Backyard History

"The year that war broke out between North and South, I was sent to Paddy Hollow Camp. The camp had a very bad name as there had been a horrible murder committed there a few years before, and reports said Ghosts were seen there often," wrote Thomas Glasier in his diary...   In this Halloween special, we follow the diary of Thomas Glasier as he investigates a murder mystery, a ghost story, and a red-eyed monster prowling the woods around his isolated logging camp.   A younger Thomas Glasier appears in the new Backyard History book 'Wartime Stories From The Maritimes,' available at backyardhistory.ca/books 

Still to this day, hundreds of witnesses claim to see a mysterious light in the waters off Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. They say it is a ghost ship that explodes over and over, forever. This particular ship was an American privateer, painted all black, that was spectacularly blown up by her own officer…

It all began on a dark and stormy night. Three reporters went off chasing a strange lead about cars rolling uphill, leading to the discovery of what eventually became Magnetic Hill, the famous landmark in Moncton, New Brunswick.   This story and many others appers in the fourth Backyard History book 'Mysterious Stories From Atlantic Canada's Past,' get a signed. copy at backyardhistory.ca/books

The 1857 wreck of the Monasco off Burin, Newfoundland, killed nearly every passenger aboard — except for a mysterious woman claiming to be the captain's wife, the captain, and the crew. The survivors' account, however, didn't quite add up...   CONTENT WARNING: Dobbin The Diver's description of what he saw when he dove down to the shipwreck is very ... vivid. Parents might be risking nightmares by playing this episode for young kids!   This story appears in the book 'Backyard History: Forgotten Stories From Atlantic Canada's Past Volume Two.' Get it at backyardhistory.ca 

The controversial American poet Allen Ginsberg arrives in New Brunswick for the only Canadian date on his legendary sold out 1967 tour reading his historic epic poem: Howl. The reaction to his Easter reading of that poem in a Saint John church was, shall we say ... mixed!   backyardhistory.ca

The true story of a Moncton innkeeper's mysterious disappearance, unsolved murder, and miscarriage of justice. This special episode, featuring 13 voice actresses and actors voicing historical quotes to bring the story alive, digs deep into the archives to piece together what really happened to Timothy McCarthy and who almost certainly murdered him.   This story appears in the book 'Backyard History: Rebellious Women in The Maritimes,' which can be found at backyardhistory.ca/books

A quiet Cape Breton day is broken by a plane crash, which soon attracts the attention of the entire world. The second part of a two-part series on famous, pioneering aviator Beryl Markham's historic transatlantic flight that ended up in a Cape Breton bog.   This is the cover story of the third Backyard History book, 'Rebellious Women In The Maritimes.' Find it at backyardhistory.ca/books

The incredible story of Beryl Markham's legendary Atlantic crossing, an implausible story involving everything from royal affairs to Kenyan lions, which unceremoniously ended up in a Cape Breton bog.    Part one of two!   This is the cover story of the book 'Backyard History: Rebellious Women in the Maritimes,' available at backyardhistory.ca/books

A gold watch was given to Captain Milne as a reward for his clever ruse that turned the tables on the men who captured his ship...

Declared dead in the Second World War, Atlantic Canadian pilot Allan Spear escaped captivity, survived behind enemy lines, and returned home for an unexpected Christmas reunion.   Buy the books at backyardhistory.ca/books