THE FACTS
The Old Jail Museum is a two story building that resembles a fortress, located in Jim Thorpe, PA. It has seventy two rooms, twenty seven cells, and an underground dungeon. It is most famous for the hanging of the “Molly Maguires”. The Molly Maguires were seven Irish coal miners who were accused of murder and hanged. On June 21, 1877, Alexander Campbell, Edward Kelly, Michael Doyle, and John Donahue were hung at the same time. This day is remembered as the “Day of the Rope.” On March 28, 1878, Thomas P Fisher was hung. On January 14, 1879, James McDonnell and Charles Sharp were hung. The coal miners insisted they were innocent, and today, many historians believe they were telling the truth. The day before his hanging, one of the coal miners placed his dirty hand against his cell wall. He said, “This handprint will remain as proof of my innocence.” At first, the handprint was thought to belong to Alexander Campbell, but now it is thought to belong to Thomas Fisher.
THE LEGEND
Legend says that past wardens have tried to clean the handprint off, paint over it, and even replace part of the wall, but you can still see the handprint today.