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…
September 1, 2026
1800s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales
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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.
July 14, 2026
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…
June 30, 2026
1800s Bay of Fundy 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…
April 13, 2026
1600s and Before Bay of Fundy Nova Scotia 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…
January 6, 2026
1800s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales Long Read
The Shipwreck That Kicked Off The Biggest New Year’s Bash
Just as the people of Grand Manan were getting ready to celebrate New Years, a ship wrecked off the coast of their island. It…
December 26, 2025
Bay of Fundy Long Read
The Forgotten Christmas Traditions of Old New Brunswick
Many of our beloved holiday traditions are surprisingly young. For example the old Loyalists would have been baffled at what a tree was doing…
December 9, 2025
1700s Christmas Long Read
Blue Water: The Atlantic Canadian Film That Hollywood Sank
Most “lost films” from the early days of cinema vanished by accident as reels were destroyed, misplaced, or left to decay. But Blue Water’s…
October 14, 2025
1900s Bay of Fundy Saint John Long Read
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…
June 10, 2025
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…
May 19, 2025
1800s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales Long Read
The First Murder in New Brunswick
New Brunswick’s first-ever murder took place in 1784, only two months after the province was created. The murder weapon was an ordinary table fork.…
May 13, 2025
1700s Bay of Fundy Saint John Strange Tales Women Long Read
Pirates, Gold & a Ghost in a Rain Cap: The Rechab’s Treasure Hunt
Pilot ships had the tough and important job of guiding ships through treacherous waters safely into port. That job description for the beloved pilot…
March 25, 2025
1800s Bay of Fundy Saint John Strange Tales Long Read
Helen Creighton and the Lost Songs of The Maritimes
Celebrated folklorist Helen Creighton (seated far left, with her high-tech portable recorder) spent her life documenting Nova Scotian songs. In the early 1950s, she…
January 14, 2025
1900s Bay of Fundy Forgotten Ruins Women Long Read Popular
ANNOUNCEMENT: Book 3 ‘Rebellious Women In The Maritimes’ Is Out!
I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my new book, Backyard History: Rebellious Women in the Maritimes! This one’s for all of you who…
November 13, 2024
1600s and Before 1700s 1800s 1900s Women Long Read
The Man Who Was Hanged On The Gallows He Built
A remarkable tale of dastardly murder, daring escape, and disastrously bad luck in the earliest days of New Brunswick is so (in)famous that it…
October 15, 2024
1700s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales Long Read
The Fish That Saved A Town
Proud handwriting on the back of this 1950s photo of two women packing sardines in the Connors Brothers factory in Blacks Harbour reads: “Today,…
September 16, 2024
1900s Bay of Fundy Long Read
Beating The Heat: How Did People Used To Stay Cool In The Summer?
I’m sure you’ve seen old photos of men in full suits and women in giant dresses in the boiling heat and oppressive humidity of…
July 17, 2024
1800s 1900s Bay of Fundy Long Read
Painless Parker, Renegade Dentist
A popular postcard from the early 1900s mocking the claim that dentistry could be painless (Telegraph-Journal) Step into the world of dentistry's most controversial…
June 12, 2024
1900s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales Long Read
The Song of The Old Sow
Don’t be fooled by its name. The Old Sow whirlpool has pulled many men under, but you might have a chance if you sing…
May 22, 2024
1800s Bay of Fundy Long Read
Unfinished Dreams: Rise and Fall of the Chignecto Ship Railway
An ambitious project to build an oversized railway to carry ships along the New Brunswick/Nova Scotia border from the Northumberland Strait to the Bay…
May 15, 2024
1800s Bay of Fundy Nova Scotia Long Read Popular
The Mysterious Alleged Prince Who Lived in St. Andrews
Constructed in 1833, Pendlebury or St. Andrews Lighthouse is the oldest remaining mainland lighthouse in New Brunswick. As it was being constructed the mysterious…
March 21, 2024
1800s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales Long Read
The Tragedy of The Royal Tar Circus Ship
“The Royal Tar, she went too far, Her boiler got too hot; She’ll never see Saint John again, Because she’s gone to pot.” The…
November 16, 2023
1800s Bay of Fundy Saint John Strange Tales Long Read
American Invaders Stole PEI’s Great Seal
Map of Prince Edward Island in 1775. Titled: "A plan of the island of St. John with the divisions of the counties parishes &…
October 1, 2023
1700s PEI War Long Read
Cruising with the Coits: A Gilded Journey through New Brunswick
Cover of the book the very wealthy and very self-absorbed Coit family published after each vacation, informing the public about thier activities. In 1870…
September 7, 2023
1800s Bay of Fundy Fredericton Saint John Long Read