Episode 17: Wood Island Lighthouse

The History – Courtesy of the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse
www.woodislandlighthouse.org

Wood Island, about 35 acres in size, lies about two miles east of the entrance to the Saco River and less than a mile from the village known as Biddeford Pool. Biddeford Pool gets its name from a tidal inlet known simply as "The Pool," bounded by Fletcher's Neck to the south and Hills Beach to the north.

The communities of Saco and Biddeford grew up on the banks of the Saco River. The first sawmill in the area was established in 1653, and textile mills grew into the chief local industry. Fish and lumber were the area's other major exports. Fletcher's Neck was considered a hazard to navigation, and Congress appropriated $5,000 for a lighthouse on Wood Island in March 1806.

One of the best-known keepers in Wood Island's history was Thomas H. Orcutt, a veteran sea captain who was in charge from 1886 until his death in 1905. Orcutt played a role in the island's most infamous tragedy. The principals in the drama were Fred Milliken and Howard Hobbs.
Fred Milliken, a game warden and special policeman, lived on Wood Island with his wife and three children for several years in the 1890s. Milliken was described as a giant, in his thirties, who easily carried his dory on his shoulders.
Howard Hobbs, a young lobsterman, took up residence on the island. On June 2, 1896, Hobbs visited Old Orchard Beach, and was reportedly intoxicated by the time he returned to Wood Island. Hobbs told a companion that he was going to visit Milliken. He took his rifle with him, supposedly to shoot some birds.

Milliken saw that his neighbor was drunk, with a rifle in his arms, and told Hobbs to hand over the weapon. Hobbs refused, and as Milliken started to advance he was shot in the abdomen. Millken was dead within 45 minutes. In a daze, the young man wandered to the keeper's dwelling at the lighthouse, where Orcutt advised him to give himself up to the authorities. Hobbs returned to his small shack and proceeded to put a bullet in his own head. There are many ghostly tales told about the island, and some blame the 1896 murder-suicide.
Thomas Orcutt, who had previously been keeper at Saddleback Ledge Light, had a pet that gained national fame. His dog, Sailor, became famous for ringing the station's fog bell with his mouth (or paws, according to one account). The dog was said to possess almost human inelligence. According to a 1900 article in the Boston Globe, Sailor also served as a messenger, delighting in carrying letters and other small articles in his mouth. It was claimed that he understood all that was said to him.

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