Friday, July 30, 2010 February 7, 1864 First stone hauled for St. Patrick's Church (Riverhead) St John’s On February 7, 1864, work officially began on St. Patrick’s Church, Patrick Street, St. John’s with the hauling of the stone taken from the Southside Hills (at Cudahy's Quarry) in St. John's. Construction continued as funds and materials permitted. After more than two-and-a-half decades, St. Patrick's Church was consecrated on August 28, 1881. The hauling of the stone on sleighs from the South Side Hills to the site of the future St. Patrick’s Church resulted in the death of one child. Children would grab onto the huge mounds of stone on the sleighs as they traveled through the streets. One child was crushed when a stone slab slid from the sleigh as the child tried to grab on for a joy ride. Most Reverend John Hughes, Archbishop of New York and Bishop John Thomas Mullock of St. John’s laid the cornerstone of St. Patrick’s Church on September 10, 1855. The church was designed in the late Gothic Revival, also termed Neo-Gothic, style by J.J. McCarthy, a prominent Irish architect, and was built by T. O'Brien, local architect and mason. Recommended Reading: J.J.McCarthy and the Gothic Revival in Ireland by Jeanne Sheehy., June 1977. Ulster Architectural Heritage Society. 72 pages Hardcover. St. Patrick's Parish Church Watercolour To celebrate the dedication of St. Patrick's Church as a National Historic Site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada on June 26, 2005, the Archives of the R.C. Archdiocese commissioned the creation of a watercolour painting by local artist Stephanie Baker. The painting (4”X6”) is available for only $35.00. This would be a great gift for parishioners, former parishioners, or friends and relatives that may have some connection to this historic church. For more information on this and other related subjects contact the Archives of the R.C. Archdiocese. www.stjohnsarchdiocese.nf.ca Other “Archival Moments” will be posted at this site on a regular weekly basis. If you have friends or colleagues who would like to receive these "archival moments" please send us their e mail address or forward this moment to them from your desk!! Larry Dohey Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s P.O. Box 1363 St. John’s, NL A1C 5M3 709-726-3660 E-mail: archives@nf.aibn.com We hope that you have enjoyed this archival moment.