Biddeford Pool, ME
Est 1808; present lighthouse built 1858.
47 feet, light is 71 feet above water.

The history of Wood Island at the mouth of the Saco River is replete with ghosts, murder, and even a famous dog. And then there is the story of the lobsterman. It’s a strange story, so click above and read on.

Jeremy’s Lighthouse Guide #32

One of the best-known Wood Island legends concerns a lobsterman and special policeman who lived on the island with his wife. The man was to have been a giant who easily carried his dory on his shoulders.

A younger man then took up residence on the island. One day the lobsterman found his new neighbor wandering drunk with a rifle in his arms and told the man to hand over the weapon. The younger man refused and fired the rifle at the lobsterman, mortally wounding him in the abdomen. The young man went to the lighthouse, where Keeper Thomas Orcutt advised him to give himself up to the authorities. The man returned to his shack and put a bullet in his own head. Strange events have been reported over the years at Wood Island, and some blame the ghost of the murdered lobsterman.

Thomas Orcutt served as keeper of Wood Island Light for 19 years. His dog, Sailor, became famous for ringing the station's fog bell with his mouth (or paws, according to one account). The dog was said to possess almost human intelligence. Sailor died in Orcutt's arms just a year before the keeper himself died.

In the 1960s a storm swept Wood Island's fog bell into the ocean. The bell was later recovered and is now on display at Vine's Landing in Biddeford Pool.

In early 2003, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation was formed to care for the light station. The Maine Audubon Society manages most of the rest of the island, and some of it is privately owned. Wood Island Light, still an active aid to navigation, can be seen from a trail along the water in Biddeford Pool and distantly from the Old Orchard Beach area.

For more on the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, visit their web site.. For much more HISTORY of this lighthouse, click here.

Copyright 2005 by Jeremy D'Entremont,New England Lighthouses
Photos are the property of the author and may not be used without permission.
Photos above from Jeremy D'Entremont.