by Edward Graf
Short Sketches on Passaic County History, 1935

The cornerstone of the courthouse in Paterson was laid on Friday, October 12, 1837.  In consequence of the short notice, the number who attended to witness the ceremony was very small.  A procession was formed in front of the Passaic Hotel, which, preceded by the company of “Union Cadet,” marched through Main street to the location.  An appropriate address was delivered by Judge Parke, one of the oldest and most respected citizens.  A glass bottle containing a short history of Paterson, from its foundation to that time, the law creating the new county, the names of the Chosen Freeholders, several coins, a shinplaster and one each of the newspapers of Paterson was deposited in the stone.