New England Legends Podcast

Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger

About

Twice 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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397 episodes

FtV - The Robin Hood of Massachusetts

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 53 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hang around an unassuming Westborough, Massachusetts, street corner in search of Tom Cook, an 18th-century man who once out-smarted the devil, and just may be the real-life inspiration for the British Robin Hood you know from centuries of books and movies. This episode first aired November 7, 2019.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

22m
Mar 25
The Captain’s Well

In Episode 341 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger grab a drink at the Captain’s Well in Amesbury, Massachusetts. In 1792, future Captain Valentine Bagley was marooned in a desolate part of Arabia. Out of his ship’s crew of 25, only eight survived the ordeal. Bagley swore to God if he should live, he would go home and dig a well for all so no one will suffer thirst like he did.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-341-the-captains-well/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

18m
Mar 21
FtV - Vermont’s Witch Trial

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 52 – 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. This episode first aired October 14, 2021.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

21m
Mar 18
The Dream Pond Murders

In Episode 340 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the shores of Dream Pond in Fairfield, Vermont, in search of clues that could solve an 1841 double murder. After Eugene Clifford tragically loses his wife and infant daughter on a stormy day on Fairfield Pond, his neighbor has a profound dream that gnaws at her until she makes a startling discovery. Was it an accident or murder?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-340-the-dream-pond-murders/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

20m
Mar 14
FtV - A Tombstone Every Mile in the Haunted Haynesville Woods

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 51 – 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. This episode first aired August 12, 2021.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

27m
Mar 11
Rev. Phelps’ Haunted Mansion

In Episode 339 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore a nightmare on Elm Street in Stratford, Connecticut, where in 1850 Rev. Phelps and his family were plagued by poltergeist and haunting activity so profound it made all the newspapers. Though the mansion was torn down in the 1970s, the story lingers.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-339-rev-phelps-haunted-mansion/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

21m
Mar 07
FtV – Connecticut’s Melon Heads

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 50 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger motor down Dracula Drive in Trumbull, Connecticut, in search of the mysterious Melon Heads. These small humanoids with enormous heads have been talked about in southwestern Connecticut for more than half a century. But who are they? Some monster? An alien? Or something else? This episode first aired September 13, 2018.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

24m
Mar 04
The Burning of the Great Gaspee

In Episode 338 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll the shores of Narragansetts Bay in Warwick, Rhode Island, to the see the site where Rhode Islanders led by John Brown attacked the HMS Gaspee and her overzealous crew in 1772. Could this shot have been the actual first shot fired in the Revolutionary War?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-338-the-burning-of-the-great-gaspee/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

18m
Feb 29
FtV - The Wizard of Warren, New Hampshire

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 49 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the small town of Warren, New Hampshire, in search of a missile, a ghost, and a wizard who, according to the history books, tormented a local family during Colonial times. This is one strange trip backed up by historical documents. This episode first aired February 28, 2019.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

20m
Feb 26
See Maine and See the World

In Episode 337 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a drive to the intersection of Routes 35 and 5 in Lynchville, Maine, to see a unique road sign giving directions to places like: Norway, Paris, Denmark, Naples, Sweden, Poland, Mexico, Peru, and China – all of them just a few miles away – in Maine. How did that happen?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-337-see-maine-and-see-the-world/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

16m
Feb 22
FtV - Boston’s Molasses Disaster

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 48 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the Boston Molasses Disaster of January 15, 1919, that left 21 people dead and 150 injured. What happened and why? Could it have been avoided? This episode first aired January 11, 2018.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

21m
Feb 19
The Haunted Chase House

In Episode 336 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger search for ghosts at the historic Chase House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built in 1762 by Stephen Chase, it’s been a private residence, then an orphanage, a private home again, and now a museum. With so much history, it’s no surprise the building is haunted. But who is haunting it and why?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-336-the-haunted-chase-house/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

