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The Prison Journal, Vol. 86, No. 2, 260-268 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0032885506288653

The Irish in Schuylkill County Prison

Ethnic Conflict in Pre- and Post-Civil War Pennsylvania

Rosemary L. Gido

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Tammy Castle

University of West Florida

Kimberly D. Dodson

Lincoln Memorial University

Danielle McDonald

Christine Y. Olsen

Rebecca J. Boyd

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn as a "cradle of diversity," welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. The reality is that labor strife and ethnic conflict are endemic features of Pennsylvania's history. Irish Catholic immigrants began to pour into Pennsylvania's northeastern anthracite coal mining region between 1850 and 1880. This very violent pre- and post- Civil War period engendered hatred and prejudice toward these Irish and culminated in the conviction and public executions (hangings) of 20 Irish men between 1877 and 1879 (the alleged Molly Maguire Conspiracy). This research utilizes primary records from Schuylkill County (PA) Prison (1853-1873) and documents (similar to contemporary incarceration patterns) the overimprisonment of foreign-born and minority groups that posed a threat to community power interests—in this case, the powerful coal and railroad interests who literally controlled the police (private company Coal and Iron Police), the jails, the courts, and the gallows.

Key Words: Ethnic conflict • incarceration patterns • social control • county jail


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