Jeanne-Mance Park (French: Parc Jeanne-Mance), also known as Fletcher's Field,[1] is an urban park in Montreal, located in the borough of Le Plateau Mont-Royal.[2] It is named after the co-founder of Montreal, Jeanne Mance. It is situated on Park Avenue, opposite Mount Royal, and just south of Mount Royal Avenue.
The history of this park began at the end of the 19th century with the planning of Mount Royal Park, and the city's acquisition of land on Mount Royal, that included the summit of the mountain to Esplanade Avenue, between Pine Avenue and Mount Royal Avenue.
In 1878, Montreal's Crystal Palace was relocated to Fletcher's Field. The structure was destroyed by fire in July 1896.[2]
In 1879, Fletcher's Field was identified by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain as a notable source of Hyoscyamus niger, a psychoactive plant.[3]
In 1910, at the time of the Congrès eucharistique de Montréal (Montreal Eucharistic Congress), popular support orchestrated by a publicity campaign demanding that the park pay homage to founder of the first Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal located near the present site of the hospital. The name had quickly become popular, and the name of the park was unofficially known as Jeanne-Mance Park until 1990, when the city of Montreal made the name change official.