Resembling a fortress standing guard over the town of Jim Thorpe (formerly known as Mauch Chunk), the historic Old Jail Museum is a beautiful two-story stone structure. The prison was opened in 1871 and through the years held the worst murders and criminals imaginable, many of whom left their mark (you’ll understand below). After hundreds of inmates passed through the doors, it was closed in 1995 and then purchased by Tom McBride and his wife, Betty Lou, of Jim Thorpe.

The building contains approximately 72 rooms, including 27 cells, basement dungeon cells used as solitary confinement until 1980, women’s cells on the 2nd floor, and the warden’s living quarters across the front of the building.

The Coal Miners

The building is best known as the site of the hanging of seven Irish coal miners known as Molly Maguires in the 1800’s. The Molly Maguires were a secret organization, composed mainly of Irish Catholics, that started one of the first labor movements in the country. Since the Irish were not well regarded by society at the time, one of the only jobs they could get in PA was working in the local coal mines. It was intense physical labor where workers only got pennies for their long hours, bought all their own work equipment from the bosses, had to pay rent to the coal bosses who owned their houses. The Molly Maguires who had enough of the slave-labor grew tired and murdered the coal management while vandalized the mines and mining equipment. They were later found guilty.

On June 21, 1877, today known as the Day of the Rope, Alexander Campbell, Edward Kelly, Michael Doyle and John Donohue were hanged at the same time on gallows erected inside the Old Jail Museum cell block. On March 28, 1878, Thomas P. Fisher was hanged here, and on January 14, 1879, James McDonnell and Charles Sharp were hanged on the same gallows.

The Handprint

Before their hanging, the men proclaimed their innocence and today historians believe many of the condemned men were falsely accused of murder. Before his hanging one of the man, thought to be Alexander Campbell, he put his hand on the dirty floor of his cell and then placed it firmly on the wall proclaiming, ” This hand print will remain as proof of
my innocence.” That hand print is visible today for everyone to view. Past wardens tried to eradicate it by washing it, painting it, and even taking down part of the wall and re-plastering it. But the hand print still remains.

Besides the hand print visitors will see a number of supernatural occurrences including shadows, footsteps and loud bangs from the solitary confinement cells. Legends say that these are the spirits of inmates or the ghost of the warden himself “checking up”. In the wardens apartment objects will move near the old kitchen area, assumed to the wardens wife who would cook for the prisoners herself. The Old Jail Museum is open for ghost tours during the year at various times of the year so go take a look for yourself!

Sort By

Riley

Scare Score

I went when I was 10 I think and I was kinda scared at first but then I realized that it was not scary at all after my mom said it was not scary because I was used to “scary” things because I would always watch ghost shows with her and my grandmother.
2 years ago
do not touch the noose

Scare Score

when i was a child my parents took me there. my mother lived in that town since she was a child but never went inside the jail. so they took my brother and i and being a child that is sensitive to spirits i was interested in it. on the second floor of the cell block the gallows are attached to railing. i was touching the wood beam and then something compelled me to reach over and touched the noose. since that moment on something attached itself to me and haunted me as a child. it took a few years until it sort of went away but i still think something is attached to me. other then that its a every neat place to go
3 years ago
Great place

Scare Score

A great family fun place to go on a Sunday afternoon to learn about the history of Jim Thorpe and the people that live there!
5 years ago

Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Try To Scare Me

Haunted Places, Legends and Ghosts

The Old Jail Museum : Jim Thorpe, PA

The Old Jail Museum : Jim Thorpe, PA

Login