In Episode 451, Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger take a cemetery safari in Washington, New Hampshire, looking for the unique grave of Captain Samuel Jones—a man who, back in 1804, had a leg up (or maybe down) on all of us. Things get weird.
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Produced and hosted by: Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger
Edited by: Ray Auger
Theme Music by: John Judd
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
*A note on the text: Please forgive punctuation, spelling, and grammar mistakes. Like us, the transcripts ain’t perfect.
JEFF: Ray, the July 4th holiday is coming up. You know what that means…
RAY: It means plenty of people will wake up with all ten fingers, but that doesn’t mean they’ll go to bed that night with all ten intact.
JEFF: True. It also means America is turning 250 years old this year. That’s quite a milestone.
RAY: It is. So I guess it’s only fitting that we’re in the town of WASHINGTON, New Hampshire.
JEFF: Definitely. In fact, this was the first town in the United States to be named for George Washington. The town incorporated December 13, 1776 when George Washington was serving as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Of course, there have been many towns named Washington since, but this was the first.
RAY: That’s a fun patriotic fact. Way to go, New Hampshire! So what brings us to this small cemetery on the side of the road on Faxon Hill Road?
JEFF: Ray, we’ve come to this cemetery to find the unusual grave of a Captain… who had a leg up on all of us.
[INTRO]
JEFF: I’m Jeff Belanger.
RAY: And I’m Ray Auger. Welcome to Episode 451 of the New England Legends Podcast. Thanks for joining us on our mission to chronicle every strange legend in New England one story at a time. We’re always search for strange tales of odd history, roadside oddities, ghosts, monsters, and all of the other weirdness that makes New England like no other place. So many of our story leads come from you so reach out to us anytime through our website. We love to hear from you!
JEFF: We’ll search for this unique grave right after this word from our sponsor.
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RAY: So the cemetery we’re standing in on Faxon Hill Road in Washington, New Hampshire, is technically called Old Center Cemetery, and holds just under 400 graves.
JEFF: One notable grave here is that of former U.S. Congressman Joseph Healy.
RAY: Is that who we’re here to see?
JEFF: No, we’re looking for a headstone with Captain Samuel Jones’s name on it. He’s our guy.
RAY: We always love a good cemetery safari.
JEFF: We do!
RAY: Washington is a former mill town located about 26 miles east of the state capital of Concord. As we mentioned before it’s the first town in the United States named after George Washington. It’s always been a small town. The population initially peaked at just over 1,100 people back in 1830. Then it dwindled. Though today the population is just under 1,200. So still a small town.
JEFF: A small town with a unique grave that we came here to find. To see how it got here, let’s head back to the year 1804 and meet Captain Samuel Jones.
[TRANSITION]
RAY: It’s July of 1804 here in Washington, New Hampshire. Thomas Jefferson is President of the United States, and America has just celebrated its 28th birthday! There were some picnics in town, some local folks said a few words about New Hampshire values, and then of course it’s back to work.
JEFF: Yup, a little celebration, then we all need to get back to building up this new nation. That means businesses, homes, farms, and everything we need to move forward as a country.
[DIG DIG DIG]
[SAWING WOOD]
JEFF: It’s Saturday, July 7th. There’s a big project happening in Washington. Folks in town are trying to move an entire house from its current position on the top of a hill, down to the center of town.
RAY: All morning the men have been using jacks and slowly lifting the house off of its foundation.
JEFF: This is exciting to watch!
RAY: I know, right?!
JEFF: Okay, they’re sliding some planks under the raised home now.
[HAMMERING SOUNDS]
JEFF: They’re securing the house to the wooden planks.
[OX SOUNDS]
RAY: There’s a team of oxen standing by to drag the house once it’s ready.
JEFF: Okay, the ropes seem to be secured. Gravity is going to do most of the work, the ropes are to help guide and slow the house as it moves down the hill.
JEFF: Okay, it looks like we’re ready to go! There’s a bunch of men from town here to see and help.
RAY: Can you blame them?
JEFF: Not at all. This is awesome! Okay, Ray. Grab a rope.
RAY: Got it.
[PULL]
JEFF/RAY: (STRUGGLING SOUNDS)
[CRACK]
[CRASH!]
JEFF/RAY: Oh no! The house just slid off the track and crashed into a nearby fence!
[IN DISTANCE: OWWWW!]
RAY: Who is that?!
JEFF: I don’t know!
[RUNNING]
RAY: Oh man… it’s Captain Samuel Jones!
JEFF: His leg is stuck between the house and the fence!
[MAN GROANING]
RAY: Get the jacks! Captain Jones is being crushed!
JEFF: This is awful! Hurry! Get help!
RAY: Get that plank under here for leverage! Okay! Everyone push!
JEFF/RAY: (GRUNTING)
RAY: Okay, pull him out!
[LOUD THUMP OF HOUSE COMING BACK DOWN]
JEFF: Okay, Captain Jones has been pulled out.
RAY: Ohhhh… his leg does NOT look good. (AWAY FROM MIC) Run and fetch the doctor!
JEFF: Captain Jones seems stable, but his leg is completely crushed.
RAY: I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure that leg is going to have to come off.
JEFF: I just heard from one of the men that it’s going to be a while before they’re back with the doctor. The nearest one is miles away.
RAY: Captain Jones is clearly in a lot of pain.
JEFF: You know… Captain Jones owns and operates the local tavern.
RAY: Are you suggesting we grab him some uhhh MEDICINE to dull the pain while we wait?
JEFF: I’m no doctor either, but I feel like it will help.
