Carbon County Jail | |
Carbon County Jail, December 2007
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| Location | 128 Broadway Street, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°51′50″N 75°44′49″W / 40.86389°N 75.74694°W / 40.86389; -75.74694 |
| Area | 4.9 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1869–1870 |
| Built by | Henry Bowman |
| Architect | Edward Haviland |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001764[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 8, 1974 |
The Carbon County Jail is a historic jail located in Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
The jail was built in 1869–1870 by Harry Bowman (under architect Edward Haviland) 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. There is a basement which was used for solitary confinement until 1980. The building is most notable as the jail where a number of suspected "Molly Maguires" were imprisoned while awaiting trial in 1875–1876 and subsequently hanged.[2]
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 8, 1974.[1] It is located in the Old Mauch Chunk Historic District.
On January 23, 1995, following the completion and opening of the new $8.2 million Carbon County Correctional Facility in Nesquehoning, the prisoners were transferred out of the jail to the new facility.[3]
When the county put the jail up for sale in the fall of 1994, local residents Thomas McBride and wife Betty Lou purchased the building for $160,000 with the goal of preserving the local history.[3] The building is now operated as the Old Jail Museum with seasonal tours. In cell 17, 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.[4]
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