Legends and Lore of Cape Cod

Cape Cod has a rich tradition of local lore, stretching back to a time before the Pilgrims arrived.

Ancient Wampanoag legends like Granny Squannit and Princess Scargo are as familiar as tales of pirates and explorers, including "Black Sam" Bellamy and Donald Baxter Macmillan. Felines often blocked "Cat's Alley" in pursuit of food from fishermen's boats. The remnants of Billingsgate Island can be seen at low tide, and visits from Jenny Lind and Helen Keller contrast with the mysterious stories of the "Lady of the Dunes" and New England's Dark Day. Author Robin Smith-Johnson shares historic tales of shipwrecks, murders, hauntings and more from the Cape.

Robin Smith-Johnson works as the newsroom librarian at the Cape Cod Times and teaches in the English department at Cape Cod Community College. She holds English degrees from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, and Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and she is the author of a book of poetry titled Dream of the Antique Dealer's Daughter (Word Poetry, 2013).