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Walking to the Spookiest Rock in Smuttynose, Maine
Smuttynose Island is only half a mile long, but has a history spanning centuries. Prehistoric arrowheads were recently unearthed under remnants of a 16th-century English fishing settlement, and gold doubloons have been found in the island’s intertidal zone. On the far eastern point of the island is Maren’s Rock, the feature in the 1873 Smuttynose axe-murders. On a cold March night, a fisherman named Luis Wagner allegedly rowed out to the island and murdered two of the three women living there. The third woman, Maren, hid under the rock until morning. Wagner was tried and hung, but many in the area began to wonder if Maren herself committed the crime. For any New England history buff, the rock is a must-see. With low stonewalls and winding paths lined with lilac bushes, Smuttynose is a beautiful destination for any ambitious walker.
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