Pepperell Mill
Biddeford, ME – This was an unprecedented opportunity for us. The Pepperell Mill in Biddeford was the life blood for the small city during the 1800’s and early 1900’s as the textile industry in Maine thrived. Employer to the city’s early French-Canadian population and powered by the Saco river (which has its own legends attached to it) the history alone drew our interest. In its current state, it is being redesigned as a hub of apartments, businesses, and a museum, which is what opened the opportunity for us to visit: to document the complex before it physically changes.
From direct experiences between visitors and spirits, photographic evidence, objects moving on their own, sounds, sightings, and more, the Biddeford Mill Complex is an incredible site for hauntings and history. It was a no brainer for us to pull out all the tools we had amassed in an attempt to investigate as much of the space as we could. However, with this being our first time investigating a site this large, it meant that it was also the first time we wouldn’t be able to reach out to our entire team should something go wrong. From spirits to structural integrity, we were all equally excited as we were on edge.
We split into 3 groups and descended into the mill. From the industry rooms, to employer’s offices, and catacombs beneath we were faced with an incredible adventure. All of our nerves were on high alert as the dark rooms felt full of eyes, and it wasn’t long before we received some of our first direct communications in the form of an EMF meter responding to questions about spending time alone with Carol (which we gladly and irresponsibly obliged)
Not long after, Ty and Ash had an experience with a spirit that seemed to get a bit too friendly with our inexperienced team. Not long after, Shawn experienced a similar experience with what he believed to be a female spirit due to the strong perfume of roses that arouse during the occurrence. Incredible K-II results were prominent in this investigation, especially in the eerie building of Mill 8, as well as call and response with our other tech. Lastly, and most unexpected was the object manipulation of wooden boards getting kicked aside in the employee meeting room as well as a broom getting knocked over on command, which both unnerved and excited the team. All this, matched with the sprawling labyrinth of the complex and incredible history of the buildings created one of our favorite paranormal investigations to date.
Since our investigations much of the mill has been continually developed, and we’re eager to one day return and see how this change has affected the spirits within. The Biddeford Mill is definitely a location that deserves continued research and exploration, and we’d love to hear further encounters.
Rating
Prerate: 5
Investigation Score: 7
Final Rating: 6 – Andgiete
What building is the catacombs at?
It use to be called Biddeford Textile , my family worked there long ago
I live in the recently renovated mill and it is absolutely haunted. Our lights in our apartment turn on by themselves, for instance we will be in the living room and the bedroom light will come on. It’s not a normal light switch either it’s a button that you have to push. I’ve also heard foot steps when walking on the hallways alone.
I used to work in the Saco & Biddeford sides of the Mills in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, from the basements of the building to the top floors (installing/repairing telephone lines). I’ve experienced many odd & unexplained happenings in all of those buildings. I heard whispers right behind me, things falling close to me, and almost legible conversations when no one was anywhere near me (this was before all of the businesses were in the buildings, there were just a few scattered here and there). I’ve felt someone/something touch my shoulders, brush past me, lightly caress my cheek, and usually felt like I was being followed. One time I was in the basement in the Biddeford side, in a room that (for some reason) was filled with old stuffed toys. I had to crawl on top of the toys to get to the phone terminal. The room was completely dry, but all of a sudden I felt “drops of water” hitting the back of my neck. I immediately tried to brush them off but my neck was dry, and then heard what sounded like faint giggles in the room. It creeped me out, but ticked me off more than that, so I yelled “STOP IT, I’M WORKING!!!!” and immediately felt a whoosh of cold air rush past me (there weren’t any windows in the basement). This may sound super weird, but after experiencing so many things while completely alone in parts of the building, I started to talk out loud to whatever was in the room. I’d ask them to leave me alone if they were interrupting my work or train of thought, or ask them to show themselves (I saw a few people shadows out of the corner of my eye, then they’d disappear), and sometimes I’d just tell them why I was there and what I was doing. I may sound nuts, but this happened to me and I am actually grateful. I stopped being afraid of going into the buildings.