New England Legends Podcast

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 35 – In Episode 214, 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. This episode first aired December 23, 2021. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 327 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a stroll through Williams Memorial Park in New London, Connecticut, to see the site of a former cemetery. The park was created in 1885 after Mayor Charles Williams generously agreed to fund the transfer of hundreds of graves to a newer cemetery on the outskirts of town. Today there’s an apartment building and houses on the land, but for more than a century, rumors have dogged this park that the workers only moved the headstones and that the bodies are still there. Special bonus content: An audiobook excerpt from Jeff Belanger’s new book, The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters. See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-327-they-only-moved-the-headstones/ Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends Check out Jeff Belanger's new book, The Fright Before Christmas: Surviving Krampus and Other Yuletide Monsters in hardcover, eBook, or audiobook! JEFF'S NEW BOOK AND E-BOOK NOW AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD! Amazon: https://a.co/d/7b8zV3p Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fright-before-christmas-jeff-belanger/1142940650 Amazon Canada: https://a.co/d/bJvFzX5 ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOBOOK NARRATED BY JEFF BELANGER! Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Fright-Before-Christmas-Audiobook/B0C7S51N71 Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/the-fright-before-christmas/id1691580224?itsct=books_box_link&itscg=30200&ls=1 Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781666646467 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the-fright-before-christmas-1

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 34 – In 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? This episode first aired September 23, 2021. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 326 for their Thanksgiving Special, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to the place where a Thanksgiving radio legend was born. An arrest that gave rise to a story that gave birth to an 18-minute song that was made into a movie. Arlo Guthrie came here in 1965 and tossed some trash over a hill. The trash belonged to his friend Alice Brock who owned a restaurant in town. But how much of this masacree song is true? See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-326-thanksgiving-at-alices-restaurant/ 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 33 – 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. This episode first aired September 30, 2021. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 325 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll down Benefit Street in Providence, Rhode Island, searching for a magical and enchanted fountain built in 1873 they say has the ability to transport you. But how did it get here? And does it really work? Jeff and Ray put this legend to the test! See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-325-the-legendary-fountain-of-providence/ 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 32 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Beer Bottle Church in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, in search of the legend of the beer bottle that sits atop the First Baptist Church steeple. They also explore the strange story behind a unique clock located on that very same steeple. The clock and beer-topped spire are so inspiring that Jeff and Ray may just break into song at the end. This episode first aired November 14, 2019. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 324 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the shores of Bristol, Maine, to search for the site where, one foggy night in 1888, a witness claims a ghostly pirate ship sent a crew of spirits ashore to dig for lost treasure in an ancient graveyard. This spooky account made the newspapers and had the town on edge. See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-324-the-ghost-ship-of-ancient-pemaquid/ 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 31 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Leominster, Massachusetts, in search of Joseph Palmer and Silas Lampson, two men who were persecuted and even jailed for wearing a beard in the 1830s. Though they were both devout Christians, they were attacked, mocked, and even accused of being in league with the devil, all for sporting facial hair. Though both men would live to see the times change, these non-conformists suffered due to the ugliest and most judgmental aspects to society! This episode first aired March 18, 2021. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 323 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger get medieval in Greenfield, New Hampshire, where we go searching for Yankee Siege – a world record-holding roadside oddity trebuchet that left its mark launching pumpkins over a quarter of a mile. See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-323-a-punkin-chunkin-yankee-siege/ 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 30 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Burrillville, Rhode Island, to go Halloween trick-or-treating at the farm house that served as the inspiration for the 2013 movie, The Conjuring. We explore the movie, Ed and Lorrain Warren, then dive into what really happened in that house. You’ll hear from Roger Perron, whose family lived the experience in the early 1970s, and who were portrayed in the movie, as well as the new owners who are still facing the haunting today. Happy Halloween! This episode first aired October 31, 2019. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 322 we break format to spend Halloween in an old-time radio drama from The Hermit’s Cave exploring the House of the Purple Shadows in central Vermont. After the mysterious disappearance of Jim Davidson, his home, business, and belongings transfer to his niece and her husband. But where did Davidson go? And what horrible danger lurks inside his former house? See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-322-halloween-2023-the-house-of-purple-shadows/ 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 29 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger go on a fishing expedition in the Olneyville section of Providence, Rhode Island. At an unremarkable intersection it once rained fish down from the sky back on May 15, 1900, but that wasn’t the only weird thing to make the headlines that day. Just across town, an explosion in a trolley car covered the occupants with a mysterious goo. May 15, 1900, may just be Providence’s weirdest day. This episode first aired June 24, 2021. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 321 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a swing at Pakachoag Golf Course in Auburn, Massachusetts, where near the 9th hole back on March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. If not for what happened here we may never have gone to space, reached the moon, and beyond. Sometimes it takes a dreamer to leap us forward. See mnore here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-321-from-the-9th-hole-to-the-moon-in-auburn/ 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 28 – 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 Brian Boland who died in a ballooning accident on July 15, 2021. This episode first aired July 22, 2021. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 320 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head back to 1873 to investigate the haunted Dr. Ticknor house in Salisbury, Connecticut. This house made the news after the Fenn family moved in and began experiencing strange ghostly phenomena. Once the story made the rounds, a reporter from New York City came calling with the intention of spending the night in this alleged haunt. See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-320-the-haunted-ticknor-house/ 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 27 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike into the deep woods of northern Maine in search of the Chenoo, a cannibal ice giant from Algonquin folklore that hunts and kills people foolish enough to wander into his domain. This is the story of a Micmac family who takes on a Chenoo with an unlikely weapon. This episode first aired January 23, 2020. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 319 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger belly up the haunted Tavern on Main in Chepachet, Rhode Island, searching for ghosts. Back in 1842, this tavern became the epicenter of the Dorr Rebellion -- a parallel Rhode Island government that was vying to allow all men in the state to vote. The rebellion turned violent, but it did force some changes. Today the ancient tavern is haunted by spirits from many eras. See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-319-eat-drink-and-be-scary-at-tavern-on-main/ 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 26 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll downtown Willimantic, and nearby Windham, Connecticut, is search of a French and Indian War battle site that left thousands dead in July of 1758. The region has never forgotten, nor will it ever forgive those responsible for the slaughter. There are monuments to the battle, an opera written about it, and since September of 2000, a Willimantic bridge even tips its hat to those responsible lest we ever forget. This episode first aired August 29, 2019. Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends

In Episode 318 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Woodstock, Maine, to see the world’s largest telephone on display in Remembrance Park. Back in 1981, Woodstock had the distinction of being home to the last crank phone call made in the United States. This roadside oddity story may just leaving you wonder if your refrigerator is running… See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-318-americas-last-crank-call-made-in-maine/ Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends