Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 56 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit a memorial off the side of the road in Alfred, Maine, that marks the site where America’s first elephant was gunned down in cold blood back in 1816. The elephant named Old Bet had toured throughout New England for eight years before a jealous farmer named Daniel Davis gunned her down as she approached the town of Alfred. Old Bet was part of one of America’s earliest circuses, and if not for the tiny memorial along Route 4, her legend may be lost forever. This episode first aired April 1, 2021. &n ..read more

In Episode 344 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore Warwick Neck, Rhode Island, to search for the Crime Castle of Carl Rettich. In the 1920s, during the height of Prohibition, Rettich ran Rhode Island’s bootlegging game with an iron fist, and if you crossed him… with a mobster staple of his own invention: cement shoes.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-344-carl-rettichs-deadly-footwear-and-murder-mansion/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends ..read more

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 55 – Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a stroll down a road to nowhere in search of ghosts and a monster. The abandoned section of Downs Road in Bethany, Connecticut, is home to a host of legends whose roots date back more than a century-and-a-half and include ties to a strange New Haven cult whose leader claimed to have the ability to raise the dead. This episode first aired July 16, 2020.   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends ..read more

In Episode 343 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger sail the harbor of Rockport, Maine, to witness the birth of the donut. In 1847, a young sailor named Hanson Crockett Gregory, made an innovation in the “oily-cake” that changed Maine… New England… America… the World… the Time-Space Continuum. Every legend, every icon, starts somewhere. WARNING: This episode WILL make you hungry!   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-343-the-birth-of-the-legendary-donut/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends ..read more

In Episode 342 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike New England’s tallest peak in search of a marker that commemorates where Lizzie Bourne left this mortal coil near the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire back in September of 1855.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-342-the-lizzie-bourne-tragedy/   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more