Jim Thorpe

   We often go out to eat to celebrate our anniversary, but this year we did something different and went on  a day trip to Jim Thorpe. The town was originally called Mauch Chunk, which was derived from the Native American term for Bear Mountain. In 1954, the town was renamed Jim Thorpe in honor of the Native American Olympic medal winner who died in 1953 and was buried there.
   We boarded the train at Reading at 8:30 a.m. for the 2.5 hour ride to Jim Thorpe in Carbon County. The train stopped at Port Clinton and Tamaqua to pick up more passengers. I didn't know what to expect but the train was full. There was a variety of Mennonite, Amish, and Brethren on board.

  

We arrived at the Jim Thorpe depot at 11:15 a.m. and had four hours to explore the town.

   First, we looked for a place to eat lunch. A sit-down restaurant would have taken too much time and cost too much. We walked up Broadway street a ways and found a place to get Chinese take outs. That was the best we were going to do in this tourist trap. Picnic tables were available on the sidewalk so that worked out fine.

   After we finished eating, we continued our hike uphill on Broadway street. There were several options for things to see. We chose to go to the old jail which, unfortunately, was near the end of the tourist sites. It was a long walk uphill and I had to stop and rest a couple times, but we made it and waited for the 1:20 tour to begin.

    

   The Old Jail was built in 1871 and occupied until 1995 as the Carbon County Prison. The Old Jail contains 28 original cells, Warden's living quarters, and 16 eerie dungeon cells in the basement. An excellent example of 19th Century prison architecture, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

    This was a no-frills jail and the inmates were not coddled with fine amenities. This is one of the cells on the main floor.

   A cell in the dungeon had only a mat on the floor to sleep on, a blanket, and a bucket for waste. Notice the shackles on the wall with which the prisoner was secured. The light was for our benefit; the prisoner was kept in the dark.

  The Molly Maguires were Irish coal miners in northeast Pennsylvania during the 1800s who banded together for justice against inhumane, corrupt, and oppressive treatment by the coal companies. In 1877 four miners were accused of murder, convicted through unfair trials and hanged together on gallows inside the Old Jail. In 1887 and 1879 three more accused Mollies were hanged here. Before his hanging one man placed his had firmly on the wall of his cell stating his handprint would remain forever as a sign of his innocence. The handprint has been dug out, replastered and repainted but still remains on the wall of Cell 17. We saw it but no photos were allowed. 

   It was horrible to think of the racism that caused these men to be hanged here. Even worse, 400 people crowded into the jail to watch. There are no hangings today. We sat on the chairs to hear the story of how a man escaped from the jail. He had two hours of freedom and then was captured and brought back with more time slapped on his sentence.

  After the tour we ambled back toward the train station. It was downhill now and easier going. The Victorian buildings in the historic section of this town are colorfully painted. Many of them house small shops but some are private homes. These are some of my favorites.

  By the time we got to the park next to the train station it was too late to go see anything else, and besides, I had walked enough. We sat in the park and visited with the other Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren people who were also waiting for the train. It loaded at 3:30 and pulled out at 3:50. We retraced the route, passing two large lakes and going over a high trestle bridge. I was glad I couldn't see what was below us. The Hometown Trestle bridge was built in 1931 and stands 161 ft. above the gorge.

  We got back to Reading at 6 p.m. It was a long but interesting day. There were many more things we could have seen or done but the time was too short for us slow pokes to do more. If you're young and ambitious there is a choice of outdoor activities like hiking, biking, white water rafting, etc. It's not too far for us to drive there but the train trip was something different. 

   And that concludes our 54th anniversary. We're happily going to 55 next year.