Built 1869-1870 Area 2 ha | NRHP Reference # 74001764 Added to NRHP 8 November 1974 | |
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Location 128 Broadway Street, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Architect Haviland, Edward; Bowman,Henry | ||
Old carbon county jail the dungeon
The Carbon County Jail is a historic jail located in Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, Pennsylvania. The jail was built in 1869-1870 and is a two-story, fortress-like rusticated stone building. It has thick, massive walls and a square, one-story guard turret above the main entrance. It features arched windows on the main facade and on the turret. The building is most notable as the jail where a number of suspected "Molly Maguires" were imprisoned while awaiting trial in 1875-1876.
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It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 8, 1974. It is located in the Old Mauch Chunk Historic District.
The building is now operated as the Old Jail Museum. In one cell, there is a handprint left by Alexander Campbell, a "Molly Maguire" who was hanged in 1877, to proclaim his innocence. Legend has it that despite many attempts to remove it, including building a new wall, the mark still remains today.