Fire and Roses: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834

by Nancy Lusignan Schultz

Winner of the New England American Studies Association's Lois Rudnick Book Prize (2002) In the midst of a deadly heat wave during the summer of 1834, a woman clawed her way over the wall of an Ursuline convent on Mount Benedict in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and escaped to the home of a neighbor, pleading for protection. When the bishop, Benedict Fenwick, persuaded her to return, vicious gossip began swirling through the Yankee community and in the press that she was being held at the convent against her will, and had even been murdered. The rumored fate of the "Mysterious Lady," as she became popularly known, ultimately led to the burning of the convent by an angry, drunken mob of Protestant men. The arsonists' ringleader, a brawny bricklayer named John Buzzell, became a folk hero. The nuns scattered, and their proud and feisty mother superior, Mary Anne Moffatt, who battled the working-class rioters and Church authorities, faded mysteriously into history.Nancy Lusignan Schultz brings alive this forgotten event, focusing her probing lens on a time when independent, educated women were feared as much as immigrants and Catholics, and anti-Papist diatribes were the stuff of bestsellers and standing-room-only lectures. She provides a glimpse into nineteenth-century Boston and into an elite boarding school for young women, mostly the daughters of wealthy Protestants, vividly dissecting the period's roiling tensions over class, gender, religion, ethnicity, and education.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion

317 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Nancy Lusignan Schultz (1956- )

Reviews

[Dan Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My feelings on this one are profoundly mixed. The subject matter is interesting, and about halfway through the book I found it quite engaging. However, Schultz is a historian who *really* likes to show her work. It felt like she wanted to cram every single thing she learned in her research into the book, which is great as a comprehensive historical record, but can make some fairly frustrating reading for anyone who is just curious about the human aspect of what happened.
That said, I'm quite glad I read it as it's an extraordinary look at anti-Catholic sentiment in the new nation. Interestingly, I recently just finished about the relationship between revolutionary rhetoric and religious revivalism, so seeing that at play in this situation was extremely interesting.

Definitely worth a read, but be prepared to slog in order to get to the fascinating bits.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-researched history of the burning of the Charlestown, Massachusetts Ursuline convent in 1834. The terrorism was an act of religious prejudice and class rage; sort of scary to be thinking about during our current times. Things really can get out of hand very quickly, especially with elected governments turn a blind eye to bullies. I probably would have enjoyed this book more if the author had maintained a more chronological approach. I don't understand the purpose in skipping around through several years of events; it took away some of the impact of events and decisions to hear about the outcomes in advance. I learned a bit about convents and history though.

[Maureen Keillor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at what happens when conflicting views on religion, ethnicity, class and gender collide, particularly through the lens of today's news. I was impressed with Dr. Schutlz's deep research and detail. I did feel that at times it was disjointed and she perhaps projected conjecture rather more than she ought. Overall, a fascinating and frightening glimpse of how the great American Experience can occasionally fail.

[Lucinda Vinoski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting event in history but it was written in a factual, colorless manner.

The convent of the Ursuline nuns in 1834 near Boston Massachusetts was precipitated by suspicion and envy among the Protestant workman of the area. Their suspicion stemmed from the fear of well-educated women and the envy because the money for the convent and school came from wealthy Protestants of the area who sent their daughter there for a finished education. An education not only of the mind but of domestic skills, artistry and culture.

Those who died in the fire became martyrs, those who survived lived on with sadness. Those responsible for the fire and deaths were of three kinds. Some with a conscience could not live with the guilt and committed suicide. Some were tried in the court of justice and lived with shattered reputations and guilt, and some who had no remorse lived on in their ignorance and embitterment and were tried on a Higher Court of Justice beyond this world.

It was an interesting piece of history but the dry telling was difficult to navigate for me.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nonfiction story of anti-Catholic sentiment in Charlestown, MA, early 18th century, culminating in the burning of an Ursuline Convent. The book is a fascinating, well researched story, somewhat redundantly relayed. I recommend this for my Boston and HC friends especially because Bishop Fenwick is a real character in it; the other characters come to life very vividly too.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fascinating book. I've never heard of the Charlestown convent burning before and it was interesting to learn about. I like Schultz goes into depth about every person that was involved to see why it happened. She goes into the nuns lives as well as the people that rioted the place. This book shows how Anti-Catholicism was around during this time period.

[Marieke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yawn.