The cornerstone of ST. PATRICK’s CATHEDRAL was laid in 1858, 5-years after ARCHBISHOP JOHN HUGHES proposed his plan. Ridiculed as “Hughes’ Folly,” as the "near-wilderness" site was considered too far outside the city, the Archbishop persisted in his daring vision of building the most beautiful Gothic Cathedral in the New World. Neither the bloodshed of the Civil War nor the resultant lack of manpower or funds derailed his’ dream. (PHOTO: Construction of St. Patrick's Cathedral, 1868.)
