Backyard History

The Ghost of Binstead Manor Oct 23, 2024

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 09, 2024

The Hate Preacher Sep 21, 2024

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 12, 2024

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

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 04, 2024

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

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 04, 2024

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 09, 2024

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 01, 2024

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 24, 2024

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 05, 2024

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 11, 2024

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 04, 2024

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 10, 2024

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

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

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

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 19, 2023

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

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 30, 2023

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 16, 2023

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 01, 2023

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

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 30, 2023

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

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 28, 2023

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

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

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Ben Franklin’s ”Worthless” Nova Scotian Land Jun 04, 2023

Nova Scotia (and New Brunswick) came much closer to joining the United States than a lot of Canadians today would be comfortable with!

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/benjamin-franklins-worthless-nova-scotian-land

The Real Klondike Kate May 23, 2023

Two Kates go to the Yukon Gold Rush. One becomes famous, the other is forgotten. But who was the REAL Klondike Kate?

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-real-klondike-kate

The Principality of Outer Baldonia: Nova Scotia’s Whimsical Micronation May 09, 2023

In 1949, a little Canadian island off of the coast of Nova Scotia declared itself to be its own country.

Calling itself The Principality of Outer Baldonia, it quickly developed all of the trappings of an independent nation: it had its own currency, postage stamps, its own flag, and a coat of arms boasting on it pictures of a tuna fish, a sheep, and a smiling lobster.

It soon became “one of the zaniest hoaxes in the history of international affairs.”

https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-nova-scotian-island-that-declared-independence

The Mystery of the Russian Buried Treasure May 02, 2023

How did 111 Russian coins get buried in Bathurst? Who did it? Where did they come from and what happened to them? Lets dig into this Backyard Mystery!

Giant Squid Attacks in Newfoundland Apr 23, 2023

Giant squid attacked Newfoundland fishing boats in 1873. This was all the more shocking because at the time people didn't believe giant squid were even real. Soon, the entire world's attention would turn towards Newfoundland.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/giant-squid-attacks-in-newfoundland

The Red Devil Apr 17, 2023

Flying Through History as The Red Devil Takes to the Skies! On a clear Autumn day in 1912 thousands of people gathered to see the world famous Red Devil. Amid a backdrop of the Saint John Exhibition -then the second largest in the country- competing with Toronto’s CNE for position of biggest Exhibition in Canada, another rivalry was playing out. The Red Devil’s pilot, Captain Baldwin, was competing with the airplane's then rival for the future of the skies; the hot air balloon, and its pilot Professor Bonnette. Back then hot air balloons were considered much safer and faster than airplanes, and most sensible people thought the airplane would be a short-lived novelty. The rival airplane versus balloon pilots competed for the public’s approval by engaging in increasingly daring and risky behavior. After Professor Bonnette wowed the crowd by parachuting out of his balloon –and accidentally ending up in the Harbour– Captain Baldwin decided to one-up him by taking a local Saint Johner along with him aboard The Red Devil. One extremely reluctant and very unhappy reporter was forced by his newspaper editor to go on a trip on the airplane, a then-brand new technology only invented nine years earlier. His vivid description of flying over Saint John in the earliest days of aviation memorably begins with the angry opening line: “The editor is an autocrat...” https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-red-devil---new-brunswicks-first-airplane

The Cat Who Stopped a Nazi Prison Break Apr 10, 2023

Camp B-70, near Fredericton, held captured German Nazis and Fascist Italians during the Second World War. The prisoners and guards played an elaborate game of cat and mouse, with constant attempts at escape. Remarkably, one escape was actually stopped by an actual real live cat, who had been performing in the camp as part of a traveling circus..

The Bungling Bank Burglar Who Got Stuck in a Chimney Apr 01, 2023

When a bank robber gets stuck in a chimney on April Fools Day, nobody believes a 12 year old boy trying to save him..

On the cold and moonless night in the winter of 1848, the only ever attempted robbery of the Bank of New Brunswick in Saint John took place.

It was not the least bit successful, and turned into quite the bizarre -but true- night long incident.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/bungling-bank-burglar-gets-stuck-in-chimney

The Interrogation of Emile Goguen Mar 27, 2023

“While I am writing to you the shells are screaming and the bullets are hitting but why should I care? I have just had a good meal!” wrote Emile Goguen, an Acadian lumberjack from New Brunswick who had volunteered to go fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War, and who would be interrogated about his activities while there.