15m
Feb 15
FtV - The Beaver Trout of Vermont

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 47 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger go ice fishing for the legendary beaver trout on Lake Memphremagog in northern Vermont. Since the time of the Civil War anglers have spread the tale of a trout that grows a fur coat to keep warm during the cold winter months. The story and even photos of the fish have been in the newspapers for over a century. Is it just a story, or could there be something more to it? The guys enlist the help of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department on their hunt for the truth. This episode first aired January 16, 2020.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends   Join us for Zombie Prom - Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 7PM in Milford, Massachusetts: https://www.facebook.com/events/1593789218121732/

23m
Feb 12
Nathan Selee’s Satanic Sawmill

In Episode 335 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore a section of Easton, Massachusetts, that was home to a sawmill back in the 18th century. The mill was owned by Nathan Selee, a local wizard who (according to the town sign) employed satanic imps to run his mill in the dead of night.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-335-nathan-selees-satanic-sawmill/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends   Join us for Zombie Prom - Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 7PM in Milford, Massachusetts: https://www.facebook.com/events/1593789218121732/

16m
Feb 08
FtV - The Rhode Island Stigmata

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 46 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the mysteries and legends of stigmata through America’s only reported case: Marie Rose Ferron of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Stigmata occurs when a devoutly religious person mysteriously exhibits the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ — this can include bleeding from the hands, feet, side, and forehead. Marie Ferron was said to exhibit all of the wounds. But was she a bona fide miracle? Or was she used as a pawn by a Rhode Island Bishop? This episode first aired November 2, 2017.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

20m
Feb 05
Vermont’s Haunted Police Academy

In Episode 334 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hunt for ghosts at the haunted Police Academy in Pittsford, Vermont. Built as a tuberculosis hospital in 1907, the facility transformed into the state’s police academy in the mid-1970s. They say the police academy is haunted by a former nurse who caught TB and died at the hospital. She’s been said to wander the halls and grounds.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-334-vermonts-haunted-police-academy/   Find out more about Zombie Prom 2024 - February 17th in Milford, Massachusetts, here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1593789218121732/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

20m
Feb 01
FtV - Three Strange Beasts from the Woods of Maine

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 45 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hit an old logging camp in the woods of western Maine in search of the Agropelter, the Billdad, and the Tote Road Shagamaw. These legendary creatures have haunted and hunted loggers for decades. Are they just tall tales told around the campfire at the end of the day, or could there be something more to it?This episode first aired March 5, 2020.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

23m
Jan 29
Connecticut’s Stonehenge

In Episode 333 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the shores of Sachem’s Head, Connecticut, to search for a not-so-ancient structure called “Circle of Life,” a monument that looks exactly like one of the Seven Wonders of the World: Stonehenge. But this monument was never supposed to be here. Who placed it… and why?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-333-connecticuts-stonehenge/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

22m
Jan 25
FtV - The Strongest Man in New England

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 44 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger don their gym shorts and pump some iron in Voluntown, Connecticut, while they search for Elmer Bitgood: the strongest man in New England. Bitgood kept himself in the newspapers between 1909 and 1916 by performing various feats of strength, including lifting 2600 pounds in front of reporters! But when you make bold claims, others will come gunning for you. Enter Bartello the Great for a potential showdown. This episode first aired February 25, 2021.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

24m
Jan 22
Hell’s Half Acre

In Episode 332 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike into the woods of West Greenwich, Rhode Island, to explore what’s left of Hell’s Half Acre. This small section of forest was once home to taverns and gin mills full of fights, gambling, murder, and more. This was once the Red Light District of the old New London Turnpike. Today a cellar hole and the story are all that’s left.   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-332-hells-half-acre/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

18m
Jan 18
FtV - Concord's Diabolical Torture Device

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 43 – Jeff Belanger and Ray 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. This episode first aired October 7, 2021.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

25m
Jan 15
The Dead Ship of Harpswell

In Episode 331 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll the beach of Harpswell, Maine, scanning the horizon for a ghost ship called Sarah that dates back to a torrid and tragic story from 1813. They say if you spot the ship, it’s a harbinger of doom. That someone in Harpswell will die. Poet John Greenleaf Whittier immortalized the story in one of his haunting poems.   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-331-the-dead-ship-of-harpswell/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

