Backyard History

Andrew MacLean

🦞 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 book! backyardhistory.ca/book read less
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The Ghost of Binstead Manor
Oct 24 2024
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

Episodes

The Ghost of Binstead Manor
Oct 24 2024
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
The Man Who Was Hanged From the Gallows he Built
Oct 10 2024
The Man Who Was Hanged From the Gallows he Built
Episode description not available.
The Hate Preacher
Sep 21 2024
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
Nova Scotia's Queen of the Bootleggers
Aug 13 2024
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."
Painless Parker: Renegade Dentist
Jun 19 2024
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
The Rise and Fall of George Black and the Golden Seven
Jun 5 2024
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!
The Detective and the Trapper
May 25 2024
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
Denied a Seat: Wolastoqiyik Man Races Stagecoach 100 kilometers
May 4 2024
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
Liberty on the Rocks (Part 3): Captured in Charlottetown
Apr 10 2024
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
Liberty on the Rocks (Part 2): Initiation of a Lunenburg Rum Runner
Apr 1 2024
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
Liberty on the Rocks (Part 1): Shootout at Bouctouche
Mar 25 2024
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
The Candy Killer: The Serial Killer Who Stalked Saint John
Mar 6 2024
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!
Message in a Molasses Barrel
Feb 12 2024
Message in a Molasses Barrel
Isolated islanders find a unique way to let Canadians know a storm cut them off from the mainland.
Did Babe Ruth Detox in the Woods in New Brunswick?
Feb 5 2024
Did Babe Ruth Detox in the Woods in New Brunswick?
As Babe Ruth's life fell apart, he headed into the woods of the Maritimes in a secret and mysterious effort to get better...
Hooves and Heroes: Princess Louise, A Warhorse’s Tale
Jan 11 2024
Hooves and Heroes: Princess Louise, A Warhorse’s Tale
The Canadian Forces in Italy during WW2 rescue a horse who they name Princess Louise who accompanies them throughout Europe and back home.
The Aristocrat & The Canoemaker
Dec 29 2023
The Aristocrat & The Canoemaker
Juliana Horatia Ewing, a Victorian British author in Fredericton, formed an unlikely friendship with Welastekokewiyik master canoe builder Peter Polches, challenging societal norms; her transformative experiences led to a notable confrontation defending Indigenous people at a prestigious New Year's Party in 1869.
A Festive Flashback: Unwrapping Christmas 1868
Dec 23 2023
A Festive Flashback: Unwrapping Christmas 1868
Backyard History's Christmas Special for 2023!
Dr. Leslie E. Keeley Gold Cure for Drunkenness: and the Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Fredericton’s Addiction Treatment Legacy
Dec 10 2023
Dr. Leslie E. Keeley Gold Cure for Drunkenness: and the Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Fredericton’s Addiction Treatment Legacy
The dramatic rise and fall of Fredericton's curious detox centre, which involved patients taking a gold-based medicine to cure alcoholism!   https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-dr-leslie-e-keeley-gold-cure-institute-for-drunkards
The Second Halifax Explosion
Nov 20 2023
The Second Halifax Explosion
As explosions rang out in Halifax in 1945, ordinary Haligonians raced toward the central ammunition storage depot to stop the flames before the city blew up … again!   backyardhistory.ca/f/the-second-halifax-explosion
Siberian Expedition: Winslow and Ollie’s Odyssey
Nov 10 2023
Siberian Expedition: Winslow and Ollie’s Odyssey
Two young men volunteer to for a mysterious secret mission in Russia. One of them will not make it home alive.   https://backyardhistory.ca/f/canadas-forgotten-siberian-expedition-ollie-winslows-odyssey