The Kennebunk Inn at 45 Main Street began as a private residence built in 1799 for Phineas Cole. In 1928 it was converted into “The Tavern” by George and Mrs. Baitler and later operated under the name Kennebunk Inn. The building has changed hands multiple times and continues to offer lodging and dining. No major documented mass-casualty event is tied to the structure; the primary historical context is its late-18th-century origins and long use as a local inn and tavern.
Reported Hauntings and Folklore
The most frequently cited spirit is Silas Perkins, a local poet and former night watchman/auditor at the inn. Born in 1880, he collapsed from a heart attack in 1952 while crossing the street to buy a newspaper; he was brought back inside and died in what is identified as Room 17 (or nearby). Staff and guests report objects moving (including glasses or mugs flying off shelves or striking bartenders), rattling doorknobs, lights or televisions turning on, cold spots, and doors opening. Former owners described the activity as generally mischievous rather than threatening. Additional claimed figures include a front-desk clerk named Cyrus and a playful little girl named Emily (or Sara Emily) associated with the staircase and hallways. These accounts appear in local news, regional ghost literature, and guest reports; they are not corroborated by contemporary records of residual phenomena beyond the documented death of Perkins. The inn has hosted psychic sessions and is listed among Maine’s better-known haunted lodgings.
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