More than 1500 Canadians volunteered to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War. The only New Brunswicker to join was Emile Goguen.

When PEI Banned Cars Mar 20, 2023

Prince Edward Island was the first place in Canada to have a car ... and the only province to ban them!

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/when-pei-banned-cars

The Radical Gardener Mar 12, 2023

A beloved Canadian radio host and author had a radical past.

In the 1960s a Maritimer achieved Canada wide fame for his talent in gardening. Known as Mr Green Thumbs, this kindly old man put out no fewer than four massive bestselling books on gardening, and ran a popular regular radio show on how to grow plants.

Mr Green Thumbs’ many dedicated fans likely didn’t know that behind the friendly voice and the kindly writing style of the old man, was a devoted lifelong communist who was so dedicated to his cause that soon after the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the communist Soviet Union, the radical gardener went to that new country to see the revolution in action for himself…

Valiant Amazon: Elizabeth Beard Fights The Americans Mar 05, 2023

Elizabeth Beard fought in the American Revolution ... against the Americans.

One New Brunswick woman became something of a worldwide sensation for her remarkable feats fighting in the American Revolution. She was fighting not for the Americans though, but against them.

Her heroics were completely overlooked and forgotten during that chaotic time, but late her life, the public learned about what she had done decades earlier, and stories of her youthful acts became widely known all over both Europe and North America.

backyardhistory.ca

Rockwood Park: Coney Island of the Maritimes Feb 26, 2023

Saint John's genteel Rockwood Park was once turned into a modern electric circus.

For several years Saint John’s iconic Rockwood Park –the largest urban park in Canada at the time– was turned into a summer fair grounds based on Coney Island. In the early 1900s it featured rides that had never been seen before like a ferris wheel and merry go around, nightly fireworks, bars and restaurants, and acrobatic performances so daring the daredevil chickened out, but a local waiter stepped in to perform them instead.

backyardhistory.ca

The Battle of Fort Nashwaak Feb 19, 2023

Like the Alamo, but in Fredericton.

Fredericton’s first European settlement was a French fort, which was attacked and besieged by a fleet from New England.

The story of the battle is kind of like the American myth of the Alamo. A small and beleaguered band of defenders is facing down a vastly larger and better equipped army of invaders. Except in this case they are coming up from what is now the United States.

The invaders have a reputation for massacres, and losing the battle would likely mean death.

However, just before the battle begins, the defenders' spirits are bolstered by a group of famous heroes of their time, who have come to aid the motley crew of defenders in their time of need…

backyardhistory.ca

The Year of the Mice Feb 12, 2023

In 1815 Nova Scotia was overrun by mice.

Dr. George Patterson later interviewed people who lived through what was called Year of the Mice.

The horrors of that year left a mark on those who had experienced it so deep that he found that elderly people that had personally experienced the mouse invasion still used it as a measurement of time. ‘Sixty-two Years After The Mice,’ Dr. Patterson wrote that these had been no ordinary mice:

“They were very destructive and actually fierce. If pursued, when hard pressed, they would stand at bay, rising upon their hind legs, setting their teeth and squealing fiercely. A farmer on whom I could rely told me that having, after planting, spread out some barley to dry in the sun before the door, in a little while he saw it covered with them. He let the cat out among them, but they actually turned upon her and fought her.”

backyardhistory.ca

The Italian Air Armada Comes To Town Feb 05, 2023

A fleet of Fascist Italian airplanes stop in a little seaside resort town in the Maritimes … with a dark political agenda.

On July 13th 1933 a reporter for the Moncton Daily Times was rushing towards the newly built wharfs of the tiny seaside village of Shediac. He is trying to make it in time to catch a glimpse of an incredible sight: 24 massive airplanes flying in a giant V formation that were arriving all the way from Italy...

To see plenty of photos of the Italian Air Armada's arrival in Shediac check out:

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/when-the-fascist-italian-air-armada-came-to-new-brunswick

The Dark Harbour Hermits Jan 26, 2023

*Top Episode of 2023!

