The mystery of the Johnathan Buck monument: was it really cursed by a witch?

Sometimes the home of a legend can be in the most unsuspecting place, like a small cemetery nested between an auto parts retailer and a grocery store. That’s the case in Bucksport, Maine, where a monument honoring the town’s founder stands on the side of Route 1. I grew up hearing stories about the witch’s curse on the Johnathan Buck monument from my mother, who had listened to the same stories and visited the monument decades ago. So, at the end of last summer, we decided to make it one of our stops when we were in the area. I dug into the history of Johnathan Buck, the monument, and the curse, and now I’m sharing the story with you. 

The life and death of Jonathan Buck

Colonel Jonathan Buck was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, on February 20, 1719, and grew up in nearby Haverhill. He eventually married a local woman, and together the couple had nine children, six of whom survived. But by 1759, Buck had become frustrated with the local politics in Haverhill. He yearned to set up a mill and shipyard operation, but the Haverhill Proprietors denied his requests. 

So in July 1762, Buck gave up on Haverhill and sailed up the Penobscot River with a team to survey six new plantations. The following year, he settled in what was designated Plantation No. 1, just south of modern-day Bangor. It didn’t take him long to establish himself in the colony, building a store and sawmill. 

Things took a turn during the Revolutionary War. At the time, Maine was not a state yet but was still a part of Massachusetts. Inhabitants received little support from the military, leaving the coast vulnerable to the Royal Navy. The British had built Fort George in modern-day Castine, resulting in the control of Penobscot Bay and cutting off trade along the river. In July of 1779, when Buck was 60, he joined the calamitous expedition to lay siege on Fort George. This left most of Plantation No. 1 deserted. The next day the British took advantage of this opportunity to retaliate, sending the 16-gun Royal Navy sloop HMS Nautilus to burn the plantation. So, with his village reduced to a pile of ashes, Buck, suffering from gout, walked 200 miles to Haverhill to stay with his sons. 

Plantation No. 1 was eventually resettled and renamed Buckstown Plantation in 1783 after the war had ended. As Buck’s health failed, Buckstown Plantation was renamed once again to simply Buckstown to honor the town’s founder. 

Johnathan Buck died, an esteemed war hero, businessman, and town founder, on March 18, 1795, and was laid to rest in the Buck family cemetery with a simple headstone marking his grave. In 1817, Buckstown was renamed a final time to Bucksport to pay homage to both the founder and growing interest in shipping in the town — ironic since that was why Buck left Haverhill in the first place.

In August 1852, Buck’s great-grandchildren decided more was needed to recognize their great-grandfather and town founder. So, they erected a large memorial to honor his legacy. The sizeable obelisk sits 15 feet from Buck’s grave in the corner of the cemetery, visible to passers-by. 

In any other case, that would be the end of the story – but this time, it’s just the beginning. 

The curse of the witch’s foot

As Buck’s memorial began to weather, a stain emerged on the granite resembling the lower half of a leg and foot. Over the year, several attempts to remove the stain have been made, but inexplicably, it always returned. 

While it is thought that rumors about the mark began to swirl as soon as people noticed it, the earliest known record of the story appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday, July 17, 1898. From there, various news outlets picked up the story, including the Haverhill Gazette eight months later which became the standard version of the story, likely because it involved a man from Haverhill. This coverage in the press lent credence to the tale, firmly cementing it as a legend locally and beyond.

There are numerous versions of the tale attempting to explain the stain on Buck’s memorial. While they all claim that Johnathan Buck sentenced a woman accused of witchcraft to death, other details vary. One version claims that right before the woman was hanged, she turned to Colonel Buck, raised one hand to heaven, and proclaimed, “Jonathan Buck, listen to these words, the last my tongue will utter. It is the spirit of the only true and living God which bids me speak them to you. You will soon die. Over your grave they will erect a stone that all may know where your bones are crumbling into dust. But listen, upon that stone the imprint of my feet will appear, and for all time, long after you and you accursed race have perished from the earth, will the people from far and wide know that you murdered a woman. Remember well, Jonathan Buck, remember well.” Another variation of the story says that the accused witch was burned instead of hung, and at one point, her leg rolled out of the fire and landed at Buck’s feet. Some renditions have the woman declaring she would dance upon his grave. There’s even a variation where the woman has a secret illegitimate child with Buck.

The truth behind the legend

There is no historical evidence to support any of these claims. The infamous witch trails in Massachusetts and the earlier trials in Connecticut happened many years before Buck was even born and there is no record of anyone being executed for witchcraft in Maine. In addition, as a Justice of the Peace, Buck had no right to sentence anyone to death.

Over the years, experts have explained that the appearance of the leg is due to a natural flaw in the stone, possibly a vein of iron that darkens when it comes in contact with oxygen, but still, the legend persists. The most likely explanation is a combination of pareidolia and the propensity of the human imagination to fill in details when there aren’t any. Pareidolia is a form of apophenia where people perceive meaningful images from random visual patterns. Think of ink blot tests or how people see shapes in clouds. This phenomenon explains why people see the image of a leg in the random shape caused by the stain. It is likely that people then attempted to fill in the details about why the likeness of a leg would appear on the monument, and the story of the witch’s curse began to take hold. Once the press picked it up, the legend was firmly cemented. 

Today, a sign sits next to the monument that tells the story of the legend and attempts to exonerate Buck’s name. I have to wonder, if it wasn’t for this tale, would Johnathan Buck be as renowned as a historical figure?

 

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