October 21, 2025

E43: The Molly Maguires

42 minutes

The Molly Maguires was a secret society that originated in 19th-century Ireland and later emerged in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. Their goal was to defend the working class. Although twenty men were hanged, the true extent of the Molly Maguires’ existence and involvement in Pennsylvania remains a subject of debate. According to author Anthony Bimba, “The name of a Molly Maguire being attached to a man’s name is sufficient to hang him.”

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Visit the Molly Maguire Auto Tour: https://schuylkillriver.org/map/places-to-visit/molly-maguire-auto-tour/ or the Molly Maguire Historical Park at W Centre St, Mahanoy City, PA 17948.

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Sources for this episode:

Bimba, Anthony. The Molly Maguires. 1932.

Caruso, Gianna. “The Tragedy of the Molly Maguires – National Canal Museum - National Canal Museum.” National Canal Museum, https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Canal-Museum/137636696259965, 8 Mar. 2023, https://canals.org/2023/03/08/the-tragedy-of-the-molly-maguires/.

Coleman, J. Walter. Molly Maguire Riots. 1936.

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“Exploring Mahanoy City, PA | Mywalkinmanhattan.” Mywalkinmanhattan, https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-mahanoy-city-pa/. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

“Great Famine.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Famine-Irish-history. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

“Irish Potato Famine.” The History Place, 2000, https://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/america.htm.

“John P. Jones (1833-1875) - Find a Grave Memorial.” Find a Grave - Millions of Cemetery Records, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21102796/john-p_-jones. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

Lewis, Arthur H., and Walter Bernstein. The Molly Maguires. Directed by Martin Ritt, N/A, 1970, N/A. Film

“Molly Maguire Auto Tour - Schuylkill River Greenways.” Schuylkill River Greenways, https://www.facebook.com/SchuylkillRiverGreenways/, https://schuylkillriver.org/map/places-to-visit/molly-maguire-auto-tour/. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

“Molly Maguires – Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society.” Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society, https://colcohist-gensoc.org/additional-databases/molly-maguires/. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

“The Legend of the Molly Maguires | Pennsylvania Center for the Book.” Pennsylvania Center for the Book, https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/legend-molly-maguires. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

“The Molly Maguires, from Boyer and Morais, Labor’s Untold Story, Pp. 43-58.” Index Of /, https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/i2l/mollymaguires.html. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

Truckenmiller, Heather. “Valley Girl Views: The Molly Maguire Memorial in Mahanoy City.” Valley Girl Views, https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-molly-maguire-memorial-in-mahanoy.html. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

User, Super. “The Molly Maguires Trials: A Chronology.” Famous Trials, https://www.famous-trials.com/maguire/107-chronology. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

---. “The Molly Maguires Trials: An Account.” Famous Trials, https://famous-trials.com/maguire/101-home. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

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