Ghosts put on hold in Hallowell

The Kennebec Journal reported on the latest steps in CMPI's efforts to do an investigation at Hallowell's city hall building. Sounds like they really don't want them there, but don't want to come out and say it!

No ghost hunters yet for Hallowell City Hall
March 9
By Betty Adams, Staff Writer

HALLOWELL -- Paranormal investigators won't be seeking poltergeists at Hallowell City Hall anytime soon.

City councilors on Monday sent the investigators' requests back to the Property Committee to resolve some confusions.

In January, Holly Cooper of Central Maine Paranormal Investigations asked to observe City Hall for evidence of paranormal activity. The matter was referred to the Property Committee.

The committee then recommended the paranormal investigators carry liability insurance naming the city as insured, and that a police officer supervise the setup and takedown of equipment.

City Manager Todd Shea said one of the paranormal investigators he spoke with indicated the group does not purchase liability insurance.

Other councilors too wanted to be sure that the investigators would pick up the cost if police are called to for special duty to supervise the setup.

Mayor Charlotte Warren suggested possibly requiring a deposit.

Councilor Peter Schumacher will seek clarification of the issue at the next Property Committee meeting.

Hallowell City Hall, at 1 Winthrop St., was constructed in 1898-1899 in the Classical Revival style. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, because it located in Hallowell's Historic District.
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Read full article here:
http://www.kjonline.com/news/ghost-hunt-stalled-at-hallowell-city-hall_2011-03-08.html

Back in January, Ms. Cooper broached the subject of an investigation at the council meeting. According to the meeting minutes, the request is very mild and unobtrusive in nature: "She asked to be able to come into city hall at night for a few hours to record some of the strange paranormal activities that have been reported. She will put together a package of what they document."

For those interested in seeing more of Hallowell's great wealth of historic buildings, there is a wonderful list of them which can be used as a walking tour on this page:
http://hallowell.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={724BEFBA-4433-4E61-A6AD-04BC4A89956C}
Also at hallowell.govoffice.com you will also find a brief history of the town, which rests on the banks of the Kennebec River, and aerial photos of the region which give a clear image of its presence on the riverside, as well as a detailed account of the ongoing restorations of their City Hall.

Lucky catch in Hallowell

There are fish stories, and then there are fish stories to end all fish stories. It sounds like a morning where you're glad you got a chance to drink your coffee before all the excitement started.

ANGLER SAVES LIFE
BY SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer, Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel

HALLOWELL -- Bob Greene saved a man's life with his fishing pole early Thursday morning. Greene, 42, said he was drinking a cup of coffee and waiting for the sun to rise over the Kennebec River around 4:30 a.m. when he heard what he thought was a bird making noise in the distance.
...
He figures about 20 minutes passed.

Then he saw what he first thought was a log.

A second later, he realized it was a man bobbing down the river, and heard a faint call of "help."

Michael Gibbs, 25, of Augusta told police he jumped into the river from the Cushnoc Crossing bridge in Augusta -- a 114-foot high span commonly known as the third bridge.
...
Greene said his first instinct was to jump in -- he took his wallet out of his pocket just in case -- but a 911 dispatcher told him to throw something in to try to save Gibbs instead.

He set down his cell phone so he could cast his 7-foot spinning rod and Okuma reel with 25-pound line. It landed about 2 feet beyond Gibbs, who Greene estimated was about 35 yards from shore. The Chug Bug lure -- a 4-inch long lure with three small hooks on the end -- snagged Gibbs' shirt near his shoulder.

"It was a struggle to get him out of the current so I could reel him in," Greene said.

An experienced fisherman who makes fishing rods for a living, Greene said he knew he had to be careful not to snap the line.

"He had a pretty good hook on him and was slowly reeling him in when the officer arrived," [Hallowell Police Chief Eric] Nason said.

Click here to read the full story: [Source]

Purrinton Massacre Update

In the May-June 2006 issue of the Kennebec Current, a newsletter put out by the Kennebec Historical Society, a new finding in the case of the infamous ax murders of the Purrinton Massacre (see original posting here) has been reported:
Gravesite of Purrin(g)ton Family Found
On July 9, 1806, Betsey Purrinton and six of her eight children were brutally slain by Capt. James Purrinton, Betsey’s husband and the children’s father. A son, James, escaped with minor injuries. One of the daughters survived for several weeks after the horrific incident, but eventually succumbed to her injuries.

The murders occurred at the family’s farmstead on Old Belgrade Road, not far from the home of Martha Ballard, who chronicled them and their aftermath in her now-famous diary. The funeral at the South Parish Meeting House on Market Square drew a large crowd. Mrs. Purrinton and her children were buried in the northeast corner of what was then the Burnt Hill Cemetery, now a part of Mount Vernon Cemetery. Capt. Purrinton was buried in the highway at the corner of Winthrop and High streets.

When Charles E. Nash wrote his history of Augusta a century later, he stated that the family’s gravesite location had been lost from the community’s memory. Several weeks ago, however, it was rediscovered. Lee Cranmer, an archaeologist with the Maine Historic Preservation Commisson, and a Augusta city crew under the auspices of the Augusta Historic Preservation Commisson, searched Mount Vernon Cemetery for the gravesite and they found it.

The Augusta Heritage Coalition, whose members include Old Fort Western Museum, the Augusta Historic Preservation Commisson, and the Kennebec Historical Society, intends to mark the gravesite and will invite the community to a memorial event to be held sometime in July. Interestingly, the surname Purrin(g)ton is spelled with and without a “g,” sometimes even within the same reference source.

Purington Massacre -- Hallowell

Well, good news from the Hallowell inquiry. I had a response from an anonymous poster which put me on the trail of a mind-boggling event from Augusta & Hallowell's history. I'm not sure if it's the same massacre related to the green glow phenomenon I'm trying to find out about, but either way it is a serious piece of Maine history.

Thank you, Anonymous, for the tip. It is extremely helpful to have names and dates to work with. I did turn up some more information about the Purington (or Purrinton) Murders, including an image of a handbill about a graphic booklet printed after the murders.
The info comes from Martha Ballard's diary (as in "The Midwife's Tale" mentioned by Anonymous).

Above is a small version of the handbill or flyleaf. The fullsize original can be found by clicking on the "handbill" link above. Please note the graphic at the bottom of the image of the coffin with axe and razor. Stark and stunning.

In addition, I found a site mentioning that during its investigations around Augusta, focusing on AMHI, the North East Paranormal Society spoke with an Augusta historian and saw the ax which was allegedly used for the murders. To quote: "Upon entering her office she also stunned us with a piece of Purington history, the axe which had been found around 1988 by a man who was eager to try out his new metal detector. The axe was unveiled nearly two feet under the roadway where Captain Purington is believed to be buried, after having it checked out it does appear to be an axe dating back to the late 1700's and early 1800's."

According to Martha Ballard's accounts, Purington was buried with his murder weapons (a foundation for a ghost story if there ever was one!).

I'm going to see if I can find a copy of the account of the murder as seen above. Stay tuned!

--Michelle