Carbon County Jail
Why it's listed
Built in 1869-70 from rusticated stone to a design by John Haviland, with construction by local builder Henry Bowman, the Carbon County Jail in Jim Thorpe stands two stories high beneath a square one-story guard turret. Its thick walls, stone quoins, arched windows and voussoirs give it a fortress-like appearance. The interior retains original iron cell bars and downstairs cells, and it continues to hold prisoners, with capacity for twenty-nine. The building gained its historical importance in 1875-76, when suspected Mollie Maguires were held here awaiting trial. Among them were Alec Campbell, James Kerrigan and Yellow Jack Donahue, all convicted of murder and executed. The trials drew national attention and are linked to the decline of early miners' organizing in the anthracite region. The jail is also valued as a well-preserved example of nineteenth-century prison design.
Significance in brief: The jail is associated with the imprisonment of suspected Mollie Maguires awaiting trial in 1875-76, events tied to labor-management conflict in the anthracite coal region. It is also cited as a good example of nineteenth-century prison architecture, and as a surviving building connected with that episode in Mauch Chunk.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74001764, listed November 8, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 128 Broadway St., Jim Thorpe |
|---|---|
| County | Carbon County |
| Listed | November 8, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001764 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1869 |
| Architect / builder | John Haviland (architect); Henry Bowman (builder) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a prison; the jail has a capacity for twenty-nine prisoners. |
| Acreage | 4.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.86394, -75.74646 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74001764.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5037904
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.