The Open Door

Hosted by The Brown Homestead

Business History Society CultureInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Feb 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Open Door is about looking for ways to create a better future - by exploring the past. Host Andrew Humeniuk speaks with guests about historical issues that relate directly to our changing world, while sharing the journey to transform his ancestral homestead into a vital community space for today.

Listen to episodes

28 recent

February 28, 2026Episode 244 min

Heritage Without Borders: Global Lessons for Conservation at Home

Heritage conservation doesn’t happen in isolation. The Brown Homestead’s Jessica Linzel and Theresa Felicetti reflect on their immersive summer programs in Italy and Scotland, and the lessons they’ve brought home to Niagara. From conserving cave frescoes to learning traditional building crafts, their conversation explores community building, generational knowledge, and slowing down in a culture driven by efficiency. As heritage in Ontario faces mounting threats, they consider how global perspectives can strengthen local advocacy.A special note that this podcast episode was recorded outdoors on The Brown Homestead property on a summer's day. We invite you to imagine yourself at our pastoral historic site as you take in the background sounds of cicadas, birds, and the occasional passing car. Interested in more conversations on heritage conservation? Check out Heritage is Living produced by the Niagara Trust for Canada. Available wherever you find your podcasts.

December 1, 2025Episode 112 min

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

To honour the long tradition of storytelling during the holidays, we are pleased to offer Jennifer Humeniuk’s reading of Dr. Seuss’s classic story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, about everyone’s favourite grump with a heart “two sizes too small.” Merry Christmas from The Brown Homestead team!

December 12, 2024Episode 522 min

A Child's Christmas in Wales

To honour the long tradition of storytelling during the holidays, we are pleased to offer Jennifer Humeniuk’s reading of A Child’s Christmas in Wales, a classic tale written by Welsh poet and author Dylan Thomas. Merry Christmas from The Brown Homestead team!

October 29, 2024Episode 455 min

The Paranormal & Public History

Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, ghost stories can offer valuable insight into the past. Haunted histories often feature real people, places and events - the ghostly tales serve as the medium for sharing. Hamilton and Niagara-based podcaster and Ghost Walks leader Ghost Guide Daniel takes a tour of the John Brown House and considers his approach to storytelling through the lens of the paranormal.

June 12, 2024Episode 31 hr 27 min

Foreword Crossover: Preserving History at The Brown Homestead

When a historic building is preserved, the stories embedded into its walls and floorboards are also preserved. On this special crossover episode with Brock University’s Foreword, we take The Tattooed Historian YouTuber and podcaster, John R. Heckman, on an immersive audio tour of The Brown Homestead. We peel back the layers of history found in floor stencils, lath walls, and wallpaper to uncover why purpose-driven adaptive reuse matters in the heritage field.

May 14, 2024Episode 239 min

The Humours of Whisky

A history of whisky in Niagara offers a flavourful glimpse into Loyalist agricultural industry and trade in Upper Canada, the social nature of tavern culture, and the unexpected outcome of the temperance movement. Ajay Bhardwaj, Canada’s first certified whisky ambassador, leads a live, guided tasting of three select whiskies paired with insightful stories from Niagara’s past to help us understand whisky culture today.

April 17, 2024Episode 137 min

Enduring Oka

The Kanesatake Resistance, or Oka Crisis, was a defining historic moment with an enduring legacy in Canada’s challenged relationships with Indigenous peoples. Mohawk writer and director Tracey Deer speaks to her experience as a twelve-year old girl in the summer of 1990, and how it helped shape her powerful, and immensely personal 2021 Canadian Screen Award winning film, Beans.

December 6, 2023Episode 937 min

A Christmas Memory

In celebration of the holiday season, we are happy to offer Jennifer Humeniuk’s reading of Truman Capote’s classic tale, A Christmas Memory.

November 8, 2023Episode 834 min

The Sad Ending of the Author’s Last Trip

Is E.A. Brown Dead? In 1894, Charles McCain published a History of the SS Beaver containing a chapter recounting the events of the night that Edward Brown disappeared. Does it contain clues to what really happened or an answer to the mystery that followed and the ultimate fate of his friend? You be the judge!

October 31, 2023Episode 836 min

Is E.A. Brown Dead?

A young man from Pelham moved to Vancouver in 1888 following a family tragedy. Four years later, on New Year’s Eve, a friend reported that he drowned, leaving behind a wife and two children. But did he? Rumours and reports of sightings began flooding into the police and newspapers and continued for many years, leading people to ask … Is E.A. Brown Dead?