Welcome to the hidden island! a podcast dedicated to exploring our past in new and unexpected ways. Discover the hidden history of Prince Edward Island - and find out why that history is still relevant today. Listen in on candid conversations with community members about the parts of our heritage that often go unmentioned in history books.

Season Five - Live now!

A whole new set of Island stories, with all-new hosts and guests!

Generously sponsored by the Architects Association of Prince Edward Island, Confederation Center of the Arts, Provincial Credit Union, and The Grey Group. Thank you!

Meet our Hosts

Matthew McRae is a museum professional with a PhD. in Canadian History. For the last five years, he has been working with the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, first as a Curator and then as Executive Director. Prior to that, Matthew worked at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Curation and Communications roles. As far back as he can remember Matthew has been a heritage nerd, and is thrilled to be able to help share and care for the heritage of his Island home.

Evelyn R. Bradley (she/her) is an educator and diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant in Epekwitk (P.E.I.), where she and her wife moved at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evelyn is known through her consulting company, Bradley Consulting, where she provides specialized training in judgement-free environments to aid in establishing an inclusive community and promote a sustainable relationship with inclusion and diversity awareness. As an educator, she works with universities, non-profits, and businesses to develop materials centred around culturally competent programming with a focus on fostering inclusive spaces.

In her limited spare time, Evelyn can also be found volunteering as a board member for the PEI Writers’ Guild, working on her poetry collection, and hosting a variety of events and shows.”

Samantha Kelly is the Curator with the PEI Museum & Heritage Foundation. She first joined the organization in 2019 as cover for a maternity leave and then, she wouldn't leave. With more than 15 years of experience working in the heritage sector, Samantha has been lucky enough to share her days with narwhal tusks and polar bear pants, glitter bombs and a lump of buttered aluminum, a basket casket, and most recently, a turkey named Chuck. No one need ever think that history is boring!

Lesley Caseley is a self-proclaimed history nerd, living her best life as the Collection Manager for the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation. She has a background in preventative conservation, is a certified RE-ORG coach and a Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places enthusiasts. When she isn’t doing something heritage-related related she can be found raising two tiny humans with her husband.

Meet our Guests

Featured this season:

Dr. Joshua MacFadyen is Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Geospatial Humanities at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada. His research focuses on energy transitions and traditional energy carriers in Canada, and he teaches Digital Humanities in the Applied Communication, Leadership, and Culture (ACLC) program in UPEI’s Faculty of Arts. His most recent monograph is titled Flax Americana: A History of the Fibre and Oil that Covered a Continent. He also published an edited collection in the same series titled Time and a Place: An Environmental History of Prince Edward Island (McGill-Queens and Island Studies Press, 2016).

Josh has held postdoctoral positions at the Historical GIS Lab at the University of Saskatchewan and at NiCHE: Network in Canadian History & Environment at the University of Western Ontario. Most recently he was also an Assistant Professor and remains a Sustainability Scholar at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability.

Heather Harris is an old house and heritage enthusiast who runs the Instagram and Facebook account “Old Island Homes”. Heather uses her account to share all things about historic houses and buildings on PEI, and she hopes to make information about these historic buildings accessible, interesting, and entertaining for her audience.

John Boylan has been working in Island heritage since the 1980s. After stints with the PEI Museum, Provincial Heritage Office, and the City of Charlottetown he was hired as the Public Services Archivist at the Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island in 2006. John has a diploma in museum studies from Algonquin College and a master’s degree in archival studies from the University of British Columbia. 

Laura MacNeil is a geologist born and raised in Alexandra, P.E.I. and founder of Prehistoric Island Tours, our province's first venue that provides guided shoreline tours on our rich 290-million-year-old geological heritage. Her professional experience is in Earth science communication, having worked as an educator at World-renowned museums such as Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site in Joggins, N.S., and the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, AB. Laura completed her M.Sc. in geology at Acadia University, Nova Scotia, and B.Sc. in geology at Queen's University, Ontario.

In 2016 Laura discovered the first fossil evidence of Dimetrodon borealis trackways on P.E.I., a sail-backed apex predator that roamed our province's prehistoric landscapes 290 million years ago

Jason Woodside is a two-time Canadian oyster shucking champion (2004, 2006) with over 26 years of experience as a professional oyster shucker. Infamous for his knowledge and skill, Jason possesses a deep understanding of Canada’s oyster industry, particularly Prince Edward Island’s wild and cultured oyster fisheries.

Passionate about education and advocacy, Jason shares his expertise through private tours, seminars, and appearances at select events, where he elevates public awareness of the joys and complexities of oyster appreciation. Jason is the creator of the Banjo Oyster Knife, which helps make shucking safer and easier for beginners. Additionally, Jason crafts traditional-style oyster knives, from PEI wood, which are tailored to professional shuckers seeking a competitive edge.

Originating from Mill River, Prince Edward Island, Shawn Hogan has produced and starred in hundreds of sold out comedy shows across the country. Over the last 10 years he has performed and lived in Toronto, where he created, produced, and hosted the Hangover Cure Comedy Show, one of Toronto’s most unique and successful independent comedy shows which recently made its debut at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.

Shawn has made consecutive national television appearances as part of the Halifax Comedy Festival, has been a featured comedian on CBC Radio's "Laugh Out Loud" and on Sirius XM's "JFL Originals", and most recently was hand picked to open for Gerry Dee in front of a sold out crowd at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, PEI.