A small Catholic college on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine, built around the former Verrill family estate — and reputed to be the state's most haunted campus, with ghost stories tied to its chapel, lakeshore, and historic Xavier Hall.
278 Whites Bridge Road, Standish, ME 04084
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Saint Joseph's is a private, active college campus. There is no public ghost tour; the campus is not a paranormal attraction. View historic buildings respectfully from public areas only.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Active lakeside college campus with paved walks, parking lots, and landscaped grounds.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1907 · Built around the 1907 Verrill family summer estate on Sebago Lake · Relocated home of the Sisters of Mercy's college since 1956 · Historic Xavier Hall (former Woldbrook Hall) and lakeside chapel
Saint Joseph's College of Maine sits on the shore of Sebago Lake at 278 Whites Bridge Road in Standish, about three miles from North Windham and roughly fifteen miles northwest of Portland. The college was founded by the Sisters of Mercy and moved to its present lakeside campus in 1956.
The heart of the campus is the former Verrill family estate. The Verrills of Portland established the property in 1907 as a summer residence; its buildings included Woldbrook Hall — today known as Xavier Hall — Ledgewold Hall (now St. George's Hall), and a small stone chapel built into the hillside sloping toward the lake for Mrs. Verrill. According to the college's own history, the Sisters of Mercy were influenced in their 1956 decision to relocate the college to the site partly by the chapel's two stained-glass windows depicting St. Edward the Confessor and St. John the Evangelist.
The repurposing of a private family estate into a college — with old residence buildings, a private chapel, and a lakeshore — is the backdrop for the campus's ghost lore, which is documented in the regional book 'Hidden History of the Sebago Lakes Region' and recounted in local media. Because the college is active and private, HauntBound documents this site as folklore and history rather than as a visitable paranormal attraction.
Sources
Saint Joseph's is often called the most haunted college campus in Maine. The lore, as recounted by the regional book 'Hidden History of the Sebago Lakes Region' and reported independently by two separate news outlets, centers on three figures.
The first is a young boy associated with the chapel. The story holds that before the college existed, the young son of the Verrill family who owned the land died and was buried where the chapel now stands; his remains were later moved, but his spirit stayed. Former students report hearing a child laughing or playing in and around the chapel. According to a 2007 Portland Press Herald article, seniors Matthew Oliver and Matthew Crellen documented these accounts as part of a 'Haunted Campus Trail Tour' created at Saint Joseph's.
The second is a little girl tied to the water. By the legend she drowned while playing near a small playhouse her father had built for her, and people report a sad presence near the pond and lakeshore.
The third is a nun said to haunt the old Xavier building — the former Verrill estate's Woldbrook Hall, which later served as a senior women's residence hall. The Portland Press Herald account adds that the spirit of a female student who hanged herself in a bathroom has also been reported in St. Joseph's Hall, with objects said to fly across rooms and late-night phone calls where listeners hear only a running shower. The nun is described as a friendly, protective presence.
These stories are folklore. The named buildings (the chapel, Xavier Hall / the former Woldbrook Hall) and the Verrill-estate origin are corroborated by the college's own published history. The ghost claims are documented in the regional book 'Hidden History of the Sebago Lakes Region,' a 2007 Portland Press Herald news article, and WCYY radio — three independent sources. The spirits are not attached to any named, independently verified historical death. As an active private campus the site is not a public attraction.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
A respectful exterior look at the historic Verrill estate buildings that form the core of Saint Joseph's College, including the former Woldbrook Hall (now Xavier Hall) and the lakeside chapel grounds associated with the campus ghost legends. The campus is active and private; this is not a tour.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Englewood, CO
The one-room Cherry Creek Schoolhouse was built in 1874 and served the Cherry Creek School District No. 19 until consolidation forced its closure in 1951. The building sat on Parker Road before being relocated to the Cherry Creek High School campus in 1969, where it was restored as a museum classroom. It is one of Colorado's surviving examples of late 19th-century frontier school architecture.
Tallahassee, FL
The James D. Westcott Memorial Building was constructed in 1910 as the administrative center of the Florida State College for Women and is FSU's oldest standing building. Designed by William Augustus Edwards in Collegiate Gothic style, it houses the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall and faces the Westcott Fountain. The site is built over what was historically known as Gallows Hill, Tallahassee's pre-statehood execution ground established in 1829.
Richmond, KY
Keene Hall is a 16-story, 1969-built residence hall on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. It houses roughly 582 students across 308 rooms and reopened in August 2024 following an extensive renovation. The hall is named for William L. Keene, a longtime English professor who retired in 1965 after 39 years on the EKU faculty.