Maine ghost lore keeps an unsolved 1898 murder in public memory
Sarah MacDonald Ware, a mother of two living in Bucksport, Maine, disappeared in September 1898; her badly damaged body was found nearly two weeks later. Her murder was never solved, and University of Maine professor Marcus LiBrizzi argues that the ghost stories surrounding her show how folklore can keep painful histories and unresolved injustices present.
A man Ware had worked for, William Treworgy, was tried in 1902 and acquitted after a witness withdrew his account; no one was convicted. Theories about her death remain unproven, while reports of a faceless woman and other supernatural experiences circulated locally. Ware’s skull and other evidence were kept at a courthouse for decades before her remains were buried in 1998.
In short
- Sarah Ware’s 1898 murder remains unsolved.
- Her remains were kept as evidence for decades.
- A professor says local ghost stories keep the case present.
Explained simply
In 1898, Sarah MacDonald Ware disappeared from Bucksport, a town in Maine, and her body was found almost two weeks later. Her murder was never solved, leaving her family and community without a clear account of what happened.
William Treworgy, a man Ware had worked for, was tried for her murder in 1902 and acquitted after a witness withdrew his account. No one else was convicted, and explanations for her death remain unproven.
Stories of a faceless woman and other supernatural sightings became part of local lore. University of Maine professor Marcus LiBrizzi argues that such stories can keep painful, unresolved histories in public memory; Ware’s remains were not buried until 1998.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Professor of ghost stories issues eerie warning about tale of Maine woman decapitated in 1898: ‘This is not in the past’”.