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The Mystery of the Ship that Flipped

Jack Dyre was jolted awake by an unknown voice he described as “harsh and eerie” hissing at him: “Dyre, leave this ship!” Considering he…

1800s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales

A Brief History of Dulse

If reports of criminal activity are a good way to judge a thing’s popularity, by the turn of the century dulse was exceptionally popular.

Bay of Fundy

The Sunken Treasure Ship In The Bay of Fundy

There is more than lobster to be found in the waters beyond Dipper Harbour, where this curious 1960 tourism promo was shot. A century…

1800s Bay of Fundy War Long Read

The Maritimes’ Greatest Bank Robbery

The victim of The Maritimes most expensive bank robbery was the Prince Edward Island bank in 1881. It was, however, not as straight forward…

1800s PEI Saint John Long Read

The Underground Lake of Albert County

The darkness goes deep in Albert County’s gypsum caves. In 1937, a reporter from the Telegraph-Journal descended into one on a tip from two…

1900s Forgotten Ruins Strange Tales Long Read

Who Killed the Maritimes’ Greatest Flying Ace?

These articles on the website are (mostly) the articles from the Backyard History newspaper column, which have a strict 1,000 words/week limit. In the…

1900s War Long Read

A Pompous Parisian’s Misadventures In The Maritimes

A 300-year-old travel diary reveals what life really looked like in our region's first capital. Map of Port Royal, now called Annapolis Royal, dating…

1600s and Before Bay of Fundy Nova Scotia Long Read

The Ghost of Ryan’s Castle

A ridiculously wealthy and extremely eccentric dentist built a mansion in Hampton, New Brunswick. The ghost said to be guarding a hidden treasure on…

1900s Forgotten Ruins Saint John Strange Tales Long Read

The Night The Crocodiles Attacked

A Fredericton Commando’s Second World War Victory Had The Japanese On The Run. Then Came The Crocodiles. Frederictonian Bruce Wright’s (left) idle daydreaming during…

1900s Fredericton Strange Tales War Long Read

The Woodman’s Ghost

A crew of woodsmen pause for a photo deep in the forest, axes in hand and snow at their feet. What they did out…

1800s North Shore PEI Long Read

The Curse of the Anna Currier

A ship drifted ashore near St. Martins in January 1884, her crew missing and her cargo untouched. The mystery of what happened aboard the…

1800s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales Long Read

The Hero of Priestman Street

Fredericton’s Bryan Priestman survived two world wars — only to lose his life on Remembrance Day, trying to save an eight-year-old boy. (Provincial Archives…

1900s Fredericton War Long Read Popular

My Classmate Who Never Came Home

Colin Wilmot's photo in our high school yearbook. Back in high school, I sat next to a warm, funny, kind-hearted soul named Colin Wilmot.…

1900s Fredericton War Long Read

The Cow, The Well & The Lost Treasure of Jolicure

A bizarre treasure hunt that was later nicknamed "New Brunswick's own Oak Island" kicked off when a cow fell down a mysterious structure on…

1800s Forgotten Ruins Moncton Long Read

The Hatchet Buried In The Stream

As he neared the end of his long and eventful life, legendary Wolastoqiyik Sachem (chief) Gabriel Acquin sat down with UNB professor Dr. Edward…

1800s War Long Read

The Mystery Crater

A photo of the "Mystery Crater" in its heyday. (Provincial Archives of New Brunswick) New Brunswick was once home to a quirky popular tourist…

1900s Forgotten Ruins Strange Tales Long Read

The Prison Camp Poem of Alfred Elsliger

Alfred Elsliger (Canadian Virtual War Memorial) Alfred W. Elsliger enlisted with his friends, including my Great Uncle Wilfred Smith, in his little hometown of…

1900s North Shore War Long Read

Roadside Attractions of New Brunswick

You're cruising down a New Brunswick road, windows down, thinking about lunch, when suddenly — there it is. A giant concrete potato, rising out…

1900s Forgotten Ruins Strange Tales Long Read Popular

The Wreck of the Martha

Loyalists had to endure unimaginable hardships to make it to the safety of New Brunswick, and not all made it. One ship of refugees…

1700s Bay of Fundy Saint John War Long Read

The Stolen Rare Ducks of Old Simeon Cheney

The Eider duck’s warm, lightweight down made it a target for hunters across the Maritimes. But thanks to an old fisherman, a nest of…

1800s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales Long Read
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