In the 1920s two hermit brothers on Grand Manan became internationally famous as the mysterious “Dark Harbour Hermits.”

Hundreds of tourists from the United States and even faraway Europe came to visit them in their homemade shacks on the beaches of the strange and isolated place known as Dark Harbour, where the hermits would entertain the tourists with their art, their poems, and their songs.

backyardhistory.ca

Nova Hollandia: When Canada Was A Dutch Colony Jan 10, 2023

The Maritimes were briefly the Dutch colony of Nova Hollandia..

We’re always taught in school that ever since European colonists arrived in what is now Canada, that it was always a colony of either England or France. However, it’s a little-known fact that for a brief time the Maritimes were conquered by the Dutch, and were a short lived colony with a remarkably bizarre history, named Nova Hollandia.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/when-the-maritimes-were-dutch

Wreck and Rescue of the Velma Dec 15, 2022

An unlikely trio is celebrated by a US President for their heroic rescue of sailors stranded for days on a rock in a storm.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/wreck-and-rescue-of-the-velma

Secret Diary From The Asylum Dec 05, 2022

“They will not allow me to go home,” begins the haunting diary that Mary Huestis Pengilly wrote while locked up in the Saint John Lunatic Asylum, Canada’s first ever mental health institution.

She wrote vividly in a secret diary about her experiences as a patient in the Asylum in the 1880s, which she later published into a book. After her release, she became a high profile and outspoken advocate for reforming how mental health was treated in both Canada and the United States.

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/secret-diary-in-the-lunatic-asylum

Sabotage In The Maritimes: The Vanceboro International Bridge Bombing Nov 26, 2022

The Maritimes were home to the only German bombing in North America in World War One. Fortunately the Agent wasn't very good, and was more than willing to tell everything to an intrepid reporter...

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/german-agents-bombed-a-new-brunswick-bridge

The Mysterious Disappearance of the Creamer Children Nov 20, 2022

Nothing was quite what it seemed...

In the Summer of 1906 The Maritimes were captivated by a strange mystery when two young children disappeared in broad daylight from right in front of their house.

One reporter, who signed her articles simply as The Special Correspondent, went to the tiny village of Cape Tormentine to investigate the disappearances.

The more she learned about the case, the stranger it became, as she met a very unusual group of people, each of whom seemed to be hiding something...

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-the-creamer-children

Fighting For Humanity’s Rights Nov 10, 2022

A baseball star becomes one of the few Black Canadians to fight in the First World War.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/fighting-for-the-right-to-fight

The Lost Colony Nov 06, 2022

A simple question leads to a lost colony in Cape Breton..

What does “Fundy” mean? Where does the unusual name for the large bay between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia boasting the highest tides in the world come from? The short answer is that it’s Portuguese, but figuring out what “Fundy” means involves a lost colony, confused explorers, and a perplexing mix up..

There is some surviving evidence of a 1521 Portuguese lost colony in The Maritimes. If true, this would be the first European settlement in the whole continent, even earlier than the much more famous American lost colony of Roanoke.

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/what-does-fundy-mean

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/the-lost-colony

The Spectre of Rexton Oct 28, 2022

Is it a ghost haunting the woods or something else?

A car load of four young people -two guys and two girls- were driving home from a dance on a dark and stormy Halloween night in 1930. They were on a dark road going through the woods between the small towns of Richibucto and Rexton on New Brunswick’s East Coast, when they had a bizarre close encounter with a ghost…

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-spectre-of-rexton-bootleggers-dressed-as-ghosts

Pandemic 1918 Oct 20, 2022

One province defeats a pandemic and in the process influences all of North America, leading to improvements in healthcare all over Canada and the United States as they copy the latest developments in ... New Brunswick.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/pandemic-1918-how-one-doctor-saved-new-brunswick

Driving On The Wrong Side Of The Road Oct 01, 2022

Canada decides which side to drive on.

For much of its history half of Canada drove on the opposite side of the road from the other half. Ontario and Quebec drove on the right, while British Columbia and The Maritimes drove on the left. When New Brunswick changed sides of the road the year became wryly known as “The Year of Free Beef.”

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/switching-from-driving-on-the-left-to-driving-on-the-right

Teenage Girl Saves Shipwrecked Sailors Sep 21, 2022

"Oh my god we're saved by a girl," the sailor gasped before passing out.

