New England Legends Podcast
405 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 897 ratingsTwice each week, legend hunter, author, and historian Jeff Belanger and radio host Ray Auger explore the ghosts, monsters, aliens, folklore, history, roadside oddities, true crime, and legends of New England in this award-winning podcast. If you give us about twenty minutes, we’ll give you something strange to talk about today. The bizarre is closer than you think!
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Episodes
Suicide Pond
June 23, 2022 14:30 - 18 minutes - 13.4 MBIn Episode 253, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Newton, New Hampshire, to explore the tragic story of Hannah Chase, who took her own life the day before her wedding in June of 1819. Her story and the pond where she perished may have been forgotten if not for the pen of Haverhill, Massachusetts, poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who immortalized the story and place. Chase’s story haunted Whittier as a boy.
The Darn Man of Windham County
June 16, 2022 14:30 - 22 minutes - 16.3 MBIn Episode 252, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger walk the roads of Hampton, Connecticut, searching for the story of the Darn Man, a colorful vagabond who wandered Windham County in the 1850s and 1860s wearing the coat he was to be married in, but his bride never showed. He gave different names to different families, he’d never talk about his past or origins, yet he became a local celebrity and the focus of many stories. But who was he really?
Nellie Vaughn: Vampire? Witch? Ghost?
June 09, 2022 14:30 - 21 minutes - 15.1 MBIn Episode 251, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore Plain Meeting House Cemetery in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, searching for the lost grave of Nellie Vaughn. Some say she was a vampire. Others claim she was a witch. More believe her restless spirit still haunts this boneyard trying to right a wrong from decades ago. Could this be a case of mistaken identity?
The Smuttynose Island Murders
June 02, 2022 14:30 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBIn Episode 250, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger sail out to the Isles of Shoals, Maine, to investigate the infamous Smuttynose Island murders. On March 5, 1873, two women were brutally murdered on the island, while a third narrowly escaped with her life. Louis Wagner was hanged for the crime, but did they execute the right man? This crime still haunts the tiny islands.
Holyoke’s Eyrie House Ruins
May 26, 2022 14:30 - 21 minutes - 15.2 MBIn Episode 249, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike up Mt. Nonotuck in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in search of the Eyrie House Ruins. The site was a once-popular hotel and resort in the latter half of the 1800s featuring live music, a menagerie of exotic animals, and incredible views. But a horrible tragedy took away owner William Street’s castle in a single night back on April 13th, 1901. There was a funeral pyre that went horribly wrong.
The Legend of the Norman Rockwell Switcheroo
May 19, 2022 14:30 - 22 minutes - 16.3 MBIn Episode 248, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Sandgate, Vermont, to try and solve the mystery of a Norman Rockwell masterpiece painting called “Breaking Home Ties” that was proudly displayed in the Norman Rockwell museum between 2002 and 2006. The only problem is the museum painting was a fake. What happened to the original?
Cling-Clang: New England’s Vaulting Peddler
May 12, 2022 14:30 - 24 minutes - 17.6 MBIn Episode 247, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger try out stilts in Rye, New Hampshire, in search of a 19th-century eccentric legendary peddler known as Cling-Clang. Known to travel on stilts along the coast between New Hampshire, Maine, and even into Nova Scotia, this odd vagabond has some strange habits, he only slept outside, and left a mark behind that we can still see today. But who was this regional folk legend? Murderer on the run? Heartbroken noble? Something else?
The Ghost of Penfield Reef Lighthouse
May 05, 2022 14:30 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBIn Episode 246, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger row out to Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Fairfield, Connecticut, to search for the ghost of lighthouse keeper Frederick Jordan, who drowned here in 1916 trying to get home for the holidays to see his family. Bound by duty, his ghost has haunted the lighthouse and these waters ever since, still helping people to safety.
Rhode Island’s Nuclear Meltdown
April 28, 2022 14:30 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MBIn Episode 245, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the July 24, 1964 nuclear incident in Wood River Junction, Rhode Island, that left 37-year-old Robert Peabody dead. Peabody remains the nation’s first fatality due to acute radiation syndrome at the United Nuclear Corporation Fuels Recovery Plant.
The Allagash UFO Abduction Incident
April 21, 2022 14:30 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBIn Episode 244, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike into the woods of the Allagash Wilderness in northern Maine searching for the location of a 1976 UFO sighting and alleged abduction. Four men embarked on a two-week camping trip and found more than they bargained for in the skies over this remote section of Maine. But were they actually taken aboard an alien spacecraft?
