Founding Footsteps

Philly, we’re this close 🇺🇸

Founding Footsteps is currently sitting at #2 in USA TODAY’s Top 20 History Tours in the U.S.—and we need your help to take the top spot.

You can vote once a day through May 11 at noon ET here: https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/founding-footsteps-philadelphia-pennsylvania/
It takes seconds and goes a long way in putting Philly history on the national stage.

Let’s bring it home 🏆�👉 Vote today and every day
Who’s riding with us to #1? 👇

the heart of Philadelphia, the towering Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul stands as both a symbol of faith and a reflection of a tense moment in history.

As the story goes, its elevated windows and imposing stone façade weren’t just architectural choices—they were intentional, designed to protect the church from damage during a time of unrest, when anti-Catholic riots threatened institutions across the city.

From behind the fence line, onlookers may have watched the structure rise, each stone set with purpose. What feels like a quiet, almost competitive push skyward also carried a deeper motive: resilience. Today, those towering windows still draw your eyes upward—not just for their beauty, but for the history they were built to withstand.