In 1882 a teenager was celebrated for risking her life heroically rescuing shipwrecked sailors in a cold Autumn storm.

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/oh-my-god-were-saved-by-a-girl-teenager-saves-sailors-at-sea

The Pirate of Charlie Lake Sep 11, 2022

After a life of piracy, a man retreats to the woods to escape justice and hide his treasure.

About an hour southwest of Fredericton is Charlie Lake, named after a mysterious hermit who lived there long ago, alone with his little dog. It was said the hermit was a pirate, hiding from the law, who had buried a great treasure by the lake which still bears his name..

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-pirate-of-charlie-lake

Exploring Canada’s Abandoned Spaceport Aug 31, 2022

The host enters an abandoned spaceport in the Arctic.

An intricate maze of metal corridors connect the massive buildings far up in Canada's Arctic. It was once the centre of one of the world's leading space research facility. Later it became the center of an international race between Canada and the United States to build the world's first commercial spaceport. The winner would dominate the launch of the race of satellites in the then-upcoming 21st century.

In this very special episode of the Backyard History Podcast, host Andrew MacLean is stranded by airplane engine problems in Churchill Manitoba, encountering polar bears, beluga whales, the northern lights, and discovering the remains of the massive abandoned spaceport.

When he notices an open hatch on the roof, he climbs down a ladder and enters into the murky darkness below...

backyardhistory.ca

Road to Justice: How Mabel French Changed Two Provinces Aug 20, 2022

One woman's battle against lawmakers led to wins women's rights.

One largely forgotten New Brunswick woman led --and won-- not one but two important battles for women's rights in two separate provinces -one on each side of the country; first in New Brunswick and later in British Columbia.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/new-brunswick-woman-wins-fights-for-rights-in-nb-and-bc

Canada’s Nuclear Bomb Drill Fiasco Aug 12, 2022

A 1961 nuclear attack drill goes awry.

Air raid sirens rang out from coast to coast, and an eerie voice announced that Canada was under attack: 14 nuclear missiles were inbound. The sombre voice then went on to tell startled citizens that this was the beginning of a country-wide drill, and that for the next 24 hours Canada would be behaving as if it had just been the subject of a massive nuclear strike.

The day was November 13th 1961, and for many Canadians this came as a surprise: while there had been some talk of the exercise beforehand, talk was quite different from air raid sirens going off for 3 minutes straight, followed by a voice announcing nuclear missiles were incoming.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/dont-forget-to-tell-the-public-about-the-mock-nuclear-attack

The Mystery of the Lake Utopia Medallion Aug 05, 2022

A large stone with a face carved into it has people puzzled about who made it.

In 1863 a recent Scottish immigrant was wandering through the stark and desolate area above Lake Utopia looking for rocks to build a fireplace when he made an astonishing discovery. When he wiped a thick layer of moss off a large flat stone, he discovered that carved upon it was an intricately detailed human face. Speculation that it was an ancient Egyptian artifact quickly spread..

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-mysterious-lake-utopia-medallion

Amelia Earhart’s Maritimes Visit Jul 26, 2022

Amelia Earhart visits Newfoundland and The Maritimes on the way to make history.

Amelia Earhart kept her plans to become the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic a secret. But when she arrived in Saint John to refuel and spend the night, the secret was out and Saint Johners were in a wild frenzy to see the famous pilot about to make history…

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/when-amelia-earhart-came-to-the

The Mysterious Isle Haute Jul 12, 2022

Said to be home to spirits, pirates’ buried treasure, and a trapped ghost ship..

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-mysterious-isle-haute

When A German Escaped Prisoner Came To Town Jul 05, 2022

They had no idea the stranger who had come to Bathurst was an escaped Nazi Prisoner of War waiting for a U-Boat to get him..

I’m Alone: Famous Rum Running Schooner Jun 29, 2022

The story of one of the most famous rum running schooners that was sunk during an epic pursuit in the 1920s

A Brief History of the Lobster Jun 05, 2022

Lobster. From pauper to proper. A history.

The North American lobster is now a staple of high-end restaurants, and a cultural icon in the Maritimes and New England, but this was not always the case.