New England Legends Bonus: Jim Harold’s Campfire
April 18, 2022 14:30 - 1 hour - 45.3 MBThis week we're sharing some chilling stories with a twist. We're featuring true stories told on one of our favorite podcasts, Jim Harold's Campfire. You'll hear an extremely strange doppleganger story, a tale of an evil scarecrow, a Black Eyed Kid encounter and much more! Best of all, the stories are all directly told by the experiencers themselves. We hope you enjoy this special edition of New England Legends and that you'll listen to and follow Jim Harold's Campfire wherever you get you...
Gloucester’s Gould Court Ghoul
April 14, 2022 14:30 - 17 minutes - 12.9 MBIn Episode 243, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger investigate Gould Court in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where a poltergeist haunting made the news back in the early 1880s. Were the strange knocks and thumps just the house settling, or could they have been something more sinister?
Bristol’s Legendary Outhouse Races
April 07, 2022 14:30 - 25 minutes - 18.2 MBIn Episode 242, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Bristol, Vermont, to climb inside the town’s annual Fourth of July Outhouse Races. For more than 40 years people have been racing outhouses down West Street, in an event that’s grown to legendary status. Joining us on this adventure is Cameron Perta, who has competed in several outhouse races, and won the 2019 race. But how did it all start?
The Case of the Haunted Londonderry Farm
March 31, 2022 14:30 - 21 minutes - 15.2 MBIn Episode 241, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the case of a haunted farmhouse in Londonderry, New Hampshire, that made the news in 1891 because the man who bought the farm didn’t know it was haunted. He sued the former owner, bringing the case all the way to the state Supreme Court where the court was forced to rule on the haunting.
Wallingford’s Shoebox Murder Mystery
March 24, 2022 14:30 - 20 minutes - 19.6 MBIn Episode 240, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger investigate the Parker Farms section of Wallingford, Connecticut, on the trail of a gruesome unsolved murder dating back to 1886, when a man’s torso was found stuffed into a shoebox by the side of the road. Who was the victim? Who was the killer? And why? This event had Wallingford on edge for months.
The Devil and Richard Corey
March 17, 2022 14:30 - 17 minutes - 12.6 MBIn Episode 239, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger travel to South Kingstown, Rhode Island, to search for the Devil. Not Old Scratch’s first trip to the Ocean State, back in 1816, the Devil was drawn in by a prolific liar named Richard Corey, who tried to bargain his way out of damnation by offering the devil an even bigger liar.
The Hoodoo Hearse of Holden
March 10, 2022 15:30 - 18 minutes - 13.4 MBIn Episode 238, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Holden, Maine, searching for an ancient and cursed funeral carriage that made the newspapers back in 1901 because locals believed it was cursed. That hearse showed up on the front lawn of various families in town, and death soon followed. The legend spread to the point where no one wanted to touch this vehicle the papers dubbed: The Hoodoo Hearse.
The Notorious Serial Killer Jolly Jane
March 03, 2022 15:30 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBIn Episode 237, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Mayflower Hill Cemetery in Taunton, Massachusetts -- the final resting place of one of America’s most prolific serial killers: Jolly Jane Toppan. Between 1887 and 1901, Nurse Toppan was believed to have murdered between 31 and 100 people in Massachusetts.
The Angry Ghost of Lake Morey
February 24, 2022 15:30 - 20 minutes - 14.6 MBIn Episode 236, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the legends of Lake Morey in Fairlee, Vermont. Locals will tell you the steamship was invented here by a local man even if Robert Fulton got all the credit. Today, the prototype boat and its angry creator’s ghost both haunt the lake.
The Great Wall of Sandwich
February 17, 2022 15:30 - 21 minutes - 15.2 MBIn Episode 235, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the Great Wall of Sandwich, New Hampshire. Built in the 1870s by inventor and business mogul Isaac Adams, this roadside oddity was built out of spite. As a youth, he vowed to return to Sandwich one day and buy up every farm in town.
UFO Crash at Bantam Lake
February 10, 2022 15:30 - 18 minutes - 13.2 MBIn Episode 234, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore Bantam Lake in Morris, Connecticut, searching for the crash site of a UFO. On April 10, 2012, multiple witnesses, including a Connecticut State Trooper, saw a glowing ball of light as big as a whale drop down in the vicinity of Connecticut’s largest lake. Was it just a meteorite, or something even more otherworldly?
