The Chapman Inn is the only officially “Certified Haunted” inn in western Maine.  After many years of strange happenings here at the inn, a certified paranormal investigator was called upon to do an in depth study of the Chapman Inn.  Some of the many unexplained events include doors that open and close by themselves, footsteps where no one is there, and cold drafts in closed rooms, even during the summer.  Female voices, one very young, have been heard emanating from empty rooms.  There have been two reported sightings of a black cat that exited the room quickly when the room was entered.  Normally this would not be an issue, except the cat left the room through a solid wall.

Our paranormal investigator spent several days on this investigation, utilizing all of the modern and accepted techniques, including electronic detection and  monitoring.   His summation indicated that the inn is definitely haunted, and almost certainly by at least two entities.  He feels certain that one of the spirits is very likely that of Abigail Chapman, who was the invalid daughter of William Rogers Chapman, an early and long time owner of the home. 

Abigail Chapman was not a healthy child, and indeed was so precarious that William Chapman brought into the home a companion/nanny for her.  Throughout Abigail’s short life(she died at the age of 16) her companion was her only friend and social outlet.  After Abigail passed away, the companion stayed on in the house, although in a somewhat different capacity. .  When William Chapman died in 1927, he left a widow and several children, as well as a substantial fortune.  However, the home, along with enough money to operate it, he left in trust, for as long as she lived or chose to live here, to the companion, whom, rumor has it,  had at some point become William Chapman’s mistress.  While the widow went to New York and enjoyed the life of a socialite, the companion stayed in Bethel and lived in this house until the day she died, in 1957. 

The investigator theorized, with good evidence,  that even after death Abigail would not leave her only friend, and stayed on in spirit to be close to her.  The investigator went on to state that there is  very compelling evidence to indicate that there are two spirits who inhabit the inn.  It is his professional opinion that the other spirit is that of the companion, who has also chosen to remain on this side, and that they will spend eternity forever united.

Over the years, it has become apparent that certain people are more sensitive to the unexplained events here at the inn than others.   Though some will scoff at the thought of ghosts, we can testify that “something” inhabits the inn, and we leave it to the individual guest to decide for themselves what it is.