The Beals Island Giant

New England Legends Podcast

Jeff Belanger

History, Paranormal, Ghosts, Folklore, Places & Travel, Monsters, Society & Culture, Legends, Newengland

4.8 • 951 Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Episode 388 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger explore Beals Island, Maine, searching for the legend of Barnabas Coffin Beal III who died in 1899. Better known as Tall Barney, some say hey was seven feet tall and as strong as five men—a giant. They say he would sleep with his feet sticking out the window because his bed was too short. Thought there are many tall tales about Beal, he was indeed a real person who left a mark behind in Maine.

See more here: https://ournewenglandlegends.com/podcast-388-the-beals-island-giant/

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Listen to Ray's Local Raydio! https://localraydio.com/

Transcript

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0:00.0	So we're in Jonesport, Maine, about to drive over a bridge to one of Maine's many islands along the coast.
0:10.3	Yep, we're heading over to Beale's Island.
0:12.7	Yeah, there's not much on Beals Island besides a bunch of neighborhoods.
0:16.0	I get the sense people live here, but they work on the mainland just over the shore bridge.
0:19.9	Yeah, I'm sure you're right. And if we follow this road a little ways more, the neighborhoods would give way to a
0:25.2	forested area. The whole island's about six square miles. It's pretty. Residential. Looks like a
0:31.2	fine place to live. Yep, absolutely. Okay, make a right up here. Okay, got it.
0:38.3	And we can pull over right over there next to the Beals Village Cemetery.
0:51.4	Now, we've begun more than a few adventures and cemeteries, Jeff.
0:54.9	It's usually a fine place to start.
0:56.9	We look at for a ghost this time?
0:58.3	No, Ray.
0:59.2	We've come to Beals Island, Maine, to search for a giant.
1:07.6	Hey, I'm Jeff Belanger.
1:09.1	And I'm Ray Osier.
1:10.0	Welcome to episode 388 of the New England Legends podcast.
1:14.4	Thanks for joining us on our Mission to Chronicle every wicked, strange legend in New England
1:18.2	one story at a time. And we can't do it without you. After all, you send us most of our story leads.
1:23.9	Thanks to Lauren Middleton for this one. She also helps us with our website and our free New England
1:28.8	Legends app. If you've got a story you think we should check out, please head to our website and
1:33.7	email us anytime. So we'll go searching for the Beals Island Giant right after this word from our
1:38.2	sponsor. So we're walking through the Beals Village Cemetery. Yeah.
	...

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