1817 Ferguson's Chocolate Factory Fire

January 9, 1817, John Ferguson’s chocolate “manufactory & dwelling house” burned down; Ferguson was a member of the Sun Fire Company around that time. This was the third in a series of fairly serious incidents that winter. It started somewhere between 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning and was discovered at around 7:00 at the back of Ferguson’s factory on Granville Street. The first engine arrived quickly, but because it took a while to get a water supply established, the interior of the building became fully involved. The factory, a house and a stable were burnt completely, and another stable, Mr. Loveland's, and part of a blacksmith shop belonging to Mr. Tierney on Hollis Street had to be pulled down to prevent the spread of the fire. Nearly all of the furniture and some of the stock were saved in the burnt buildings.