Molly Maguire Executions
Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
On June 21, 1877, six "Molly Maguires," an alleged secret society of Irish mine- workers, were hanged here. Pinkerton detective James McParlan's testimony led to convictions for violent crimes against the coal industry, yet the facts of the labor, class, and ethnic conflicts, even the existence of the organization, remain contested. Four others were hanged on this day at the county jail in Mauch Chunk; ten more were executed in Pa. through 1879.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On June 21, 1877—a day remembered in the anthracite region as 'Black Thursday'—six Irish immigrant mineworkers accused of belonging to the secret society known as the Molly Maguires were hanged here, with four more executed the same day at Mauch Chunk. The convictions rested largely on the testimony of Pinkerton detective James McParlan, who had infiltrated the coalfields on behalf of powerful mining and railroad interests. To this day historians debate the guilt of the accused, the fairness of the trials, and even whether the organization truly existed.
Why it matters
The executions crystallized the brutal collision of labor, ethnicity, and corporate power in America's industrializing coalfields, and remain a touchstone in the history of workers' struggles.
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Related people
- · James McParlan
Related events
- · Molly Maguire executions
Themes & tags
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