There are several legends connected with the memorial, the most common theme being described on a plaque placed in 1991 as an Eagle Scout Project.
When in Bucksport we visited the memorial and grave site of Colonel Jonathan Buck, founder of Bucksport, who died on March 19, 1795.
It is ironic that Bucksport’s founder, a regional Revolutionary War hero, has achieved national prominence not for his service to his town and country, but because of the image of a woman’s foot and leg which appears on his memorial.
The plaque is inscribed as follows:
The Legend of the Buck Memorial
This monument was erected in memory of Colonel Jonathan Buck, founder of Bucksport, who died on March 18, 1795. The memorial, built of Blue Hill granite, was erected by his descendants nearly sixty years after his death.
Sometime after its placement, the outline of a leg appeared on the monument. Making their appearance as well were the stories which became legendary.
The variations are many but common elements include Colonel Buck's condemnation of a woman for witchcraft and ordering her death by burning for sorcery. As the sentence is being carried out, the woman curses the Colonel and concludes with ".... so long shall my curse be upon thee and my sign upon thy tombstone." As the flames consume her body, her leg falls away and rolls out of the fire. Her deformed son, rejected by the community, grabs the leg, further insults the Colonel, and flees into the wilderness. The curse is forgotten until sixty years later. The monument is erected; the leg appears. Attempts to remove the sign are futile.
Historians will note the era of Colonial witchcraft and the infamous witch trials in Massachusetts were over long before Jonathan Buck was born. Additionally, there is no record of ANYONE being executed for witchcraft in Maine. Stories that the monument has been replaced are untrue -- this is the original. Stone cutters say it is not uncommon for granite to contain a flaw such as this stain which appears only after cutting and polishing. The outline can be removed but reappears when air oxidizes the iron. (Note, too, the outline of a heart on the upper part of the monument.)
The facts surrounding the life of Colonel Buck are that he was an honorable, industrious man who founded this community and was a leader in its early development -- building the first grist mill, and the first boat. Notably, the "witch's curse" was unheard of before the flaw in the marker appeared.
Jef Hutchins
Eagle Project
1991