Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 76 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the shores of Rockport Harbor in Maine, searching for the legend of a seal who stole the hearts of locals and tourists from 1961 to 1986. Andre the seal was adopted by Harry Goodridge when he was two days old, then became a local fixture. His story led to books, a statue, and even a Hollywood movie. But not everyone loved Andre. This episode first aired January 7, 2021   Listen ad-free plus...

In Episode 361 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit the Weary Club of Norway, Maine, to explore the 102-year history of this unique social club. Founded on fat-shewing and whittling, this club prides themselves on being, “The makers and dealers of social gossip and Yankee philosophy.” But how did it start?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-361-the-weary-club-of-maine/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 75 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger drive up to the remains of Fairfield Hills Mental Hospital in Newtown, Connecticut. Opened in 1933, Fairfield Hills was touted as the latest and greatest in the treatment of people whose “minds have become deranged with strange fancies, and who have lost control over their thoughts and emotions.” But overcrowding and underfunding lead to conditions that were truly horrific, conditions that haunt us...

In Episode 360 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the haunted Frost Sawyer Tavern and Three Chimneys Inn in Durham, New Hampshire. With the oldest section of the building dating back to 1649, it’s bound to have a ghost or two knocking around, but who is haunting the building and why? This old building was once home to a plague called Typhoid that ravaged the community.   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-360-the-haunted-frost-house/   Listen ad-free plus get early...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 74 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger sail out to Boon Island, Maine, in search of the legend of the Boon Island Cannibals. On December 10, 1710, the Nottingham Galley shipwrecked on the tiny island during a nor’easter, leaving all 14 crewmen stranded. As the men started to die, the survivors were left with an awful choice — a choice that’s haunted the island ever since. But was the ship’s captain a hero or villain? This episode first...

In Episode 359 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, to explore the story behind Red Sox legend Ted Williams’s unique afterlife. Though Williams died back in 2002, some members of his family believe that’s just a technicality. Ted’s head and body were separately cryogenically frozen in the hopes of being revived one day when there’s a cure for… death.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-359-ted-williamss-frozen-head/   Listen...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 73 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger investigate the Pembroke, New Hampshire, Murder Pillar. This stone pillar sits far back from Academy Road, almost out of site at the tree line of the woods. The marker commemorates the life and death of 17-year-old Josie Langmaid. Her head was found almost 500 feet away. The murder shocked the community to the point where it’s still mentioned in whispers today. This episode first aired October 3,...

In Episode 358 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Fairfield, Vermont, searching for the controversial birthplace of 21st U.S. President Chester A. Arthur. Today there are multiple historic markers and even an historic site, but the place and year of his birth is in debate. How did it happen?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-358-searching-for-a-u-s-president-in-vermont/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at:...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 72 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger mark the one-year anniversary of the podcast in the dark! On May 19, 1780, the skies over all six New England states turned black at 11 in the morning, and the moon turned blood red. The darkness lasted over 16 hours. Many believed this was judgment day and turned to their churches. Others turned to their taverns. What caused this strange phenomenon? And could it happen again? This episode first aired...

In Episode 357 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike the woods of Watertown, Connecticut, searching for one of the Leatherman’s caves. Back in the latter half of the 1800, a wandering vagabond covered in patchwork leather made an endless 365-mile circuit between the Hudson and Connecticut rivers.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-357-the-leatherman/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends   Buy tickets...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 71 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the haunted Nordica Auditorium on the campus of the University of Maine, Farmington. Lillian Nordica was an opera singer from Farmington who rose to international fame in the 1880s. Unlucky at love, but adored by millions, she’s considered the first American Diva. They say her ghost can still be heard warming up in the auditorium named after her. This episode first aired February 18, 2021.   ...

