Two weeks ago, I shared a list of things to do in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. One of those things was to check out the Old Jail and the haunted history around it. For those unlucky enough to get to travel to Jim Thorpe themselves, I have the creepy folktale here for you. Also, the local Irish pub where you should definitely eat at is called "Molly Maguire's".

First, if you do venture into the Old Jail, there is a handprint on one of the walls in a cell. This story revolves around this handprint, which despite all efforts to remove it, it still remains on the wall today. This is sort of a ghost tale that stems from a historical record.

Northeast Pennsylvania is a coal region. Coal mining was the biggest thing in the late 1800s. The conditions in the mines were deplorable and the coal runoff polluted any natural source of water nearby. It’s also going to happen again, thanks to the coal mines getting reopened and the Clean Water Act being abolished in the last month by our new president. So, don’t drink the water in Pennsylvania.

Anyway, back to the 1800s. In England, the leader of a number of riots against exploitative English landowners in the 1840s was a man named Molly Maguire. Later, Irish coal miners brought the same organization with them when they came to work in the terrible conditions of the Pennsylvania coal mines. How terrible were the conditions? Safety conditions were ignored and, often, non-existent. Families were only compensated a few dollars when their family members were killed in the dangerous coal mines. Workers were frequently abused and their quantity of coal, which determined their wages, was undervalued. So, naturally, people are going to be a little mad.

Skip ahead to the Civil War. In Northeastern Pa, a couple Irish immigrant miners killed some supervisors and executives who wanted them to join in the Union Army. Because many of these small coal mining towns in Pennsylvania didn’t really have police and most disputes were settled between the men, the murders didn’t get investigated until the early 1870s. A detective, James McParland, worked undercover to gain information from the coal miners. When his cover was blown, the president of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and serving as the district attorney of Schuylkill County, Frank Gowen, convicted seven miners, the Molly Maguires, mostly on McParland’s testimony.

All seven of them were hanged at the Carbon County prison, the Old Jail. On June 21, 1877, four of the seven men were hanged at the same on the gallows on a day that became known as the Day of the Rope. On March 28, 1878, and January 14, 1879, the remaining three men were hanged. Their names were Alexander Campbell, Edward Kelly, Michael Doyle, John Donohue, Thomas P. Fisher, James McDonnell, and Charles Sharp.

But, where does the handprint come into this story? Well, before their hanging, all the men claimed innocence. Today, it’s believed by historians that all the men were falsely accused of murder. It was thought to be Alexander Campbell who placed the handprint on the cell wall and said, “This handprint will remain as proof of my innocence.” Today, it is still visible despite the past efforts of wardens who tried to get rid of it through various means such as washing, painting, and even removing a portion of the wall to re-plaster it.

There is even more controversy surrounding this as this trial and investigation never involved The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It involved a private corporation, a private detective agency, a private police force, and private attorneys to begin the investigation, arrest the men, and prosecute the men. The only thing that the Commonwealth provided was the courtroom and gallows.

So, instead of passing by this old stone building, stop by for a tour. See their website for their tour schedule and prices. See the handprint on the wall for yourself and learn the story of the Molly Maguire murders! Also, do everything else that I recommended on my list of things to do in Jim Thorpe! You’ll have a great summer.

All information was from explorepahistory.com and theoldjailmuseum.com.