At one time lobster was considered a paupers’ food, something people were embarrassed to be seen eating because it showed that they were poor. It was fed to prisoners and slaves, used as fertilizers in fields, and feed for pigs.

At one point servants would stipulate in their contracts that they could not be fed lobster, just to avoid having to eat the hated shellfish.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/from-pauper-to-proper-the-story-of-lobster-in-the-maritimes

A Brief History of the Beach May 29, 2022

Here’s a question for a hot Summer day: did early Maritimers go to the beach?

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-history-of-going-to-the-beach

Walking Across Canada On a Bet May 19, 2022

The first people to ever walk all the way across Canada were Cape Bretoners who did it because someone bet them they couldn't.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-first-people-to-walk-across-canada-did-it-because-of-a-bet

The Great Campbellton Fire May 09, 2022

In only two hours massive fire completely destroys bustling Campbellton.

At 2pm on July 11th 1910 Campbellton was a prosperous town of 6000 people on New Brunswick’s North Shore. Two hours later it would be completely destroyed in a massive inferno.

But it doesn't break the spirit of the people and they rebuild within a year.

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/in-only-two-hours-campbellton-burned-to-the-ground

The Dungarvon Whooper May 01, 2022

The true story behind the chilling ghost story.

Around Maritime campfires we tell the tale of the Dungarvon Whooper – a macabre ghost story of a cook who was murdered for a bag of money, and who haunted the forests making screaming noises that sounded like whoops.

The story was based on actual mysterious incidents around Miramichi in the mid-1800s. In 1896 one Fredericton reporter may have discovered the true story behind those haunting screams. And his true story is even stranger than the ghost story…

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/the-dungarvon-who

The Year With No Summer Apr 24, 2022

A grey mist hung over the land which the rain never cleared. Snow fell in June and July. Frost came in August. Crops didn’t grow. The spectre of starvation hung over the Maritimes.

One year Summer never arrived in the Maritimes, earning that miserable year the nicknames; The Poverty Year; Eighteen Hundred and Froze To Death, and The Year Without A Summer.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-year-without-a-summer

Drinking in the Maritimes Apr 17, 2022

If you think Maritimers drink a lot today, wait till you hear how much earlier generations of Maritimers drank!

Getting Away With Murder Apr 03, 2022

A tragic true story of forbidden love, bloody murder, and miscarried justice in Fredericton.

Elizabeth Driscoll was considered the most beautiful young woman in Fredericton. “A very sweet, ladylike girl” wrote famous British author Juliana Horatia Ewing who happened to be in town during the murder, trial, and subsequent riots. "But," Juliana wrote, "Elizabeth’s family has always been a bad lot.”

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/getting-away-with-murder

The Rise of Mob Boss Joe Walnut Mar 29, 2022

After a small town mob boss starts making big moves in the black market, a straight-laced British detective goes undercover to try to figure out what is going on.

Moscow to Miscou - The Crashed Soviet Bomber Mar 20, 2022

Much to a small village's surprise, a Soviet bomber crash lands in a bog. The world turns its attention to the 1939 race to get to first reach the pilots.

The Legend of the Legless Mystery Man Mar 13, 2022

Unraveling a legendary Maritimes mystery.

A few days before Christmas in 1859 a mysterious stranger was found freezing, but still alive, alone deep in the woods. Disabled from his injuries, he would be murdered to save the town money. Or did he escape death and start a new life?

Coincidentally, around the same time he goes missing in New Brunswick, a mysterious legless man washes up on the beach of Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-legless-mystery-man

Was the First Car Invented in Canada? Mar 06, 2022

Newspaper reports tell the story of a crazy invention seen driving around the streets of Saint John NB. Was it the first car to be invented?

The Great Fredericton Circus Riot Feb 27, 2022

A circus rolls in to small town Fredericton, but tensions between the performers and the locals soon boil over. A dead snake is thrown on the stage, and a riot erupts..

Abducted by a U-Boat Feb 20, 2022

During the First World War, the crew of a Canadian naval vessel was abducted by a German U-boat, but were surprised to find what they were met with on board.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/ship-crew-gets-captured-by-u-boat-in-bay-of-fundy-served-lunch

Oscar Wilde’s Tour of the Maritimes Feb 12, 2022

When a young Oscar Wilde toured the Maritimes, not everything went according to plan.

