Northeast Stories and Legends

Northeast Stories and Legends Join us as we explore the legends, myths, forgotten places and eccentric characters in Northeast lore. Check our our podcast: Northeast Legends and Stories

Embark on a journey of (mostly) forgotten Northeast stories.

Charles Lee: The Swashbuckling General Who Betrayed Washington... Over a Horse (NYC/NJ campaigns, 1731–1782) During the ...
12/13/2025

Charles Lee: The Swashbuckling General Who Betrayed Washington... Over a Horse (NYC/NJ campaigns, 1731–1782)
During the Revolutionary War's chaotic 1776 New York and New Jersey campaigns, British-born Charles Lee—tall, rakish, and fond of exotic pets like his Pomeranian Spado—rose as George Washington's second-in-command, famed for his pre-war exploits (he'd lived with the Mohawks and fought in Poland). But eccentricity turned to ego: At the Battle of Monmouth (NJ, 1778), he botched orders, retreated disastrously, and when confronted, blamed Washington while demanding a horse race to settle it. Court-martialed and dismissed, he retired to a Chester, NJ, estate, writing scathing letters calling Congress "a pack of dirty pimps." Died disgraced in Philly, but his wild life (including a rumored affair with Ben Franklin's illegitimate son) makes him the Revolution's rogue anti-hero.
Washington's frenemy with a flair for drama.

12/12/2025

You’re driving a sandy road in the Jersey Pine Barrens…
and the GPS just dies.Welcome to Ong’s Hat, a real ghost town
where, in the 80s, rogue scientists allegedly built “the Egg,”
a machine that punched holes into parallel universes.People vanished.
Others came back with sunburns in winter
and photos of skylines that don’t exist here.It was all a hoax…
an art project…
the very first alternate-reality game ever made.But 35 years later, people still leave offerings in the ruins
and swear the woods feel… thin. Full episode just dropped.
Link in bio if you’re brave enough to listen in the dark.Would you step into the Egg?
Yes or hell-no in the comments.

The "Mad" Mayor of Jersey City: Frank Hague, the Iron-Fisted Boss Who Built (and Broke) a Machine (Jersey City, NJ, 1876...
12/12/2025

The "Mad" Mayor of Jersey City: Frank Hague, the Iron-Fisted Boss Who Built (and Broke) a Machine (Jersey City, NJ, 1876–1956)
In the smoke-choked wards of early 1900s Jersey City, Frank Hague ruled as mayor for three decades (1917–1947), turning a corrupt political machine into a welfare empire—free milk for kids, parks, and jobs for loyalists—but his eccentricity was tyrannical flair: He banned plays he disliked (shutting down Abie's Irish Rose for "racial mixing"), blacklisted critics from city jobs, and once told FDR, "I am the law" after jailing a journalist. A dapper dwarf at 5'2", he vacationed on his own island (Hague's Point, still in Jersey City) and amassed a $10M fortune from "fees." Ousted in scandal, he died a recluse, but his ghost haunts Hudson County politics. The little big man who made NJ's machines tick.
Power play or playground?

Joe Gould: The Greenwich Village "Professor" Who Wrote a 9-Million-Word Book... That Didn't Exist (NYC, 1889–1957) In th...
12/12/2025

Joe Gould: The Greenwich Village "Professor" Who Wrote a 9-Million-Word Book... That Didn't Exist (NYC, 1889–1957)
In the bohemian haze of 1930s Greenwich Village, Joe Gould was the rumpled king of eccentrics—a Harvard dropout turned self-proclaimed "Professor Seagull" who begged for nickels, cackled like a bird, and claimed to be crafting the world's longest book: an "Oral History of Our Time," supposedly 9 million words long, collected from overheard conversations of everyday New Yorkers. Joseph Mitchell immortalized him in The New Yorker, but the twist? After Gould's death, Mitchell revealed the manuscript was pure fiction—Gould spent decades dodging questions, sleeping in flophouses, and charming intellectuals like E.E. Cummings with his wild tales. A hoax or genius performance art? He once said, "I am interested in the way people talk." His "book" lives on as a metaphor for the invisible stories of the city.
NYC's ultimate literary ghost.

12/11/2025

You’re driving a sandy road in the Jersey Pine Barrens…
and the GPS just dies.Welcome to Ong’s Hat, a real ghost town
where, in the 80s, rogue scientists allegedly built “the Egg,”
a machine that punched holes into parallel universes.People vanished.
Others came back with sunburns in winter
and photos of skylines that don’t exist here. Was it all a hoax?
An art project?
Or The very first alternate-reality game ever made.But 35 years later, people still leave offerings in the ruins
and swear the woods feel… thin. Full 90-minute episode just dropped.
Link in bio if you’re brave enough to listen. .Would you step into the Egg?
Yes or hell-no in the comments.

