Backyard History

Andrew MacLean

Atlantic Canada’s Hidden Stories. Backyard History unearths the often hilarious, mostly mysterious, always surprising untold tales of Canada’s East Coast, as only a Maritimer can spin them. Based on host Andrew MacLeans’s newspaper column, and produced by Jordan Lauzier, and brought to life with friends voicing contemporary quotes! 🌐backyardhistory.ca 📧andrewmaclean@backyardhistory.ca Support Backyard History: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/backyardhistory read less
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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

Episodes

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
The Mystery of the Ghostly Fire Ship of the Baie Des Chaleurs
Oct 31 2023
The Mystery of the Ghostly Fire Ship of the Baie Des Chaleurs
One of the Maritimes’ most popular ghost stories is the tale of a cursed, eternally burning sailing ship haunting the waters off of the Northern coast of New Brunswick.   https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-ghostly-fire-ship-of-the-baie-des-chaleurs
Revolutionary Roadblock: Trotsky’s Imprisonment in Nova Scotia
Oct 17 2023
Revolutionary Roadblock: Trotsky’s Imprisonment in Nova Scotia
Leon Trotsky missed the beginning of the Russian Revolution because he was in -of all places- Amherst, Nova Scotia.   https://backyardhistory.ca/f/trotskys-maritimes-revolutionary-roadblock
American Invaders Stole P.E.I.’s Great Seal (And Still Haven’t Given It Back!)
Oct 1 2023
American Invaders Stole P.E.I.’s Great Seal (And Still Haven’t Given It Back!)
PEI didn't even know it was at war when the American fleet appeared. The invaders went house to house stealing clothes, carpets, and curtains ... and their Great Seal. However, one Islander who was taken captive went on to become an important spy...
The World’s Worst Nazi Spy
Sep 15 2023
The World’s Worst Nazi Spy
A spy arrives by U-Boat to sabotage Canada. He isn't very good.   https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-worlds-worst-nazi-spy
The Maritimes Tour That Made Houdini (Part Two: Halifax Residency)
Aug 31 2023
The Maritimes Tour That Made Houdini (Part Two: Halifax Residency)
Houdini goes to Halifax. When his circus is arrested, he has to reevaluate his whole career.   https://backyardhistory.ca/f/how-his-maritimes-tour-saved-harry-houdini-pt-2-halifax
The Maritimes Tour That Made Houdini (Part One: Saint John Residency)
Aug 22 2023
The Maritimes Tour That Made Houdini (Part One: Saint John Residency)
A young Harry Houdini was on the verge of giving up on magic until a Maritimes tour changed his life.   https://backyardhistory.ca/f/how-his-maritimes-tour-saved-harry-houdini-pt-1-saint-john
Forest Fire Destroys Musquash In Only Two Hours
Jun 29 2023
Forest Fire Destroys Musquash In Only Two Hours
A forest fire approaches the thriving town of Musquash, sending its residents fleeing to a nearby marsh for safety.   Musquash was a thriving community on the Bay of Fundy, boasting several factories, mills, a railway station, and a port. All of that came to an abrupt end when the town was completely destroyed in only a couple of hours one afternoon in 1903.   https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-forest-fire-that-destroyed-musquash
The Saxby Gale: Storm of the Century Predicted A Year Before It Hit
Jun 14 2023
The Saxby Gale: Storm of the Century Predicted A Year Before It Hit
Everyone ignored the warnings. But the predictions were right: the storm of the century hit at exactly the hour that one man had predicted a year before... www.backyardhistory.ca     #weather #storm #astronomy #astronology #Canada #history #strange #podcast #podcastsofcanada #backyardhistory #story #true #newengland #boston #halifax #novascotia #newbrunswick #pei #mystery #spooky #paranormal