The Legend of Catherine Hill

Kristen Winiarski • July 29, 2022

When driving along, the last thing you expect is a ghost to try to hitch a ride, but that's exactly what people experience on Route 182 in Hancock County, Maine. While there is a mountain, referred to as Catherine Mountain, and Catherine's Hill on Black Wood's Road (182) between Franklin and Cherryfield, both refer to the same woman.

Who was Catherine?

The legend of Catherine has been around since 1860, and there are different variations on who exactly she may have been and the circumstances surrounding her death. The story has been passed down through generations, and as usual with this type of ghost storytelling, things sometimes shift. Allegedly, she was in either a carriage or a car accident, which seems to change depending on when the story is told.

What People Experience

In some accounts, she died as a newlywed who is traveling with her husband on their way to Bar Harbor to spend their honeymoon. Others say that she died on prom night. In the book Dark Woods, Chill Waters by Marcus LiBrizzi, he connects her story to a Model T Ford at the bottom of nearby Fox Pond. This story places in her that car with a companion and that they were going too fast and ended up in the lake.

In some versions of the story, Catherine was killed by decapitation, and her headless ghost haunts the hill. In other versions, she is a woman in a white or blue dress, head intact, who stands by the side of the road to flag you down and ask for a ride. She is characterized by long black hair and a face that is both frightening and beautiful.

While it may go against your instincts to invite in a ghost, people have noted feeling compelled to help her, but she disappears soon after entering the car. According to a famous encounter by musician Dale Whitney, she asked him for a ride when he stopped, but he soon realized that she was transparent. In his fear, he sped away but soon thought that his eyes must have been playing tricks on him in the darkness, so he turned around to go back for her, but she was gone.

When Whitney traveled the road the next day, there was an overturned van. Perhaps, this van didn't stop for her, and the occupants suffered the consequences.

A man in a black vest is playing a saxophone

In another story, a salesman saw her headless form and was so frightened that he continued down the road, but she appeared in his backseat anyway. He then lost control of his car and was killed, so it appears that Whitney escaped a tragic fate. It seems to be that Catherine spares you only if you show her kindness.

Whether searching for her lost head or lost lover, Catherine seems intent on spooking well-intentioned motorists who drive through. It seems best to stop, but you may experience her wrath either way.

Are You Ready for a Haunted Drive?

If tales of the mysterious Catherine of Route 182 give you chills, maybe it's time to experience her haunting story firsthand. As you travel down Hancock County’s Catherine Mountain, you may spot the ghostly figure of Catherine herself, ready to flag down an unsuspecting driver. Some have seen her as a headless bride searching for her lost love, while others glimpse a beautiful woman in a white dress, asking for a ride. Dare to drive the road at night? Experience the thrill—and maybe even meet Catherine—on the Haunted Hancock County tour.

For more ghostly encounters, you can check out our Bar Harbor, ME ghost tour reviews on Google!