The Old Jail is similar in design to Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, and was designed by the son of the architect who designed Eastern State. It has one main cellblock with a reconstructed gallows in the center. The solitary "dungeon" cells are in the basement. The main cellblock looks the same as it did when the Molly Maguires were held here in the late 1800's. The two rear cells were used for solitary confinement after 1979.

Prior to 1979, solitary cells were located in the basement. The basement is very damp, dark and spooky. Lighting had to be installed before it was opened for tours, and the electrician who was hired to install the lights swore that he would never go back down there again. There are shackles still attached to some of the walls. Until the laws were changed in 1979, prisoners were held in these dark, cold cells for up to two weeks at a time. It is so cold down there that tours cannot be held in winter. Each cell has a thick metal door with a small opening in the top. Only one of the eight basement cells has a toilet. Two of the Molly Maguires are believed to have been held in these basement cells; James Kerrigan and Edward Kelly.

Back in the main cellblock, in front of the reconstructed gallows, you can see Cell 17 on your left. On The wall of this cell bears the legendary handprint. Apparently the handprint was left by one of the accused Molly Maguires, either Alexander Campbell or Thomas Fisher. Before the execution, the man put his hand on the dirt floor, then pressed it against the wall. He then stated that the mark would remain there forever as a sign of his innocence. The handprint on the wall was first noticed after the execution. Since then, it has been washed, painted over, dug out and plastered over, but it always returns. The handprint has also been examined by a geologist and analyzed using a gas chromatograph. The only material that was detected was the paint on the wall.

After the tour, which, by the way, is very informative, we were allowed to return to areas of the jail where we wanted to take pictures. I walked around the area of the gallows where the bodies of the executed were displayed, and then wandered back down to the basement cells. The basement area is much colder than the rest of the jail, and I did feel a noticeable chill settling in on my left side. I took a picture, which, when developed, contained an orb. I was not able to adequately investigate further due to continuing tours and background noise. This is a place I would love to return to with a small group of investigators and spend the night.

All areas of the jail may be photographed except the cell with the handprint. If a visitor wants a picture of the handprint, he may purchase one from the store. No explanation is given for this rule and it makes me wonder. A picture of the famous handprint is displayed on one of the "visit Jim Thorpe" sites, though.

In conducting research into the jail history, I ran across another ghost story associated with the jail. This one dates from the late 1940's, and also centers on a man who claimed innocence, but was convicted anyway. A man was accused of murdering his brother, and was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The man swore revenge on the carbon County District attorney. He was sent to state prison to serve his sentence, and no one thought much of his threat until one night the man hung himself in his cell. His suicide note stated that he was going to haunt the Carbon County jail forever in protest of his unjust verdict. Supposedly, to prove his innocence, he would scratch the name "Niehoff" on the floor outside his old cell, Cell 2. The name appeared there, and is still there. Inmates and guards claimed that every year, on the anniversary of his suicide, the spirit could be heard scratching on the floor of the jail, in front of cell 2.

Investigators: 
L. Hull, T. Antonyuk