[RUNNING]
JEFF: (OUT OF BREATH RUNNING) It’s just down this hill!
RAY: (OUT OF BREATH RUNNING) Almost there!
[DOOR OPENS]
[RUNNING ON WOOD FLOORS]
[DOOR CLOSES]
[RUNNING OUTSIDE]
JEFF: (OUT OF BREATH RUNNING) Ray, why did you grab two bottles?
RAY: (OUT OF BREATH RUNNING) In case Captain Jones doesn’t want to drink alone!
JEFF: (OUT OF BREATH RUNNING) Smart!
RAY: (CATCHING BREATH) Here you go, buddy. It’ll take the edge off.
[CORK PULLS]
[GLUG GLUG GLUG]
JEFF: (BEAT) Thanks… don’t mind if I do. (JEFF GLUG GLUG GLUG) Ray?
RAY: Oh yeah. (RAY GLUG GLUG GLUG)
RAY: (DRUNK) Hey… where’s that doctor?
JEFF: (DRUNK) I don’t know, but we’re gonna run out of medicine. Hey, Captain Jones, you hanging in there?
RAY: (DRUNK) Man, he’s loaded…
JEFF: (DRUNK) Oh good… the doctor’s here.
RAY: (DRUNK) Doc, Captain Jones is pretty drunk… I don’t think he can stand up.
JEFF/RAY: DRUNK LAUGHING
[SAWING THROUGH BONE AND FLESH]
[MAN GROANS IN AGONY]
JEFF: Oh man… I think I’m gonna be sick. The doctor is cutting through Captain Jones’s leg.
RAY: This is awful. I can’t watch.
[SAWING STOPS]
[THUMP]
RAY: Thankfully, Captain Jones makes a full recovery. However, his leg will not. He’ll spend the rest of his life with only one.
JEFF: Ray, have you heard of phantom pain?
RAY: Sure. People who lose limbs often report pain in their toes or feet even if their leg is gone. It’s a strange thing, but it happens enough that we have to figure there’s something to it.
JEFF: Captain Jones claims his leg is in horrible pain even though it’s gone. That’s when one of his friends tells him his leg needs a proper burial, or it will never stop hurting.
RAY: Captain Jones is willing to try anything.
[DIG DIG DIG UNDER NEXT FEW LINES]
JEFF: So now we find ourselves at Center Cemetery in town. The plan is to hold a funeral for Captain Samuel Jones’s leg.
[DIGGING STOPS]
RAY: With the leg now buried… do we say a prayer? A few words? Not sure what the etiquette is here.
JEFF: Captain Jones shrugs, and limps away on his crutch.
[THUMP THUM THUMP]
JEFF: A headstone is placed on the grave. It reads: Capt. Samuel Jones Leg which was amputated July 7, 1804. (BEAT) And that takes us back to today.
[TRANSITION]
RAY: I have a question.
JEFF: Sure.
RAY: Did the funeral for the leg stop the pain?
JEFF: I’m guessing eventually the pain stopped. Whether the funeral sped up the process or not, we have no way to know.
RAY: Today that headstone is still here. It looks like many others, except underneath is just a leg.
JEFF: Yup. A unique headstone epitaph.
RAY: So is the rest of Captain Jones buried in this cemetery too?
JEFF: He is not. We know he did get back on his feet…
RAY: (INTERRUPTING) You mean foot…
JEFF: (LAUGHING) Good point. Jones moved out of the area after he lost his leg. First he moved to Boston where he worked in the Customs House, then he moved on to New York City. Jones survived his leg by 47 years. He died April 12, 1851 and was buried in St. Marks church cemetery in the Bowery section of Manhattan. He was 73 years of age. But there’s more.
RAY: Oh? Do tell!
JEFF: 11 years after his burial, his body was exhumed on May 23, 1862, and moved to Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
RAY: So really, Capt. Samuel Jones, or at least parts of him, have enjoyed three different final resting places in two different states and three different zip codes.
JEFF: That’s right. But one of his headstones still lies right here in Washington. With one of the most notable epitaphs in New England. And I’m NOT pulling your leg…
[OUTTRO]
RAY: Ahhhh I get it… And that takes us to After the Legend where we take a deeper dive into this week’s story and sometimes veer off course.
JEFF: After the Legend is brought to you by our patreon patrons! Thank you patrons for all that you do for our community. You keep us going. Our patrons help us financially with all of the costs it takes to bring you two podcasts each week. Our hosting, production, equipment, marketing, travel, and everything else it takes to keep the lights on. It’s just $3 bucks per month, and for that you get early ad free access to new episodes plus bonus episodes and content that no one else gets to hear. If you can help us out, please head over to patreon.com/newenglandlegends to sign up.
To see some pictures of Captain Jones’s leg’s headstone by the great Frank Grace, click on the link in our episode description, or go to our website and click on Episode 451.
Thank you to the work of Nat Taylor of the Washington, New Hampshire, historical society for tracking down the rest of Capt. Jones.
We’re so glad we got to spend some time with you today exploring the wicked strange side of New England. Please make sure you’re subscribed to our podcast wherever you get your shows because it’s free and then you won’t miss a thing. Plus, when you share our show or tells others about us, you help us grow, and then more people write to us with their story leads, and we keep on rolling along. Also check out our website for a link to buy Jeff’s book, Wicked Strange New England, see dates for Jeff’s story tour, dates to see my band the Pub Kings, and links to everything else we do.
We’d like to thank our sponsors, thank you to our patreon patrons, and our theme music is by John Judd.
Until next time remember… the bizarre is closer than you think.