On a warm spring day in April 1734, a fire raged through Montreal’s merchant quarters. When the flames finally died, 46 buildings – including the Hôtel-Dieu convent and hospital – had been destroyed. Within hours, rumors ran rampant that Marie Joseph Angélique, an enslaved Black woman, had started the fire. Less than 24 hours later, she was sitting in a prison cell.
Series: Canadian Historical Mysteries
Conflagration!
Nov.29 2023