National Telephone Day

Where would we be without our phones? Especially these days, they are key to keeping people in touch with loved ones, health care professionals, stores and the outside world.

It’s always been that way, though to a lesser extent of course! I remember the emotion and excitement in my family when we were scheduled to receive a call from my brother serving in Viet Nam – what an amazing feat of technology!

You may have read a story that circles around on social media now and then about a young boy, decades ago, who was often home alone after school and had learned that he had a terrific friend and helper on the other end of the phone by dialing “O” for operator. She helped him with spelling words, first aid, geography and even pet questions. Later in life, he learned that he had made an impact in her quiet, lonely life by giving her something to look forward to.

All of these questions could now be answered with a quick call to Siri or the like, but the personal connection is not there. We can watch movies and the news, listen in on webinars and play games, read books and take classes, but these are mostly done in a solitary manner without personal interactions.

When we had to re-invent our Maine walking tour business at the outbreak of COVID19, we thought of options of virtual tours or videos, among other possibilities. Our choice was to utilize the power of the phone, but we felt strongly about keeping the personal connection; we did not want to offer a recorded tour. Thus, our private, live TeleTour walks were born.

While taking one of our TeleTour walks, you’ll have the opportunity to interact, ask questions, say “wait a sec, I need to tie my shoe” or let passers by pet your dog for a minute. Even though I am not there guiding you in person, I am there to point out interesting architecture, caution you on crossing a particularly dangerous street or suggest photo opportunities. You can ask for recommendations on where to eat dinner or how to spend your last afternoon before leaving town.

Of course, you’re also getting a very informative tour of one of 11 Maine towns! All of our walking tours are historically based, but we often add twists such as ghost stories, mysteries, secrets, legends, famous folks, etc. These have been the ideal way to deal with social distancing, yet allow for people to still experience something fun and different while on vacation, or staycation. 

So, Happy National Telephone Day from Red Cloak Tours and we hope to “see” you on one of our TeleTours soon!

Strange Cyphers

This is from a newspaper dating to 1931, figures that were found on the body of a woman floating in the surf off of Southport, Maine that same year .

There are many questions surrounding these cyphers, besides what they might stand for – why might the woman have wrapped the card they were written on carefully in waxed paper to protect them if she was going to commit suicide as the authorities believed?

Why did she, a woman in her 30’s, travel alone from the Philadelphia/New York area to the summer town of Boothbay Harbor, Maine in December of 1931?

What prompted her to rip the labels out of most of her clothing and also to remove labels from her prescription bottles? Did she even check in to the hotel under her real name, signing in as Louise Meade?

She was determined to see “the Rockbound Coast of Maine” according to witnesses. So much so, that she walked about 6 miles, in high heels, in December, without a coat, to get to the wild, open coast!

Found several days later with a belt buckled around her wrists and an early electric iron cord (with iron) and her pocketbook handles tied up, also.

Another mystery involves this finding – many folks saw her walking those 6 miles and she was not carrying a bag large enough to hold a heavy iron and she was not wearing a belt.

Yet, the local police determined that she had committed suicide and the case was closed.  The woman was buried in an unmarked grave in a local cemetery due to the generosity of the townspeople. Can you help us figure out what these numbers and letters might mean? Do you have a missing person in your family genealogy that might be “Louise”?

 

 

Welcome!

Hello Friends, It has been a while! It was a busy winter, personally and business wise, but we are up and running and expecting a fantastic season!

It is just one week until the official start of summer and I think we (at least in the Northeast) are ready. We will be having a special Solstice Eve tour in Camden on Friday June 20 to celebrate.

This year we have added 2 new towns, Hallowell and Rockland, bringing our total to 7 fascinating Maine spots for history and mystery! I hope you can join us on one of these new Haunted History walks. We continue to have several Cemetery Tours available.

Something else new and different are “Ghosts on the Coast” river cruises with the Damariscotta River Tripper. We’ll be having one special 2 hour trip in July and one in August, both in the late afternoon, so that guests can enjoy the scenery as well as a few tales of mysteries and hauntings. If you’re interested in tickets, here is a link to the website. http://damariscottarivercruises.com/

There will be a new offering in Wiscasset beginning in July, but we’re not quite ready to divulge yet, stay tuned! Of course, we will continue to offer our Full Moon Tours and occasional specials as well.

In addition, our sister company, Mysterious Destinations, offers small group Lighthouse Lore trips (from 1 to 4 days), Paranormal Investigations once a month, and our annual Halloween “Overnight with Myrtle.” For further information, check the website. www.MysteriousDestinations.com.

We certainly hope to see you in some way or another soon – thanks for following!

Labor Day Tours

Hi there! Hasn’t this Maine weather been awesome! I hope it keeps up for the whole Labor Day Weekend! Everyone has so many fun things planned – what are your plans? Besides giving tours in the evenings, I will be involved at the Camden Windjammer Days – as a Pirate! Come and say hello if you’re there!

We have plenty of great Red Cloak Haunted History Tours planned for you – ghosts, superstitions, a witch, the mystery ship, a haunted lighthouse, funeral trivia, black mists and more! Please call or e-mail and we’ll set you up; yes, weather permitting, we’ll be giving tours all week!

It’s a beautiful evening for a stroll through “The City of Ships”

 Join us as we learn some of Bath’s early shipbuilding history and about some mystery ships! A few extra tales will be thrown in tonight for a young man who has a great interest in sailing ships. Of course, we’ll have all the regular mysteries and ghosts and superstitions as well! Call up until 7:15, 207-380-8306.

Tour Options Available

I’ve had a couple of requests lately for daytime walks – yes, we are certainly available for daytime tours if that is what works better for you and your group! Mysteries and ghosts are not around only in the evenings…

 Other options that we have for tours include (but are not limited to) fireside tales at your home or cottage (or maybe even inn), driving tours of midcoast haunts, historical tours only, camp or school groups, seafaring tales, private tours, cemetery tours, family reunions, birthday parties, themed tours, etc.

Of course some of the above would need advance notice, some would have a different price structure, and all would be based on availablity.

Special Full Moon Walk

A Full Moon evening lantern tour will explore Damariscotta, discovering ghosts and history, spirits and mystery! Buildings that once seemed ordinary will take on eerie new dimensions as The Lady in the Red Cloak relives their history and that of the ghostly entities that are said to still reside there. Learn a little about Damariscotta’s past and The Mystery Ship, Myrtle, Grandpa’s Ghost, and more on a 90 minute walk; fairly easy and appropriate for all ages. $12 for adults, $7 children under 12, free children under 5. By reservation only; please call or e-mail. 207-380-3806

quote of the day (but not everyday) – “Time is a brisk wind, for each hour it brings something new… but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, its mystery and its design?” ~ Paracelsus. don’t forget to set your clocks ahead tonight!

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, MA on this date, 1809. Poe is best known for his tales of mystery, horror, and the macabre.

quote of the day (but not every day) — “There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery.” ~Joseph Conrad. There will be a full moon in midcoast Maine this weekend!