21m
Jan 11
FtV - The Immortal Mad Scientist of Malden

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 42 – Jeff Belanger and Ray walk the streets of Malden, Massachusetts, in search of Ephraim Gray, a mad scientist who may be close to 200 years old. They say in 1850, Ephraim Gray was laid in his grave. Half a century later, his casket was found empty. Some believe his immortality elixir worked, and Ephraim Gray simply walked away. This episode first aired August 15, 2019.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

19m
Jan 08
A Tombstone Tirade in New Hampshire

In Episode 330 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a cemetery safari in Milford, New Hampshire, to visit the final resting place of Caroline Cutter. Cutter died in 1842. Her headstone features a 150-word tirade against specific members of the Baptist church in town. When small-town church gossip makes it to a headstone, it becomes immortal.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-330-a-tombstone-tirade-in-new-hampshire/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

20m
Jan 04
FtV - The Weather Prophet of Beartown Mountain

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 41 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the folk legend of Levi Beebe, the Weather Prophet of Beartown Mountain in Lee, Massachusetts, who predicted the devastating Blizzard of 1888 that claimed 400 lives in March of that year. How did he make this and his many other weather predictions? Listen to find out! This episode first aired January 25, 2018.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

21m
Jan 01
FtV - The Ghost Who Saved Christmas

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 40 – In Episode 70, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Boston to the haunted Parker House Hotel in search of the ghost of the man who brought Christmas to America. We learned in last year’s holiday podcast that the Puritans of Boston banned Christmas back in 1659 because they claimed making merry and dressing festive was “satanic.” They’d fine you five shillings if you were caught! Though the ban was lifted in 1681, that doesn’t mean Christmas was celebrated. You still had to go to work and school that day for almost the next two centuries. But something changed in 1867 when a man came to Boston with a story that transformed everything. Be careful, this episode may just squish your inner Grinch! This episode first aired December 20, 2018.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

24m
Dec 28, 2023
FtV - Boston’s Christmas Tree

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 39 – In Episode 175, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll Boston Common to see this year’s Christmas tree. The tree is an annual gift from the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia – a gift that traces its roots back to a horrible tragedy that took place December 6, 1917, when a French ship carrying munitions exploded, instantly killing hundreds of people, and injuring thousands more. Out of this dark day came a bright light of hope when neighbors reached out to help neighbors. This episode first aired December 24, 2020.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

20m
Dec 25, 2023
When Longfellow Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

In Episode 329 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger spend Christmas strolling the grounds of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s former mansion in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to witness the birthplace of a poem written Christmas morning in 1863, when Longfellow felt his hope renewed after his son had been badly injured in a Civil War battle. The poem was later turned into a holiday song that’s been recorded by giants like: Burl Ives, Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte, Andy Williams, and Johnny Cash.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-329-when-longfellow-heard-the-bells-on-christmas-day/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

21m
Dec 21, 2023
FtV - The Bootlegger Queen of Vermont

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 38 – In Episode 162, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger travel back to 1925 in West Halifax, Vermont – the height of prohibition – to ride shotgun with Hilda Stone, the Bootlegger Queen of Vermont, on one of her many runs to Canada. Stone was drawn into a life of crime after her husband came into financial difficulties, but she stayed for the love of the chase. Stone became an icon in the newspapers, and got arrested more times than you can count on one hand. But she kept coming back to deliver illegal booze to New Englanders. This episode first aired September 24, 2020.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends    

28m
Dec 18, 2023
FtV - America’s First Christmas Card

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 37 – In Episode 279 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to the Roxbury section of Boston, Massachusetts, searching for the factory that produced America’s first Christmas cards. Back in 1875, Louis Prang took a chance that Americans might want to send Christmas cards like they do in Europe. His risk paid off. Within a few years 5 million cards per year were leaving his Roxbury factory, and sending holiday cards became an institution. Jeff and Ray wish you the happiest of holidays! This episode first aired December 22, 2022.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

24m
Dec 14, 2023