The Burning Beast of Glocester
February 03, 2022 15:30 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBIn Episode 233, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the woods of Glocester, Rhode Island, searching for a legendary beast spotted twice in the 1800s, decades apart. This dragon-like creature has ties to pirates, buried treasure, and has the people of Glocester scratching their heads for centuries.
The Tragic Tale of the Tarboxer
January 27, 2022 15:30 - 13 minutes - 9.41 MBIn Episode 232, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger are caught in a brutal winter storm by Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine, where they explore the tragic story or Mr. and Mrs. Tarbox, who lost their lives in a March 1819 blizzard. Their frozen demise inspired local poet Thomas Shaw to chronicle the event in a “mournful song” of a poem. The event still haunts the region.
The Mysterious Travels of Rollstone Boulder
January 20, 2022 15:30 - 15 minutes - 11.3 MBIn Episode 231, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger search downtown Fitchburg, Massachusetts, for Rollstone Boulder; a 110-ton rock moved into a traffic island back in the late 1920s. This boulder was once perched on top of a hill overlooking town, but when stone quarries moved in, local and state politicians made a legendary effort to save this local landmark. But now that it’s been in the center of town for almost a century… no one cares.
The Haunted Hartness House
January 13, 2022 15:30 - 11 minutes - 13.6 MBIn Episode 230, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the haunted Hartness House Inn in Springfield, Vermont. Built in 1904 by inventor, captain of industry, and one-time Vermont governor, James Hartness, this mansion holds many mysteries. From secret underground tunnels, to objects moving in the guest rooms, to a ghostly presence roaming the tunnels and halls of the old stately house, it’s no wonder this house is haunted.
Campton’s Cursed Covered Bridge
January 06, 2022 15:30 - 12 minutes - 12.3 MBIn Episode 229, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a drive to Campton, New Hampshire, to cross the cursed Blair Bridge. A picturesque covered wooden bridge that dates back to 1829, this structure has seen more than its share of tragedies. From the time Lem Parker burned it down because he said God told him to, to the time a doctor’s horse drowned here, to the time Tropical Storm Irene fired tree limbs at the bridge like missiles, maybe this old bridge really is cursed?
From the Vault: The Black Dog of Meriden, Connecticut
December 30, 2021 15:30 - 13 minutes - 9.77 MBIn Episode 228, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a holiday week off with their families, so they introduce you to an episode from the vault: The Black Dog of Meriden, Connecticut, which originally aired November 21, 2019. We climb the cliffs over Hubbard Park in Meriden, Connecticut, in search of a mysterious black dog. They say if you see this mutt once, you’ll find joy, see him twice and you’ll find sorrow, but if you see him three times it means your death. Could this dog be connected to ...
Christmas Witch Sheep of Narragansett
December 23, 2021 15:30 - 16 minutes - 12 MBIn Episode 227, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger spend Christmas on a Narragansett, Rhode Island, sheep farm searching for a unique breed of sheep that takes its name from a spell cast by a local witch after the brutal Christmas blizzard of 1811 hit Benny Nichols’s flock. Against all odds, a young Ancon sheep survived the storm, but the ewe’s strange winter coat drew the attention of local witch Tuggie Bannocks.
The Wreck of the Cursed Isidore
December 16, 2021 15:30 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBIn Episode 226, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger sail the shores of southern Maine from Kennebunkport to York, searching for the ghost ship Isidore. They say the Isidore was cursed from the start, which is why she wrecked on her maiden voyage November 30, 1842. Had the captain and crew heeded their premonitions, maybe 16 lives could have been spared. The story of this tragedy may have been lost if not for a song and book by Maine troubadour Harvey Reid, who joins Jeff and Ray on this episode.
The Screeching Lady of Marblehead
December 09, 2021 15:30 - 10 minutes - 7.89 MBIn Episode 225, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll the shores of Marblehead, Massachusetts, searching for the ghost locals call the Screeching Lady. Back in the 17th century, a pirate ship dropped anchor right off these shores, brought an English woman prisoner to the beach, and murdered her as locals watched. The victim’s shrieks have haunted these shores ever since.
