Season 3, Episode 5
Title: Mar Falten, Fanny Goff!
Time: 18 minutes
Locations: Portugal Cove
Story: The Beautiful Fanny Goff
Listen:
About The Episode:
Newfoundland’s Valentine’s traditions range from playful greetings to daring card deliveries, but love on the island isn’t always lighthearted.
The story of Fanny Goff, said to be the most beautiful woman in Newfoundland, is one of romance and tragedy, proving that love can be as fleeting as winter frost.
And sometimes, love isn’t just for people but for place—like the deep connection Newfoundlanders have to the sea. But that love comes with loss, as seen in the Ocean Ranger disaster, a tragedy forever tied to Valentine’s Day, reminding us that love and sorrow often go hand in hand.
Listening Options
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Credits
Ocean and Fog Horn, Shepardr, freesound.org, creative commons 0
Sad Music on Guitar, veterOK777, freesound.org, creative commons 0
Sources & Further Reading
The Beautiful Fanny Goff, Product of Newfoundland
Mar Falten: Valentine’s Day in Newfoundland, Product of Newfoundland
Pretty Fanny Goff, Christmas Bells, 1913
The Story of Fanny Goff, Book of Newfoundland, vol 2
George Goff, Book of Newfoundland, vol. 5.
Fanny Goff, Sites & Memorials, Town of Portugal Cove-St. Phillips
The Lover & The Liar, Christmas Review, 1897
Portugal Cove, Newfoundland Weekly, April 19, 1941
A Bit of the History of Portugal Cove, Shortis Papers vol. 3, MUN DAI
History Society Meeting, Evening Telegram, Nov 11, 1920.
Newfoundland has some place names that sound like they belong in a ghost story. This Halloween, I’m exploring some of the island’s creepiest names and the curious stories behind them.
In October 1794 a shortage of sailors aboard a naval ship in St. John’s harbour set off a chain of events leading to the gallows… and a grisly post-mortem punishment.
According to one newspaper, Torbay was gripped by a ghostly disturbance in 1877. Night after night, Moses Power’s home was under attack…
In 1894, a painter from St. John’s was exhibiting her work in Paris. Margaret Campbell Macpherson built an international career — and somehow became a nearly forgotten Newfoundland story.
After years of illness, a Newfoundland nun left the island praying for a miracle. She returned convinced her prayers had been answered.
Something was killing sheep near Little St. Lawrence in 1958. Then a strange, five-foot-long animal was captured. Its skull was sent to St. John’s for identification…