Ben Franklin's World is a production of the

O'Mohandro Institute.

Welcome to Ben Franklin's World,

podcast about early American history with Liz Covert.

The study of history is key to understanding who we are and how we can

affect the better future. Van Franklin's world will introduce you to historical people

and events that have impacted and shaped our present day world.

And now here's your host, Liz Colarn.

Hello and welcome to episode 192 of Ben Franklin's world.

The podcast dedicated to helping you, learn more about how the people

and events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in.

Have you ever heard of the legend of the Jersey Devil?

It's a myth in legend that involves a deer or horse-like creature with wings that haunts and attacks people in the Pine Barons of Southern New Jersey.

Of course, at the time this legend seems to have started,

the Pine Barons weren't in Southern New Jersey. They were located in the English colony

of West Jersey. You know, New Jersey is actually a really interesting place to study the history of early America, because it's a state that emerged from a British colony that developed out of two English colonies.

And those two English colonies developed out of a colony that was first established by the Swedes and then later taken over by the Dutch.

So needless to say, New Jersey has a rich and fun, really American pass for us to explore, so that's what we're going to do.

We're going to start exploring it.

Brian Regle, an associate professor of history at Kane University will serve as our guide is we make our first official foray into New Jersey's past.

And our entry point for this foray will be the story of the New Jersey Devil.

Now what can we learn about New Jersey by exploring its most famous myth?

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