John Hughes, class of 1826, fourth bishop (1838) and first archbishop of New York (1850-1864), born in County Tyrone Ireland (1797), immigrated in 1817.
A gardener and mason, Hughes was employed the 10th of November, 1819, by Fr. John DuBois (founder of Mount Saint Mary's in 1808 and third bishop of New York (1826-1838) "Receiving as compensation, board, lodging and private instruction." Until the fall of 1820, when he moved into the two-story log house on the terrace (built 1809), John Hughes lodged in this cabin. To make room for the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, it was moved in 1907 south of McSweeny Hall (the seminary building).
Hughes was noted as a scholar, a protagonist of the church, a force against trusteeism, and a supporter of catholic education. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln sent Hughes to Europe to further the Northern cause.
Hughes founded both St. Joseph's seminary in Troy (forerunner of St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, Yonkers, New York) and St. John's College, Fordham (subsequently Fordham University). He planned and began (1858) St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.
To commemorate the 175th year of Mount Saint Mary's College and Seminary, John Hughes' cabin was sited here, December, 1982.
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