hungarian-born hussar who had fought with the French in the American Revolution.

Seguin Island Light holds the title of highest lighthouse in Maine: the light is about 180 feet above sea level. The original wooden tower was replaced in 1819–20, and again in 1857, when the present 53-foot granite tower went up and received a first-order Fresnel lens. It’s the only first-order lens still operating in Maine, and you can stand right beside it on a tower tour. Because of all that fog, the station had one of the most powerful fog signals on the coast; keepers said it was once heard in Bath, 14 miles away. The light was tended by keepers until it was automated in 1985. The last Coast Guard keeper, Edward T. Brown, hated leaving.

The ghost stories (legend)

The history of Seguin Island Light Station is filled with strange and tragic stories. One often-repeated tale says the first keeper died penniless and boatless on the island and has haunted his successors ever since. The records don’t really support that: Polereczky served until about 1802 and later lived in Dresden, Maine, where he was town clerk. Either way, there have been sightings of a ghost who has been named the “Old Captain”. He is usually seen climbing the staircase of the tower as if heading upstairs to tend to the light.

The best-known story dates to the 1985 automation, as told by lighthouse historian William O. Thomson. A crew came to remove the furniture from the keeper’s house and spent the night. The officer in charge was awakened in the middle of the night by the “Old Captain” who asked him not to take the furniture and to leave his home alone. The man didn’t grant the request and the next day after the furniture had been loaded onto a boat and was being lowered into the water, the cable mysteriously snapped. The boat and everything in it fell onto the rocks below and were smashed into pieces. It appears the “Old Captain” got his way after all.

Another frequent sighting is that of a young girl running up and down the stairs and waving to those who see her. She has also been heard laughing and bouncing a ball in a room upstairs. Coast Guard keepers told Thomson about her, and she’s said to be the ghost of a keeper’s daughter who died on the island; there are small graves on Seguin.

Perhaps the most famous legend, and the least documented, is that of a 19th-century keeper who was driven insane and murdered his wife, then took his own life. Legend states the caretaker brought his wife to live with him at the lighthouse shortly after they were married. As time went by, she became depressed and sullen and he bought her a piano to help cheer her up.

Unfortunately, she didn’t memorize music and had to play from sheet music. Since she had only had one piece of sheet music on the island, she played the same song over and over until her husband finally took an axe to the piano and to her, and then killed himself.

No record of such a murder has ever been found, and some locals say the story really belongs to nearby Pond Island Light. Still, passing boats have reported that the sound of faint piano music coming from the island can be heard floating out over the waves on still, calm evenings.

Additional accounts of the paranormal include doors opening and closing by themselves, mysterious cold spots, coats being thrown onto the floor, tools disappearing and reappearing at random, and coughing from an unseen source, all reported by keepers over the years.

How strong is the lore? Strong in volume, mixed in quality. The furniture story and the little girl come from keepers through a named historian; the piano murder is pure legend.

Visiting today (checked November 2026)

Seguin is an offshore island about two miles off the mouth of the Kennebec River, so you need a boat. There is no road, ferry terminal or street address. The Friends of Seguin Island Light Station (FOSILS) say the island is scheduled to be open each year from June 1 through Labor Day, with volunteer keepers giving museum and tower tours; there is no admission charge, though donations are welcome.

• 2026: Tower tours were paused in early summer 2026 while the tower was being worked on and resumed in August, according to FOSILS updates. The season is over: the keepers have left, the buildings are closed, and the moorings and floats were taken in on October 2. The staffed season usually starts around June 1.
• Off-season: FOSILS says “the island itself is always open” and the beach can be reached by small boat, landing “the old-fashioned way.” Do this only if you are an experienced boater; the cove is exposed.
• Getting there in season: by private boat (FOSILS has moorings) or with local charter or excursion boats from the Popham/Phippsburg, Bath and Boothbay Harbor areas. Schedules change each year; FOSILS (207-443-4808) is the best place to ask.
• Climbing: Yes, when keepers are on the island and the tower is open. The trail up from the cove to the summit is steep.
• Camping: FOSILS members can reserve a campsite ($10 per person per night donation); overnight stays in the Keeper’s House are being restructured (details).

FAQ

Is the Seguin Island piano legend true?

The legend says a keeper’s lonely wife played the same piece of music over and over until her husband snapped. On calm nights, passing boats are said to hear faint piano music. There’s no historical record of the murder.

Can you visit Seguin Island?

Yes, by boat. The island is staffed roughly June 1 to Labor Day, with free museum and tower tours when the tower is open. Out of season the buildings are closed, though the island itself stays open.

Who else haunts the island?

The Old Captain, seen climbing the tower stairs, and a little girl who laughs and bounces a ball upstairs.

More haunted lighthouses in New England

Read about Owls Head Lighthouse and New London Ledge.

Sources

• Friends of Seguin Island Light Station: Seguin Happenings: season closing, beach access
• FOSILS: Stay on the Island: season dates, camping
• Jeremy D’Entremont, New England Lighthouses: Seguin Light history: first keeper, 1857 tower, automation, ghost accounts
• FOSILS: The Fresnel Lens: first-order lens
• FOSILS: Seguin Island News: 2026 tower tours

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