Old Jail Museum - Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania - historic museum created out of an old jail

Located in Jim Thorpe, PA, the Old Jail Museum is a two story stone building that actually served as the Carbon County Prison from 1871 through 1995, when it was bought by the current owners, Tom and Betty Lou McBride of Jim Thorpe. The Old Jail is one of the stops on the Ghost Walks that are conducted by the Jim Thorpe Rotary Club on weekends from September through December.

Built in 1871 to serve as the county jail in the town that was then known as Mauch Chunk, the Old Jail's main claim to fame in the haunted city is that it housed the infamous Molly Maguires during their trial, and was the site of their execution for murder in 1877 and 1878. The Molly Maguires are now considered to be one of the earliest labor movements, organized in support of Irish-American coal miners.

The Old Jail Museum is located in the heart of Pennsylvania's anthracite coal mining country. In the years following the Civil War, Pennsylvania coal miners were subjected to exploitative conditions by the management of the coal companies, living in company housing, purchasing their own mining equipment and forced to work long hours in brutal conditions. It is believed that the Molly Maguires were a secret organization of Irish Catholic coal miners who took secret action against the exploitative conditions.

On the morning of June 21, 1877, Alexander Campbell, Edward Kelly, Michael Doyle and John Donohue were hanged on the gallows constructed in the cell block. One of the men, believed to have been Alexander Campbell, put his hand on the floor of his cell, then planted it on the wall of his cell, leaving a black handprint. "This handprint,'' he proclaimed, "will remain here as proof of my innocence.'' The handprint has remained on that wall, despite attempts by jailers to wash it, paint over it, plaster over it and even construct a new wall, and it is part of the tour of the jail today.

The building is a two story stone building that resembles a European fortress. It contains 72 rooms, most of them used as cells for prisoners. There is a women's ward, as well as a bank of tiny, cramped cells in the basement that were used as solitary confinement. In addition, the building houses the spacious and luxurious - by comparison - warden's apartment, consisting of a living room, dining room, two bedrooms and a sitting room. There is one kitchen for the entire facility, shared by the warden's family and the prisoners. In fact, for most of its existence, the warden's wife cooked the meals for prisoners in residence along with the family meals.

The Old Jail Museum is open to the public for tours on weekdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day, except for Wednesdays. It is also open for tours on weekends in September and October. The facility opens at noon, and the last tour begins at 4:30 PM each day. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors and $3 for children ages 6-12. The tour is about an hour long, and includes ghost stories and a history of the museum.

For more information about the Old Jail House Museum in Jim Thorpe, PA, contact the museum at 570-325-5259.