For two centuries, Parsonsfield Seminary in Maine served as an educational institution, and for a time, was even part of the Underground Railroad. As you can imagine, it’s seen it’s fair share of residents over the years, but according to locals, many of them never left.
Parsonsfield Seminary, which is made up of four large buildings, is not only one of the area’s most beloved National Historical Sites, it also has a reputation as being one of the most haunted locations in Maine. Lucky for us paranormal enthusiasts, they’ve embraced both their spooky reputation and the ghost hunters who’ve made it a paranormal hotspot.
Originally founded by the Free Will Baptists, the Parsonsfield Seminary was a fully-functioning high school from 1832 all the way up to 1949 when it was forced to close its doors due to underfunding. During the 1840s, students and teachers even housed fugitive slaves in the seminary, sheltering them as they made their way from the South to find freedom in Canada.
Throughout the years a number of documented deaths have taken place on the grounds of the campus, some of which occurred during a mysterious fire in 1953. Flames began to pour out of the building around midnight, and though an investigation was conducted, a suspect was never caught, nor was the reasoning behind the blaze ever discovered.
“The bell tower flickered in flames while the children ran from its pillar-brick walls…” principal Oren Burbank Cheney told Bates Student: A Monthly Magazine.
Not only was much of the school completely destroyed, but five people were believed to have died during the fire: three students and two fugitive slaves. These are just a few of the spirits said to linger on the grounds of Parsonsfield Seminary to this day.
In 1986, Parsonsfield Seminary closed its doors, seemingly for good, and plans to knock the aging buildings down and build a recreation school house were set in motion. Fortunately a group of concerned citizens came to the rescue and founded the “Friends of Par Sem”, volunteering their time to the property and successfully saving the historical site from the wrecking ball. It was when the non-profit group began the daunting task of refurbishing the buildings back to their original states, that many volunteers began to experience some of the strange activity that the seminary has become famous for today.
Volunteers began reporting that the higher in elevation they would climb in both the Academy Building and Doe Hall, the more uncomfortable they would become, citing mysterious headaches, nausea, and the unshakable feeling that a pair of unseen eyes was watching their every move.
Children’s voices were often reported echoing loudly through the dorms, and during a restoration project in the Academy Buildings, the workers came back after varnishing the floors only to discover mysterious footprints in their work. The steps only took a few paces before disappearing completely.
The strangest and most prominent phenomena, though, appeared to be an overwhelming sense of sadness which enveloped visitors to Parsonsfield Seminary. Many who walked on the property felt the unshakable embrace of sorrow, one that was so strong, some couldn’t stay in the building for more than a short while.
Members of the paranormal investigation team Haunt ME, who visited the buildings during the filming of their television show’s third season, documented these feelings of immense sadness for themselves, but they also captured something else: an overpowering, aggressive male spirit.
According to a handful of mediums who’ve paid a visit the buildings at Parsonsfield Seminary, Doe Hall is home to a malevolent male entity, who during life, would often visit the girls dormitory and approach students for sex.
Visitors to the haunted seminary will often notice that doors to the rooms in the dorms will both open and close on their own. Some have even reported having their hair touched or pulled on the 3rd floor of Doe Hall, which might coincide with the male entity believed to inhabit that area.
Somewhat alarmingly, people have even found themselves pushed both up and down the stairs by pairs of unseen hands. This type of phenomena is often accompanied by the sounds of children’s footsteps running away.
Parsonsfield Seminary continues to be cared for and restored thanks to volunteers like Friends of Par Sem and paranormal investigations teams like Haunt ME who are able to give it the proper attention it deserves. If you’re from New England and you’re looking for a new investigation spot, or you’re just passing through and want to take an afternoon to visit a beautifully-restored historical site, make sure to include the haunted Parsonsfield Seminary in your agenda. With your support, Parsonsfield Seminary will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
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