Spirits come alive through stories in Sanford

Oct. 25—It was a clear, dark night Friday, the kind of night for a stroll through downtown Sanford.

Not just any stroll, but a Scary Walk. A group of about 30 people of all ages made the walk and learned much of Sanford's history as well as the spirits that are believed to still dwell in some of the buildings along South Steele Street.

Local historian Jimmy Haire and Donna Strickland of the Spirits of Sanford, a group that investigates mysterious happenings in the area, shared stories on the walk that began at the Railroad House.

Haire shared stories that included much about Sanford — before it was actually a town — and of some of the more prominent residents and their achievements.

One was J.B. Coulter and his wife who had a jewelry store on Moore Street. One day, the couple took a train to the State Fair on weekday. They returned that evening. Several people learned of the trip and sought tips on what to see and do, Haire said.

Coulter was said to have replied that he had a good time, but ate something that wasn't agreeing with his digestive system and that he hadn't felt good all day. He opted to sit on the front porch of their home while his wife cooked dinner.

Coulter died where he sat. The cause of death was initially listed as acute indigestion but later changed to cardiac arrest, Haire said.

There have been sightings in the area of a man wearing a black coat and hat. If you see that, Haire said, "that's Mr. Coulter."

Another stop was at the Buggy Factory building that was once Brown's Buick, Haire said.

Strickland's neighbor worked in the building in the 1990s when the space was rented by Cascade Fibers. The woman had an office upstairs at the back of the business, where a metal stairwell is located, Strickland said.

"You can't walk on it without it rattling and making a bunch of noise. Many a time, they (the workers) would hear someone coming up the stairs.

"Your first impulse is to look to see who's there, but there would never be anyone on the steps," Strickland said.

Workers also cleaned their areas before leaving only to return and find items on floor.

"They would see shadows on the back wall. There have been activities in this building for a long, long time," she said.

Years ago, a woman named Mrs. Duff lived in the area, Haire said. One Sunday, she heard a horse "braying in distress." She went to see what was wrong and found the horse tangled up, so Mrs. Duff cut him down.

"Two friends helped her back home, helped her make her way. As she walks by a mirror and looks at her fingers and her face, she says, 'I'm dying. Farewell to all,' " Haire said.

"If at night, especially Sundays and you hear a horse braying, that's where Mrs. Duff died."

There were more stories — about a ghost that's said to haunt Local Joe's Tap & Grill on South Steele Street. The owner has encountered some odd experiences, Strickland said. He was working on an upstairs toilet and was expecting a friend to come by and help him.

"He was laying on the floor waiting for his buddy when he heard someone come up behind him," she said.

Thinking it was his friend, the owner carried on a conversation but there was no reply. He got up to see who it was.

"Standing there was a translucent older woman and when they made eye contact, she immediately disappeared," Strickland said.

Others working in nearby businesses have reported hearing footsteps and seeing orbs on security cameras.

Laughter and the sounds of someone running up and down stairs have been heard in an apartment above Smoke and Barrel.

"There was a lady in Smoke and Barrel who saw a woman on the stairs," Strickland said. "She was sitting there and just disappeared."