In Episode 356 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger check out Lime Rock Island in Newport, Rhode Island, to visit the site of a former lighthouse where a brave young woman named Ida Lewis became a national hero in the latter half of the 1800s.     See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-356-the-unsinkable-ida-lewis/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends   Buy tickets to NEW ENGLAND LEGENDS LIVE - Saturday,...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 70 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger dive into the legends of Lake Willoughby in Westmore, Vermont. From Devil’s Rock, to a giant serpent, to a mysteries underwater tunnel that may connect to another nearby lake, Willoughby is home to many strange legends. Devil’s Rock is still here, and we found newspaper articles related to the killing of the giant serpent, but could a descendant of that giant beast still be lurking in these cold...

In Episode 355 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the Narrow Gauge Volunteer Trail in Randolph, Maine, searching for the ghost of a missing transient locals called Bicycle Larry. He went missing in October of 2004. In December of that year, a local man told his sister where they could find Larry’s body. Larry’s body was never found, but his bike-riding ghost has been seen on the old trail and around town.     See more here: ...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 69 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike through a Bristol, Rhode Island, cemetery searching for a burial mound and crime scene. In the woods behind this small cemetery sits a mound of dirt containing the robbed crypt of Captain James DeWolf, a former slave trader who whose grave was desecrated in 1842. Today this crypt is a once-prominent family’s dirty secret. This episode first aired December 3, 2020.   Listen ad-free plus get...

In Episode 354 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Dover, New Hampshire, to see the memorial to the Strafford County Lunatic Asylum fire. On February 9, 1893, a fire ravaged the old asylum building killing 41 people inside. The tragedy was an epic failure of a system meant to protect the most vulnerable.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-354-41-lunatics-burned-to-death/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at:...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 68 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger drive to Mason, New Hampshire, to see the boyhood home of Samuel Wilson, a kid who served the Continental Army by guarding and tending to the livestock, then helped the U.S. cause again during the War of 1812. He’s a guy who cared about his neighbors, and about his country. Though his name was Samuel, most locals knew him simply as: Uncle Sam. We want YOU to hear this podcast. This episode first aired...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 67 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a drive up to Greenfield, Massachusetts, to explore Eunice Williams Covered Bridge. It was here on March 1, 1704, that Eunice Williams was executed with a tomahawk shortly after the Deerfield Massacre. That event has haunted the community, and would go on to haunt this bridge, ever since. They say on moonless nights you can still hear her scream. This episode first aired March 14, 2019.   ...

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 66 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore Liberty Hill Cemetery in Lebanon, Connecticut, where they say there’s a barrel of rum buried beneath one of the headstones. And the word is, there’s a local sea captain who was just dying to get to it. This episode first aired May 30, 2019.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 65 – 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. This episode first aired October 21, 2021.   Listen...

In Episode 353 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the Old Burying Ground in Essex, Massachusetts. Back in October of 1817, a ghoul snatched eight bodies from the local cemetery causing a huge stir in town. An investigation was launched with shocking results. But who done it? And why?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-353-the-ghoul-of-chebacco-parish/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 64 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike the woods of Maidstone, Vermont, in search of a clever, but annoying hairy beast called Slipperyskin. For generations, this creature, described as a bear who walks on his hind legs, and who torments the people of Essex County, roamed the forest giving everyone who hunted him the slip. Could he still be out there in the Northeastern Kingdom? This episode first aired December 5, 2019.   Listen...

In Episode 352 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike the trails of Mt. Mansfield in northern Vermont in search of the elusive Wampahoofus. Said to be a cross between a deer and a boar, the creature circles the mountain either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Are there any left?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-352-hunting-the-wampahoofus-of-mt-mansfield/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 63 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a Valentine’s Day stroll down Benefit Street in Providence, Rhode Island, to the Athenaeum in search of the brokenhearted ghost of Edgar Allan Poe. It was at the Athenaeum that Poe once courted poet Sarah Helen Whitman and it was at this same building that Whitman once tried to summon his spirit. Could the master of horror still be haunting Providence? Had events gone differently would it had...

In Episode 351 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the ruins of Old Newgate Prison in East Granby, Connecticut. The prison got its start as a copper mine back in 1709. After the mine closed, Connecticut believed they found the perfect place for their first state prison. After multiple escapes and riots, a more formal building was constructed on the site. It was a place the inmates simply called: Hell.    See more here: ...