Some Believe an Old Shipwreck Leads to a Hidden Viking Grave on This Quiet Maine Island

If you've ever taken a road trip to the Deer Isle/Stonington part of Maine, you know how absolutely breathtaking the views can be. There's also some great culture in the area, from art galleries to an opera house. But like most small communities with a long history in Maine, there's local folklore. One story that has been kicked around for generations is the belief that a small island nearby is the site of a long-lost viking grave, and that a pair of old shipwrecks could be a clue on how to find it.

Shared on Reddit by bleahdeebleah, Carney Island is an uninhabited island right off the coast of Deer Isle. In the sight line of Causeway Beach, most who kayak and canoe by Carney Island find it rather uninteresting today.

But the history of Carney Island is where things get a lot more curious, as a pair of shipwrecks once made the island a hotspot of sorts. A photo shared by bleahdeebleah on Imgur shows one of the shipwrecks in all of its majestic beauty back in the 1930s.

Over the years, harsh weather and natural wear and tear have worn the ship down to nothing more than bits and pieces along a beach. But did those shipwrecks have a larger story to tell?

Folklore in the community doesn't just stop at shipwrecks on Carney Island. There's strong belief that there's a hidden viking gravesite amongst the dense brush on the island. Historical records for the island show only one person has been buried there, Mr. Peter Hardy, with absolutely no tangible data that a viking was buried there centuries ago. Is it just an urban legend? Or has the Earth hidden any trace of it for good?

You can explore the island that is absolutely home to cool mini-caves and other natural features. But a hidden viking grave? Might want to call Indiana Jones to find that.