Dr. John Wilson’s Dark Secrets
December 02, 2021 15:30 - 14 minutes - 16.6 MBIn Episode 224, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger go back to school when they search for the Round Schoolhouse in Brookline, Vermont. The school building was designed in 1821 by Dr. John Wilson who wanted the building round so he could look out the windows in all directions in case someone comes looking for him… because Dr. Wilson is a man with secrets. Dark secrets that he took almost to his grave.
The First Thanksgiving Special
November 25, 2021 10:30 - 24 minutes - 17.6 MBIn Episode 223, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a New England road trip to witness the first Thanksgiving in Phippsburg, Maine, then jump over to Newport, New Hampshire, to meet the mother of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, and finally end in Medford, Massachusetts, to learn the origins of a Thanksgiving song that’s since been hijacked by Christmas. Happy Thanksgiving to all of our legendary friends!
Gov. Wentworth’s Missing Treasure
November 18, 2021 15:30 - 11 minutes - 8.3 MBIn Episode 222, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger search for Governor John Wentworth’s missing treasure in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. In 1775, with the American Revolution about to come to a boil, British Governor Wentworth is forced to flee his mansion with his family, his servants, and chests of gold and silver. On his way to Portsmouth, the governor is forced to lighten his load, so they say he buried his riches intending to come back for them after England squashes the American rebellion. Gov. ...
Midnight Mary in Evergreen Cemetery
November 11, 2021 15:30 - 11 minutes - 8.16 MBIn Episode 221, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, in search of the haunted headstone of Midnight Mary. Mary E. Hart died at midnight on October 15, 1872, and her headstone and epitaph have stood behind various legends about being buried alive, a curse, and her wandering ghost being seen on nearby Winthrop Avenue.
A Hermit Named Coffin by the Desert of Maine
November 04, 2021 14:30 - 13 minutes - 9.79 MBIn Episode 220, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Freeport to explore the Desert of Maine. While there, they search for a man named Coffin, the Hermit of Maine, who lived nearby and charged tourists 15 cents to look inside his shack. How did a desert appear in Maine? And who was this hermit?
Halloween 2021: The Vampire’s Desire
October 28, 2021 14:30 - 26 minutes - 25 MBIn Episode 219, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger receive a strange Halloween message with an address in Rhode Island and the promise of seeing a monster. Jeff and Ray follow the clues and wind up trapped in a house with a murdered body and a vampire! Will they make it out alive?!
The Ghosts of Hull
October 21, 2021 14:30 - 14 minutes - 10.4 MBIn Episode 218, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore Hull, Massachusetts, in search of multiple ghosts spotted around the turn of the twentieth century. After a ghostly horse and buggy was spotted by none other than local hero Captain Joshua James, a strange apparition stalked a local actor by the Hull Cemetery. We hear their accounts, and walk the grounds searching for the spooky specters.
Vermont’s Witch Trial
October 14, 2021 14:30 - 11 minutes - 8.52 MBIn Episode 217, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Pownal, Vermont, to explore the witch trial of the widow Mrs. Krieger. In 1765, the widow Krieger was accused of being in league with the devil. She was given a choice to face one of two horrible tests to see if she was indeed a witch. Though a century had passed since Salem’s infamous trials, belief in New England witches has not gone away.
Concord’s Diabolical Torture Device
October 07, 2021 14:30 - 12 minutes - 9.31 MBIn Episode 216, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll Main Street in Concord, New Hampshire, searching for the birthplace of a torture device that has plagued billions of people since it was invented by Levi Hutchins back in 1787. Hutchins built a machine intended to defy both God and nature. It was on this humble street, that he unleashed his creation on New England and then the world.
The Exploding Treasure Rock of Buckingham Village
September 30, 2021 14:30 - 16 minutes - 11.8 MBIn Episode 215, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger drive to the Buckingham Village shopping plaza in Glastonbury, Connecticut, in search of a bolder where a man believed there was buried treasure because of a dream he had, and because a psychic told him so. In 1921, that man lost his life trying to get the loot. Today that rock still stands as an obscure memorial to long-shot hope and a dream of a better life.
The Leaping Lumberjacks of Central Maine
September 23, 2021 14:30 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBIn Episode 214, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the woods around Moosehead Lake in central Maine searching for some leaping French-Canadian loggers who became the subject of teasing and a neurological study back in 1880. When startled, these loggers would jump up and down uncontrollably and do whatever anyone tells them to do. Was this affliction the result of inbreeding? Boredom? Or something else?