Stairway to Stardom – New York City, 1980s This no-holds-barred talent show on NYC public access was like America's Got ...
12/11/2025

Stairway to Stardom – New York City, 1980s
This no-holds-barred talent show on NYC public access was like America's Got Talent if the judges were chain-smoking locals and the acts were unfiltered fever dreams. Amateur hopefuls belted off-key show tunes, tap-danced in ill-fitting outfits, or recited "poetry" about subway rats— all on a barebones set with a single spotlight and audience of confused families.
Host Matty Troy heckled mercilessly ("You call that singing? My cat does better!"), but the raw sincerity shone through. It ran for years, unearthing hidden gems (and disasters) from the five boroughs. Viral clips today capture the chaotic joy of pre-reality-TV desperation.
NYC's ladder to nowhere, one bad audition at a time.
one would you binge at 2am? Tag a friend who'd star in #5

12/11/2025

You’re driving a sandy road in the Jersey Pine Barrens…
and the GPS just dies. Welcome to Ong’s Hat, a real ghost town
where, in the 80s, rogue scientists allegedly built “the Egg,”
a machine that punched holes into parallel universes.People vanished.
Others came back with sunburns in winter
and photos of skylines that don’t exist here. Was it all a hoax?
An art project?
The very first alternate-reality game ever made? But 35 years later, people still leave offerings in the ruins
and swear the woods feel… thin. Full episode just dropped.
Link in bio if you’re brave enough to listen in the dark.Would you step into the Egg?
Yes or hell-no in the comments.

The Chris Gethard Show – New York City, 2011–2015 Billed as "the most bizarre and often saddest talk show in New York Ci...
12/11/2025

The Chris Gethard Show – New York City, 2011–2015
Billed as "the most bizarre and often saddest talk show in New York City," this MNN live call-in gem started as a failing UCB theater show but exploded on public access. Host Chris Gethard fielded viewer calls on themes like "The Worst Thing You Ever Did" or "Bad High School Memories," leading to gut-wrenching confessions, prank calls, and improvised sketches with a ragtag crew (including future stars like Hannibal Buress).
Episodes were raw: tears one minute, absurd games (like "Hot Dog Water Challenge") the next. Over 140 live hours aired Wednesdays at 11pm, building a cult following before HBO picked it up. It's the emotional whiplash that made it legendary—therapy meets clown college.
Public access's saddest, funniest cry for help.

The Connecticut Woman Who Fought as a Man in the Revolution – Derby, 1781–1783 Deborah Samson of Plymouth, MA (later liv...
12/10/2025

The Connecticut Woman Who Fought as a Man in the Revolution – Derby, 1781–1783
Deborah Samson of Plymouth, MA (later lived in Sharon, CT) disguised herself as “Robert Shurtlieff,” enlisted in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment, fought at Tarrytown, was wounded twice (once dug a musket ball out of her own thigh to hide her gender), and served 17 months before being honorably discharged.
Congress gave her a full military pension in 1805—the first woman to receive one. Later toured New England giving lectures in her uniform.

The Day Maine Burned – October 1866 On October 8–9, 1866, after the driest summer ever recorded, simultaneous fires swep...
12/10/2025

The Day Maine Burned – October 1866
On October 8–9, 1866, after the driest summer ever recorded, simultaneous fires swept through Portland, Brunswick, Bangor, and dozens of smaller towns. Portland lost 1,800 buildings (including City Hall and every church but one), 10,000 people homeless.
The fires jumped the Kennebec River in sparks carried miles on the wind. Total damage: $300 million in today’s money. Rebuilt with brick, which is why downtown Portland looks so Victorian.

12/09/2025

Imagine flipping channels at 2 a.m. in '90s NYC… and landing on THIS.A nervous host reading credits like his life depends on it.
A giant co-host glaring like he hates everything.
A woman in a homemade Underdog costume doing intense ballet.
A guy in a monkey suit starting fake fights.
Tiny Tim, Grandpa Munster, and the world’s best nose-whistler.This was Beyond Vaudeville—public access TV’s glorious trainwreck that ran for 10 years and turned total weirdos into legends.No budget. No script. Just pure, unfiltered New York chaos.And guess what? It still has a massive cult following today.Full episode on the late-night gem that predicted internet weirdness is out now—link in bio.Who else stayed up way too late watching public access gold? Drop a below!

The Rhode Island Pirate Who Became a Hero – Newport, 1723 Captain John Brown of Newport was a respected merchant until h...
12/09/2025

The Rhode Island Pirate Who Became a Hero – Newport, 1723
Captain John Brown of Newport was a respected merchant until he turned pirate in 1723, capturing 11 ships off Newfoundland. When his crew mutinied and marooned him on a Brazilian island, Brown survived alone for months, built a canoe from driftwood, and sailed 1,000 miles back to Rhode Island.
Instead of hanging him, Governor Samuel Cranston pardoned him because his logs exposed British naval corruption. Brown retired rich and died peacefully in Newport. One of the only Golden Age pirates to get a happy ending.

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Website

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