Discover The Dark History Of Shipwrecks And Dangerous Storms, Of Man Versus Nature And Cannibalism
On December 11 of 1710, the Gulf of Maine was choppy, the wind whipping the sails of the British merchant ship Nottingham Galley. The raging storm ended with the ship crashing into Boon Island, where ten out of the fourteen crewmen managed to stay alive with no food and no fire for 24 days, before they were finally rescued.
Boon Island “doesn't have any romance,” said Executive Director of the American Lighthouse Foundation Bob Trapani. Instead, it has a history of shipwrecks and dangerous storms…a history of man versus nature at its most intense and raw…a history of cannibalism.
After the Nottingham Galley crashed, two crewmen drowned soon after when they attempted to reach the mainland on an improvised raft. Later, two men died from their injuries. These bodies were later a source of food for the starving men left on the island. The horrifying experience is still notorious today.
“This wreck set the tone for the island going forward,” said Trapani. “Legend has it that Boon Island got its name from local fishermen, who would leave barrels of provisions on the island for anybody that was shipwrecked.”
While Trapani noted that he doesn't believe Boon Island is haunted, “there's a lot of forlorn feelings about this place.” “It's just bleak,” he explains. At its highest point, Boon Island is just 14 feet above sea level. To visitors, Boon Island appears to be a floating lighthouse, a shadowy figure behind the fog, waves crashing at its base.
The first lighthouse on Boon Island was built on 1811 after the island had already claimed a large number of ships over the years. The current lighthouse is 137 feet tall. About eight to nine miles offshore, “anybody can take a look at it and notice that its sitting out in an unprotected area where, historically, it's filled with storm damage, people climbing up the lighthouse to escape floods.”
For this reason, many keepers did not like it out there, he noted. Not only was Boon Island Lighthouse isolated, it was dangerous. One keeper, a Maine native named William C. Williams, stayed out on the island from 1885 to 1911, the longest stay at any lighthouse. Deemed too dangerous for his family, his wife and children lived on shore.
Boon Island Lighthouse remained staffed until 1978, when the Great Blizzard of '78 did an estimated $100,000 worth of damage to the station. The two light keepers on the island had to retreat from the winter storm, taking shelter in the light chamber as the water rose five feet up the tower. They were rescued by helicopter the next day. The lighthouse is now powered by solar power, like most modern lighthouses.
“There's just storm after storm,” said Trapini. “And there was no place to hide. Many keepers feared for their lives. Nobody was even certain how long it could stand against the waves, the water, the storms.”
The lighthouse and island's eerie nature is what makes it a must-see, says Trapini. To the lighthouse expert, Boon Island Lighthouse appears to be a pencil rising from the sea. “Even the color,” he noted. “It's granite, grey, brown... There's not a warm and fuzzy feeling about this place. It's one of those lights that's a testament to our eternal battle with the sea.”
One of Maine's most compelling and dangerous lighthouses, Boon Island is not just a place that gives visitors the creeps. It's also inspiring. “I hope people can appreciate the hardships, sacrifice and dedication it took for people just like you and I to be able to keep a light burning bright there for all the sailors,” Trapini explains. “That helps us better appreciate traveling today. It helps to know the human context, the struggle over the 150 years, people staying at a place like this.”
Staring into the fog off the Gulf of Maine, visitors marvel at the stark lighthouse, whispering and wondering about Boon Island and all of its stories. Haunted by countless shipwrecks and plagued with violent storms and crashing waves, Boon Island is a place of mystery, a collector of secrets that are stored miles off the shore. While it's no surprise that the island is no longer inhabited, it's often shocking how the grim shadow through the fog can hold so many stories.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Stay:
Flaggs RV Resort, just 500 feet from Long Sands Beach, and close to an array of great outlet shopping, a variety of restaurants and York's Wild Kingdom, the area's largest zoo and amusement park.