The Devil and the Crying Rocks
September 16, 2021 14:30 - 10 minutes - 10.5 MBIn Episode 213, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the woods around School House Pond in Charlestown, Rhode Island, searching for the place where a Narragansett boy named John Onion challenged the devil, and the dark rock formation where horrible acts still haunt the woods.
The Tapping Ghost of Brick Kiln Lane
September 09, 2021 14:30 - 11 minutes - 8.35 MBIn Episode 212, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll down Brick Kiln Lane in Pembroke, Massachusetts, searching for a tapping ghost who was seen and heard over the span of years back in the 1940s. This ghost has ties to the old shipyard, which has ties to the Boston Tea Party. This ghostly experience was documented by local journalist Curt Norris in the 1980s. Could these taps come from the ghost of shipbuilder Barker Turner?
The Haunting of Highgate Manor
September 02, 2021 14:30 - 10 minutes - 9.88 MBIn Episode 211, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the haunting of Highgate Manor in Highgate, Vermont. Once the home of Dr. Henry Baxter, some believe the doctor performed strange experiments on his children sending them to an early grave. Later, the house was turned into an inn where notorious mobster Al Capone once stayed. Today the stately home sits empty, save for the ghosts and legends still lurking inside.
The Lake Winnipesaukee Mystery Stone
August 26, 2021 14:30 - 13 minutes - 10 MBIn Episode 210, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith, New Hampshire, searching for a mysterious stone unearthed back in 1872. This fist-sized, egg-shaped artifact has several images carved on it, including a face, corn, and other geometric shapes. It appears to be Native American in origin, but matches nothing seen by tribes local to this region. This rock raises so many questions that some have speculated it could be a Thunderstone--a rock forged i...
The Second Coming of Jemima Wilkinson
August 19, 2021 14:30 - 15 minutes - 11.1 MBIn Episode 209, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Ledyard, Connecticut, to investigate the death and alleged resurrection of Jemima Wilkinson. Going by the name Publick Universal Friend, this pronounless religious leader started a movement in the late 1700s, then traveled New England ready to perform miracles like walking on water and resurrecting the dead. To many, this person was a fraud and cult leader, to others, this person had the spiritual answers they were seeking.
A Tombstone Every Mile in the Haunted Haynesville Woods
August 12, 2021 14:30 - 17 minutes - 16.9 MBIn Episode 208, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a drive down Route 2A through Haynesville, Maine, to see a road so treacherous and haunted, it inspired a 1965 country song by Dick Curless. Behind the song, though, are countless stories of vehicle accidents and strange encounters on this road that may cause you to slow down and look twice. Be warned, Jeff brought his guitar on this trip, and Ray may have sung some of Dick Curless’s song.
From the Vault: Smith’s Castle
August 05, 2021 14:30 - 11 minutes - 8.4 MBIn Episode 207, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a week off to regroup, so they introduce you to an episode from the vault: Who’s Haunting Smith’s Castle in Wickford, Rhode Island. Originally aired December 26, 2019, we explore the dark history and haunting of Smith’s Castle. The structure and grounds are home to a mass grave, the site of America’s only prisoner to be drawn and quartered, a former slave plantation, and a clumsy ghost who may still be replaying her tumble with destiny.
The Trial of Bathsheba Spooner
July 29, 2021 14:30 - 13 minutes - 13 MBIn Episode 206, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Brookfield, Massachusetts, to examine the crime scene and trial of Bathsheba Spooner -- the first woman hanged in the United States for a capital crime. On March 1, 1778, the body of Bathsheba’s husband was dumped in the family’s well. It didn’t take long for authorities to unravel a murderous plot hatched by the victim’s wife and her lover.
The Vermontasaurus
July 22, 2021 14:30 - 15 minutes - 14.7 MBIn Episode 205, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger go on a hunt for the 160-foot Vermontasaurus at the Post Mills Airport in Thetford, Vermont. Born in 2010 from the rubble of fallen buildings, the giant beast is the brainchild of hot air balloon pilot Brian Boland, who joins us on this Jurassic adventure. The Vermontasaurus faced extinction not once, but twice, yet still stands lurking by the runway of the airport. Welcome to Vermont’s Jurassic Park! Note: This episode is dedicated in memory of Br...