When Oscar Wilde’s tour of the Maritimes was being booked, it was not expected to be a success. Despite being heckled in Fredericton, and reports circulating around the world that he got arrested in Moncton, the tour was a rousing success. Every date was sold out, scalpers were selling tickets outside at outrageous prices, Nova Scotia's Governor gave him a personal tour of Halifax, he received rapturous receptions, extra dates had to be added, and a wave of people began copying his style across the region.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/oscar-wildes-tour-of-the-maritimes

Finding the Lost Electric City Jan 31, 2022

Lost deep in the woods of Nova Scotia on a maze of logging roads, I came across a faded sign saying “The Electric City - La Nouvelle France.” Intrigued, I followed it, and found the abandoned ruins of what had once been an egalitarian utopian society. It had been among the first places in the Maritimes to have electricity and running water, and even boasted a train which ran on wooden rails.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-electric-city

The Mystery of Mount House Jan 23, 2022

What are the origins of the mysterious Mount House and is it the oldest building in The Maritimes?

Wolf Attacks in New Brunswick Jan 16, 2022

There aren't any wolves in New Brunswick, right? Well not according to these 19th century accounts of wolf attacks that took place throughout the province.

The Race Against Death Jan 13, 2022

When disease breaks out in a remote northern community, two ace pilots battle the elements of a Canadian Winter to bring them much needed medicine.

The First Flight in Canada Jan 05, 2022

A tale filled with ups and downs, as one man tries desperately to get his balloon into air, in what was the first ever flight in Canada, which took place in Saint John.

Christmas: 1868 Dec 23, 2021

Christmas through the eyes and told through the diary entries of average people living in the 19th century.

Santa and the Flaming Tree Incident Dec 19, 2021

It took a while for people to adopt having Christmas trees in their homes. Perhaps because they used to be lit with open flames, and Santa once nearly met his end because of a flaming Christmas tree!

The Fairy Who Saved Christmas Dec 12, 2021

The story of how Christmas was banned, and how before Santa Claus became popular, children hung the stocking by the chimney with care in hopes that Mab, Queen of The Fairies would soon be there.

The First Christmas in North America Dec 05, 2021

Explore the unexpected -and heartwarming- tale of the first Christmases in North America. Just like the American Thanksgiving myth, excet actually real!

”Will My People Ever Forgive Me?” Nov 28, 2021

An unhealthy lifestyle leads to coronation drama when King Bertie is set to take the throne but needs his appendix removed the day of the ceremony.

Disguise & Heroism: The Secret Life of Sarah Emma Edmonds Nov 21, 2021

A young woman disguises herself as a man to go and fight in the American Civil war as a soldier, nurse, and spy.

The Nazi Spy Who Came To The Maritimes Nov 14, 2021

Tasked with a mission set to cripple Canada's supply routes during the second world war, a Nazi spy abandons his orders when the locals offer him nothing but kindness.

Just Two Minutes To Go Nov 10, 2021

Just two minutes before the end of the First World War, the final soldier fell: Nova Scotian George Price.

Joe Walnut and the Madawaska Mob Nov 07, 2021

The Maritimes' biggest Prohibition Era rum running kingpin.

When you think of the Prohibition Era, the mind immediately goes to famous American gangsters like Al Capone. But The Maritimes were home to our own rum running gangsters, the biggest, most powerful and widely feared gang was “the Madawaska Mob” led by a man who chose the distinctly less-than-intimidating alias “Joe Walnut.”

Joe Walnut was described by his nemesis, Detective William Carr as “Tall and slim, agile as a cat, with thin, cruel lips. His eyes were black as coal, yet slightly protruding, with white bloodshot from constant drinking. He was reported to have a fiendish temper, and few scruples. He was a real adventurer – a relic of the old buccaneering type. There was nothing on earth he enjoyed more than to match his wits against those of the men who represented law and order.”

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/joe-walnut-and-the-madawaska-mob

The Lake Utopia Monster Oct 31, 2021

What lurks beneath the surface of Lake Utopia? Eye witness accounts tell the tale of a monster who stalked fishermen and visitors of the lake for years.

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