New England Legends Podcast

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! See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-279-americas-first-christmas-card/ Listen to our past holiday specials: Episode 227 - Christmas Witch Sheep of Narragansett - https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-227-christmas-witch-sheep-of-narragansett/ The Mistletoe Bride - https://ournewenglandlegends.com/holiday-extra-podcast-the-mistletoe-bride/ Episode 175 - Boston's Christmas Tree - https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-175-bostons-christmas-tree/ Episode 122 - New England's First Christmas Tree - https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-122-new-englands-first-christmas-tree/ Episode 70 - The Ghost Who Saved Christmas - https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-70-the-ghost-who-saved-christmas/ Episode 18 - The Jingle Bells Scandal - https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-18-the-jingle-bells-scandal/ Episode 17 - When Boston Banned Christmas - https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-17-when-boston-banned-christmas/

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 155 –  Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island, in search of the mortal remains of Mercy Brown. Mercy died of Consumption on January 17, 1892. Three months later, her father had her heart and liver removed from her corpse so he could burn them to ashes and feed those ashes to his dying son. Why? Because some suspected Mercy was a vampire. This episode first aired March 28, 2019 Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends 

In Episode 432, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll the streets of downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, to see the epicenter of a profound UFO sighting that took place just before the Christmas holiday of 1909. A strange light circled the city and was witnessed by thousands. What could this strange craft have been?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-432-worcesters-christmas-ufo/    Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends  Get your tickets to our 2026 Freak Formal, February 14, 2026, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Milford, Massachusetts, to benefit Project Just Because! Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freak-formal-event-presented-by-new-england-legends-tickets-1980103869978  Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/ 

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 154 –  Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger dig through the history of Providence, Rhode Island, in search of the roots of the story behind a man-eating apple tree that devoured state founder Roger Williams. In 1860, Rhode Island historians exhumed the body of Williams and made a gruesome discovery. This episode first aired September 12, 2019   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends 

In Episode 431, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger drive along Route 44 in Avon, Connecticut, searching for the Talcott Mountain Robot. In 1967, a robot or spaceman was seen late one night moving awkwardly and trying to get the attention of passing cars. The police received multiple calls on the sightings. Was it a prank? A spaceman? A real robot?   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-431-the-talcott-mountain-robot/    Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends  Get your tickets to our 2026 Freak Formal, February 14, 2026, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Milford, Massachusetts, to benefit Project Just Because! Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freak-formal-event-presented-by-new-england-legends-tickets-1980103869978  Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/ 

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 152 –  Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger 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 a different Connecticut legend? This episode first aired November 21, 2019   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends 

In Episode 430, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger check out the ghosts of the historic Equinox Hotel in Manchester, Vermont. The earliest structure called the Marsh Tavern opened here in 1769. It's been some kind of inn and hotel ever since. U.S. Presidents have stayed here, as have other notable guests, including First lady Mary Todd Lincoln… some believe her spirit is still here. But she's not the only one. A former owner met a tragic end on these grounds.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-430-the-haunting-of-the-equinox/    Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends  Get your tickets to our 2026 Freak Formal, February 14, 2026, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Milford, Massachusetts, to benefit Project Just Because! Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freak-formal-event-presented-by-new-england-legends-tickets-1980103869978  Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/ 

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 152 –  Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger drive to the grounds of the old Fernald School in Waltham, Massachusetts, just in time for a radioactive bowl of Quaker Oatmeal. This is a facility with secrets. Back in the late 1940s a series of experiments was conducted on 74 boys between the ages of 10 and 17 to determine the nutritional effectiveness of oatmeal. The boys had no idea they were human guinea pigs until a declassified document shed light into the dark corners of the Fernald School. This episode first aired July 30, 2020   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends 

In Episode 429, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the former Kent County Jail building in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Built in 1795, this jail has seen countless people come and go through the legal system, from drunks and debtors to murderers. Some of those spirits may have never left their jail cells.  See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-429-the-haunted-kent-county-jail/  Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends  Get your tickets to our 2026 Freak Formal, February 14, 2026, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Milford, Massachusetts, to benefit Project Just Because! Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freak-formal-event-presented-by-new-england-legends-tickets-1980103869978  Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/ 

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 151 –  Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger stroll the grounds around Newport Harbor Lighthouse in Rhode Island, because it's here that 26 men are buried somewhere below the picturesque lighthouse. This was the site of New England's largest state sanctioned mass execution. This is the tale of pirates on the high seas! This episode first aired June 11, 2020   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends 

In Episode 428, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger travel to Washington, Maine, to see where outlaw Elmer J. McCurdy got his start on January 1, 1880. The troubled youth became a drifter, made his way out to the heartland of America, then turned to an unsuccessful life of crime. After his death, and no one claiming his body, his embalmed and mummified corpse began to tour with carnivals. He was passed around for decades until folks didn't even know he was ever a living human being.   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-428-maines-outlaw-mummy/  Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends  Get your tickets to our 2026 Freak Formal, February 14, 2026, at the Double Tree Hotel in Milford, Massachusetts, to benefit Project Just Because! Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freak-formal-event-presented-by-new-england-legends-tickets-1980103869978  Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/ 

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 150 –  Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger head to Arcadia, Rhode Island, in search of moaning bones — the ghostly cries of a peddler murdered long ago. While in town, we learn about a second, and eerily similar story coming from the region of Molasses Hill on Mt. Tome. Could these stories be one in the same? This episode first aired May 9, 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 149 –   Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore the Bangor Public Library in Maine, in search of a couch where former Vice President Hannibal Hamlin drew his last breath. The couch has become a macabre attraction in the library due to its connection with presidential royalty… but you can't sit on it! What happened? And how did it get here? This episode first aired October 6, 2022 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 148 –   Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger row out to a tiny island called Becky's Garden on Lake Winnipesaukee to explore the fairy tale legend behind this rock and little house. It's the smallest island on the lake, it's been on the map since 1885, and the story behind it sounds all too familiar. This episode first aired February 20, 2020 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 147 –   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

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 145 –   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 

In Episode 427, our holiday special, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take the classic Victorian Christmas ghost story "The Phantom Coach" by Amelia Edwards, and turn it into an audio drama. Actor Michael Legge joins us to spin this spooky holiday tale. Music by John Judd.   See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-427-the-phantom-coach-a-holiday-ghost-story/  Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends  Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/ 

In Episode 426 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit a pond near a rural farm in Wakefield, New Hampshire. Back in January of 1977 a local farmer found a three-foot circle cut through the thick ice of his small pond. At the bottom of the shallow pond, he saw a strange black cube. He called the police and set off an investigation that led to radioactive readings, the National Guard getting involved, and a mystery that persists to this day.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-426-the-wakefield-ufo-mystery/    Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends  Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/ 

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 144 –   Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger start their adventure in Milford, Massachusetts, looking for a local farm boy who went missing in February of 1846. Then they head to Boston where a break in the case came two years later when a psychic medium gave the family the whereabouts of the boy's body. According to the newspaper reports, her insight unraveled the entire case of the boy's mysterious murder. This episode first aired January 2, 2020   Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends 

In Episode 425 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit an ancient and mysterious henge in Lincoln, Massachusetts, that dates all the way back to the year 2010. What started as something small has grown into one of the most fun roadside oddities in New England.    See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-425-the-ancient-mystery-of-ponyhenge/  Listen ad-free plus get early access and bonus episodes at: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends Buy Jeff Belanger's new book Wicked Strange New England on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lMkM3G  Check out Jeff's new underground publication Shadow Zine! https://shadowzine.com/  Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/