The Haunted Isles of Shoals In New Hampshire Has A Bone-Chilling History
By Michelle|Published April 27, 2020
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Michelle
Author
Michelle's life is a colorful map of exploration and adventure. From the iconic streets of New York to the sunny shores of Florida, the jagged coast of Maine to the rugged terrain of Montana, she's been fortunate to call some of America's most beautiful states home. Beyond the U.S., Michelle's wanderlust has taken her on a motorcycle journey through India, led her to teach English in Hanoi, and saw her studying Spanish in Guatemala. Michelle graduated with a communications degree from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and in addition to a career in advertising has worked with OnlyInYourState since 2016, where her love for travel and storytelling converges. Alongside writing and exploring, Michelle finds joy in photography, staying active, and time with her family.
For questions, comments and inquiries please email: mstarin@onlyinyourstate.com.
New Hampshire is home to quite a few ghost stories. From haunted cemeteries to spooky hotels and everything in between, there’s no shortage of ways to keep yourself scared silly. While we do love to hear these ghost stories, there’s one true-crime tale that always sticks in our minds. And it’s likely to keep you up at night after reading it!
You might know Isles of Shoals as a beautiful warm-weather destination off the coast of New Hampshire. It’s full of idyllic charm and feels exactly what you might expect of a New England island. But, despite its sunny demeanor, the island holds a murderous history that’s hard to forget.
Imagine yourself on one of the isles, Smuttynose Island, in 1873. This is where the story of three women unfolded. Two never made it off the island and the third barely escaped with her life.
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Maren and John Hontvet were the sole residents of Smuttynose Island back in the 1870s. That is until fisherman Louis Wagner arrived and became friends with the couple. Over time a bond developed and John hired Louis. He soon moved into the Hontvet's home.
It was around this time that Maren’s sister moved to the island, followed by Maren’s brother and sister-in-law, Anethe. Before long all were living under the same roof.
All was well until Louis moved back to the mainland for work. Things didn’t turn out well for him and he soon found himself with no money at all. He hatched a plan to rob the Hontvets on a night when the two men of the house were out of town.
Louis managed to row the 12 miles back to Smuttynose where he found the three women ready for bed.
While the plan was for Louis to rob the house and leave, he mistakenly woke Karen. Presumably to avoid witnesses, Louis attacked Karen with a chair and killed Anethe with an ax to the head.
Maren soon knew she could do nothing to save the two women and ran for her life. She spent the entire freezing winter night hiding under a rock on the coastline of the island.
After searching the island for Maren with no success, Louis returned to the house to make himself a cup of coffee. In the process he left bloody handprints. He then fled.
Maren spent the entire night outside. It wasn’t until 8am that she went looking for help, finally attracting the attention of workers on a nearby island.
Police were called in and Louis’ boat was found abandoned in New Castle. He was found on a train to Boston and arrested that evening. Despite an escape attempt from his Portsmouth jail, he was hanged for the murders on June 5th, 1875.
Justice was served, but the ghosts of Karen and Anethe are said to still roam the island searching for peace.
Some say they can hear their screams. Others say that they’ve heard the cry of Maren, who spent the murderous night hiding under the rock.
Have you visited Isles of Shoals? We’d love to hear the good parts, but we’re also curious about your experience with the reported haunting! If you’ve ever experienced anything unusual, let us know in the comments!
