Backyard History

🦞 Forgotten Stories From Atlantic Canada’s Past 🦞 Backyard History Podcast goes beyond traditional storytelling by using more than a dozen actors to voice actual historical quotes, immersing you in the drama and intrigue of the past. Whether it’s tales of daring exploits, mysterious events, or legendary figures, this family-friendly podcast offers an engaging and dynamic way to explore the rich history of Atlantic Canada. Hosted & written by Andrew MacLean, the podcast expands on his popular weekly Backyard History column which appears in 19 newspapers in the Maritimes. Produced by Jordan Lauzier. 📕 Buy the THREE Backyard History books at backyardhistory.ca

When Canada and America Went to War, Two Towns Chose Peace

Canada and the U.S. went to war — but St. Stephen and Calais wouldn’t play along.

08-19
20:45

Comedy on the Rocks: When Comedians Stuck at Sea Turned Disaster into Drama

Little Pictou Island, Nova Scotia, gets its first ever play in the most unusual of circumstances ... after a winter ferry from PEI gets stuck in the ice and drifts over to the island!   Get the Backyard History books at backyardhistory.ca

05-19
10:40

"Only Men May Vote!" (LIVE!) A Tale of Fredericton Women's Lost and Found Voting Rights

A special LIVE podcast of "Only Men May Vote!" starring special guests Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers, Green Party Leader and MLA David Coon, Poet Laureate Fawn Parker, Minister of Opportunities New Brunswick Luke Randall and City Councillor Cassandra LeBlanc!   Recorded in front of a crowd of a hundred people at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in Fredericton on March 7th, 2025.

03-08
01:12:47

The Lost Diary: Journey of a Writer Who Vanished into the Heart of the Forest

A mysterious Englishman sailed to New Brunswick in the 1850s. His name and his fate are unknown. All that remains of him is his diary, which recounts an incredible adventure.   Buy the Backyard History books at backyardhistory.ca

02-25
51:56

Breakfast with the Dungarvon Whooper

A long-lost interview in the forest sheds light on the man behind the Maritimes most famous so-called ghost...   Buy the three Backyard History books at backyardhistory.ca/books

01-21
19:13

The Quarantine Journal of Nellie McGowan

A young girl keeps a secret diary to solve a mystery as she is growing up on an island where new immigrants to Canada are quarantined.   backyardhistory.ca

01-04
18:26

A Halifax Christmas Murder

A dark murder mystery on Christmas in the old garrison city of Halifax changed the Maritimes.

12-25
19:18

The Story Behind the Crosses on Sugarloaf Mountain

100 years ago, a tragedy led to two crosses being painted on Sugarloaf in Campbellton. This is the story of what happened.

12-14
12:28

The Ghost of Binstead Manor

A Victorian aristocrat moves to PEI and encounters a ghost in her new house: the biggest mansion on the Island called Binstead Manor. She decided to investigate the haunting herself...   This story appears in the new book 'Backyard History: Rebellious Women In The Maritimes'! Order your copy at backyardhistory.ca

10-24
28:38

The Hate Preacher

Causing riots wherever he went, this Maritimer became a leader in the KKK, making a fortune spreading hate and division all over the United States! (He wasn't as popular in the Maritimes, where locals tried to throw him off a cliff!)   Buy the book 'Backyard History: Forgotten Stories From Atlantic Canada's Past' at backyardhistory.ca

09-21
33:25

Nova Scotia's Queen of the Bootleggers

When alcohol was banned in Nova Scotia during Prohibition, reluctant liquor control inspector Clifford Rose encountered a charismatic woman leading a gang selling illegal booze. Her name was Amy Mason but everyone knew her as "The Queen of the Bootleggers."

08-13
14:51

Painless Parker: Renegade Dentist

A small-town boy from the Maritimes becomes obscenely wealthy and ridiculously famous in America for dentist circuses...   This story appears in the brand new SECOND Backyard History book! Order a signed copy at backyardhistory.ca/book

06-19
28:44

The Rise and Fall of George Black and the Golden Seven

A trip to the Yukon Gold Rush leads to a series of completely unexpected twists, with a young Maritimer becoming the Speaker of Parliament ... and ending up sent to a lunatic asylum!

06-05
27:06

The Detective and the Trapper

Detective William Carr (who appeared in the Joe Walnut episodes) goes for a relaxing trip into the forest to learn to hunt and fish, but ends up being hunted by rogue trappers...   Order the Backyard History book at backyardhistory.ca/book

05-25
14:32

Denied a Seat: Wolastoqiyik Man Races Stagecoach 100 kilometers

When a Wolastoqiyik man wasn’t allowed on a stagecoach, he vowed to race it to its destination, and won!   Buy the book: backyardhistory.ca/book

05-04
10:26

Liberty on the Rocks (Part 3): Captured in Charlottetown

The dramatic grand finale of the rum running boat The Liberty in part three of the Liberty On The Rocks trilogy.   Order a signed copy of the Backyard History book at backyardhistory.ca/book

04-10
18:22

Liberty on the Rocks (Part 2): Initiation of a Lunenburg Rum Runner

At age 15, Hugh Corkum becomes a rum runner to provide for his family after his father, a Lunenburg Nova Scotia sea captain, loses his job after crashing into an American sumbarine.   Part Two of the 'Liberty On The Rocks' trilogy about the Liberty, the fastest rum running ship of Atlantic Canada!   Buy the Backyard History book at backyardhistory.ca/book

04-01
24:52

Liberty on the Rocks (Part 1): Shootout at Bouctouche

The Mounties lay a trap for The Liberty, the most famous rum running ship in the Maritimes during Prohibition!   Part one of a three part series called "Liberty On The Rocks." Book: backyardhistory.ca/book

03-25
21:36

The Candy Killer: The Serial Killer Who Stalked Saint John

A killer sent boxes of poisoned candies to religious leaders of Saint John, in this, the Backyard History's magnum opus episode!

03-06
58:23

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