The Ghost of Harry Maine and his Buried Treasure

Posted: 02.27.2025 | Updated: 02.27.2025

Not all pirates confine themselves to the sea…

Journey with us to Ipswich, Massachusetts – a few miles north of Salem, the famous town that was the sight of the witch trials and a Halloween town nowadays. There, you’ll find out about the tale of the Harry Maine House, the rumored treasure around it and the many deaths associated with the house.

It’s a fascinating story that involves all sorts of things you wouldn’t expect from a quaint New England seaside town, such as executions, mooncussers, and, yes, even ghosts. 

Driving alongside the waters of Salem, it seems strange to think that it was once the sight of one of the world’s bloodiest witch hunts. But the Salem Witch Trials were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Salem’s darkly violent past. 

Although the original Harry Maine House is no longer standing today, taking our in-person Salem Ghosts ghost tour is a fantastic way to get up-close and more in-depth information about the storied colonial building and the many other Salem ghosts that haunt this witchy town. 

What happened at the Harry Maine House?

This house was the residence of land pirate, Harry Maine. After being brutally executed, local treasure hunters swarmed the home to find their riches. Harry Maine’s spirit is still said to linger over the area, perhaps protecting his legendary buried treasure. 

A Unique Form of Piracy

Everyone knows that Salem, Massachusetts is one of the most haunted cities in all of America. However, this tale is a bit different from the usual ghost stories that pop up in this area. While most Salem stories involve witches and black cats, the story of the Harry Maine House involves something a little different – pirates. 

Specifically, land pirates. 

Known as mooncussers, these groups of people were a common scourge that haunted the shores of New England. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the shoals of the New England coastline were treacherous to navigate. Enterprising individuals and money-hungry criminals took advantage of this fact by enacting false lighthouses on the shoreline. 

Ships, seeing these beacons on dark nights, would steer towards these fake lighthouses and would inevitably crash upon the rocks or dangerous waters these land pirates lured them to. These criminals were called “mooncussers” because their hustle relied on dark nights – when the full moon was out, it’d ruin their plans, leading them to “cuss” at the moon. 

After the ship would crash, these “mooncussers” would then loot the wreckage that would wash up on the beach and, when needed, kill any survivors to cover up their crimes. After all, dead men can’t talk to the authorities. 

It was a lucrative business, and the Harry Maine House was said to house one of the most prolific and deadly mooncussers in New England’s history – Harry Maine himself! 

The Rise and Fall of Harry Maine

Harry Maine had arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts, about a 20 minute drive north of Salem, way back in 1671. Maine was a fisherman and had come up with fellow angler Andrew Diamond. The two of them purchased the then-unnamed Harry Maine House and split costs as roommates. 

However, while Andrew Diamond achieved great success as a prominent shipping boat fleet owner, Maine had other ideas for gaining wealth. As a mooncusser, he would plunder the shores of Massachusetts, killing any survivors. Eventually, his operation grew to the point where he required a crew and he hired out a number of associates to help him keep up with all the shipwrecks. 

He became quite prolific at it, achieving a lot of money and notoriety as a result. Unfortunately, the worst thing one can be as a criminal is famous, and the authorities eventually caught up to him. 

Harry Maine’s sentencing was as swift as it was brutal – the man and his crew were condemned to be staked on the beach at Ipswich Bar. Maine was given a shovel – which was the only thing keeping him alive as the tide came in. 

As the water crashed in, Harry kept shoveling sand until he drowned, yelling furiously at the justices of his town and the onlookers on the beach the entire time. To this day, when particularly loud waves crash near Ipswich, locals swear that it’s the ghost of Harry yelling again or that the Devil himself is raising Maine up as some kind of cruel joke. 

Treasure Hunters

Of course, once Harry Maine died, the rumor was that he still had countless treasure that the authorities hadn’t managed to find. Looters and treasure hunters descended upon his old house like a swarm of locusts, tearing up floorboards and smashing into rooms to try and find something to sell. It was all fruitless – if Maine had any secret treasure lying around, he took its location to the grave 

As one might expect, his ghost is still said to haunt his old abode to this very day. One particularly compelling piece of evidence comes from one of these treasure hunters. 

He was a local man, and he kept having recurring dreams night after night of Maine’s old treasure and the location where it was buried. Eventually, the dreams proved too much to resist, and the man set out to claim his prize on a hill on Maine’s property. He began digging for hours on end and was about to give up as he shoveled away nothing but mounds of dirt. 

However, his luck struck, and his spade made a clanging sound when he hit a flat stone. Whether the stone was a lid to some greater treasure remains a mystery as the man was immediately beset upon by a crowd of stray cats. 

A cursed treasure?

He tried shooing them away but they kept circling him, silently staring at him, as though possessed by some other force. The treasure hunter decided that simple cats would not sway him and he jumped in the hole he’d made to see what was under this stone. But, as soon as he did, the hole inexplicably began filling up with icy cold water. 

That proved to be too much for this hunter. Deciding that whatever was under the stone didn’t want to be uncovered, the local wisely fled the scene. Given that Maine’s ghost is often spotted by locals wandering the sandy hills near that area, it is thought that those strange incidences were Maine ensuring that his hidden treasure only remained his.  

Haunted Salem

So, if you ever set out to sea in the coming days and find yourself off the New England coast, be wary! Although the days of mooncussing are said to be over, there’s always a chance that the most fearsome one of all – Harry Maine – is still prowling the beaches, looking for his next victim! 

If you liked this story and want to learn similar tales, check out our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. They spotlight other offbeat ghost stories all over the United States. Checking our blog is another good way to stay up-to-date with all the latest ghost stories and haunted spots in America.  

If you want to explore Massachusetts ghosts specifically, a ghost tour with Salem Ghosts is the best way to do that. Our guides are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and can provide even more information on the area. 

Sources:

• https://historicipswich.net/2024/10/27/the-ghost-of-harry-maine/
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/harry-maine/
• https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/record-citizen/2021/10/28/8-historical-places-on-the-north-shore-rumored-to-be-haunted/6122359001/
• https://chathamhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/AtAtwood_ccc_6-26-14.pdf