Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Vanished town underwater

Well this is something that I had never thought of -- with all its various dams and whatnot, Maine's rivers must have some areas where local populations' homes wound up underwater in the name of progress. A USA Today article mentions one of these places, which sounds fascinating and well worth checking out:

Flagstaff Lake, Maine
"In 1949, the towns of Dead River and Flagstaff were flooded when a dam was built on the Dead River," Torkells says. "If you canoe on Flagstaff Lake, and the water is low enough, you'll see building foundations, cellar holes, even artifacts. It's pretty creepy. The ghost of an elderly resident, who refused to leave after the flood, is reported to be hanging around. The lake is in western Maine on Route 27 between Stratton and Eustis." 207-246-2271; www.mainemuseums.org/htm/museumdetail.php3?orgID=1616

6 comments:

Chris said...

I was telling my nieces about this recently, and assured them that all the people got out in time. Guess I'll have to eat my words.

Anonymous said...

the goverment paid all the people of the town to move out b4 they broke the dam to flood the town, every one got out and no one was killed, i should know i live here lol

Anonymous said...

My family has known of this for many years, and they all have been aware of that one person that stayed behind, but i can't remember whether it was a man or a woman... I'll have to ask my grandma at her 90th BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

Michelle Souliere said...

Please do! I'd love to hear more stories from the folks that lived there. Have yet to make the trek up yet myself, but someday... :)

Anonymous said...

i hail from farmington ME and have visited the lake and i hear it was an old man and his dog... i know locals up there and they talk about how the lake gets hungry in the winter... weird tales are told in low voices in those places. this is true... just ask the old locals,or hang at the white wolf or the plaza..

Penelope said...

I am originally from Maine and have been on Kodiak Island, Alaska for 34years. My son is a commercial diver and I would like him to visit and dive these underwater towns...what an adventure it would be!