One of the phantom legends of Harpswell, and perhaps one of the best, was put into poetry by one of America’s best known poets; namely, John Greenleaf Whittier. His poem was called, “The Dead Ship of Harpswell.” It was written in 1866 and was inspired by the legendary tale told to the younger set by their grandfathers and grandmothers. I suppose a few great-grandmothers and grandfathers also told the ghostly tale. The preceding words of phantom legend will give you a bit of atmosphere when you arrive on Harpswell.
As you go down this peninsula check all coves and inlets with your instrument. Leave nothing uninvestigated, as this area is one of several that was abandoned in the late 1600’s due to Indian uprisings.
I would give my special attention to Pott’s Point; this point is located on the very end of the neck and a good place for pirates or smugglers to land and hide a chest of doubloons, pieces-of-eight or other booty taken from some poor unfortunate vessel that came into their grasp. Check the beach area, then go into the interior of the “Point.” Many treasures have been buried under a large tree or boulder that was a thousand yards from the shore. If you see a rocky cave or large boulder check them for mysterious markings, such as crosses, circles, arrows and such, carved or cut into the rocky surface. Some of these hidden treasures have been located by following a crude direction sign left by a cut-throat on a rocky ledge or in a rocky cave.
Use your probing rods as you check with the detector. The exact center of the location of any buried object can be determined much more easily with the probe. Your camera also is a much needed piece of equipment. You can record your treasure hunting progress on film for viewing by your interested treasure-seeking friends. Study your movies or still pictures with your associates. Maybe some suggestions by them would be of real help to you on your next treasure expedition.
CHAPTER XXIII
SHELTER ISLAND
“Shelter Island,” as you pronounce the name, it sounds almost like “Treasure Island” of Robert Louis Stevenson fame. It not only sounds like it, but this island comes as close to “Treasure Island” as any island in the entire bay. We don’t seem to read or hear too much about this small island in the very middle of Casco Bay. It is more or less hidden from the open sea and was a perfect hiding place for the smuggler and privateer who plied these waters while trying to escape and hide from the revenue cutters.
What I have just mentioned in the preceding paragraph should make a treasure hunter’s ears stand up. This island was not a refuge for smugglers and pirates only; it also was a refuge for the early settlers of Mere Point on the mainland. The settlers would be driven from the mainland by vicious attacks from the Indians, and they would flee to their blockhouse on Shelter Island. This blockhouse was built for this exact purpose, so you can imagine what you might find on this island in the way of buried treasure; not only artifacts from the early settler days, but also relics from the old days of smuggling and privateering.
The location of Shelter Island is as follows: Take the Harpswell road from Brunswick on Route 1 and proceed about half way down the Harpswell Neck, then go to the northern side of the shoreline. There you will see Shelter Island just off shore. The Author has never been over to the island, but has seen it from a distance. It looks very inviting as a spot to do some real down-to-earth treasure hunting.
On my trip to Harpswell, I think that I would inquire as to the ownership of this little island, and try to include it in my tour of treasure hunting locations. Here is a nice area for the metal detector and probe to do their work. I think, with any luck at all, you should locate something of treasure value here.
Please check as to trespassing rights before you land here. It’s better to be safe than sorry. I most certainly would check the coves and beaches very carefully, especially any good landing place for a longboat.