Haunted happenings at Thomas Hill Standpipe
A boy died after a fall on the stairs in 1940.
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - Have you ever wondered why Bangor’s Thomas Hill Standpipe is open to the public only four times a year?
Decades ago, the Thomas Hill Standpipe was open to the public, but that all changed when tragedy struck.
“The story goes back to 1940,” said Matt Bishop, Curator of the Bangor Historical Society.
He says 80 years ago, two boys were playing on the staircase to the top.
“One of these boys fell over the railing, fell in between the water tank in the inside stair and the outside façade,” he said. “He would pass of his wounds and his injuries the next day.”
For more than 50 years after the accident, it was closed, until the Bangor Water District reopened it for tours four times a year.
Legend has it, those that started visiting - weren’t alone.
“People when they’ve been going up the stairs on the inside, they’ve kind of heard footsteps, and they’ve been right next to them when they’ve been walking up,” said Bishop. “There are other people talking and children talking and laughing as they are walking up even though they know there are no children in the area. It’s more often in the night, just that sound of the extra footsteps right next to you when they are walking up to go to the view of the observation deck.”
The story has perhaps been fueled by a well known Bangor resident.
“It’s definitely there, with the help of Stephen King and some of his literature and works,” he said. “It’s kind of a home for Pennywise who is underneath the water tower in those stories. It’s definitely one that could’ve been taken from this true story that didn’t happen. It definitely helps the legend kind of get flushed out a little bit more.”
He went on to say, “It’s a tough one. You can definitely hear things and things echo, but I gotta go with the majority of the people that do hear those people walking right next to them. I wouldn’t necessarily say haunted in a bad way, but there is definitely energy in the building.”
So what should we do on our next visit?
“Don’t go alone, and definitely listen,” he advises.
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