Latest news with #SchuylkillCountyHistoricalSociety
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
Ghost of Gordon Mountain legend persists 100 years later
Rumors of a ghost haunting Gordon Mountain circulated through Frackville in the summer of 1925. 'Several motorists have had the engines of their machines stopped on the road near the place where a murdered woman was found,' the Pottsville Republican reported on July 15, 1925. One driver, unaware of the murder, simply restarted the car's engine and drove off. 'Others, knowing of the proximity to the scene of the gruesome crime of last spring, felt goose pimples come out all over their backs and got away as soon as possible,' the Republican reported. Such began the legend of the Ghost of Gordon Mountain, which celebrates its 100th anniversary on April 5. Say what you will about an elusive spirit roaming the mountainside at midnight, the legend had its roots in a disturbing real-life tragedy. On April 5, 1925, Palm Sunday, hikers came across the body of a young woman along an old logging road on Broad Mountain, between Heckscherville and Gordon. The victim, judged to have been between 16 and 20 years old, had died a horrific death. Badly beaten, there was evidence her attacker or attackers set the body afire to cover up their crime. The curious thing was that nobody seemed to know anything about her — or at least they were not saying so if they did. To this day, she has never been identified. There has been speculation that she was a runaway, or that she worked at what used to be referred to as a 'house of ill repute.' Neither has ever been proven, suggesting she might have been from outside the area. The culprits were never found, and a century later it remains a cold case — one of the coldest in Schuylkill County history. The incident sparked an intensive investigation, which ultimately came under the jurisdiction of District Attorney Cyrus Palmer. In the days following the discovery of the body, some women were actually named as being the victim in news reports. Ann Richards, aka Mrs. Charles Smith and 'Humpty' Sullivan, was thought to have been the victim. She was later found alive in Shamokin. Several people were taken into custody, including a 'colored man' from Palo Alto, and released. Occurring during the height of Prohibition, it was natural that roadhouses and speakeasies would be accused of involvement. There was also speculation that the KKK was involved. Kids found a red hat near where the body was found, and turned it over to police. Investigators searched for a woman who left baggage at a railroad station and had not picked it up, apparently to no avail. Dr. Robert Spencer, an Ashland physician, performed an autopsy. He concluded the victim had been dead or unconscious before being set afire. Spencer created a cast of the victim's head, which he kept in his office for years. Primitive though it was, it was remarkable considering that it was made 100 years ago. It's now in the Schuylkill County Historical Society archive. Dr. Spencer later achieved national fame as the so-called 'Angel of Ashland,' having performed thousands of medically safe abortions in his office over several decades. Meantime, there have been numerous reports of a luminous specter roaming the mountainside, perhaps crying out in an endless search for justice. Her restless spirit lives in lore, allegedly approaching stalled vehicles and peering inside, hoping to identify her attackers. A Berks County blogger who went in search of the Ghost of Gordon Mountain reported that his vehicle did not stall near Rattling Run on Old Gordon Mountain Road. Nor did he witness a white-robed specter. 'The mere thought of her death sent goosebumps running up my arms,' the blogger wrote. 'But worse than that, she had died here alone and mostly forgotten.' Large, very cold drops of water began falling from the sky, and he sought refuge in his vehicle. Still, he could not shake a feeling of remorse for the victim. 'Maybe with the death of her killer, she was able to finally find peace,' the blogger wrote. 'I can only hope so.'
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Yahoo
John ‘Black Jack' Kehoe remembered by great-great-granddaughter
POTTSVILLE — John 'Black Jack' Kehoe was not the leader of the so-called Molly Maguires, and was innocent of the crime for which he was hanged in 1878, a direct descendant said recently at a program at the Schuylkill County Historical Society. Anne Flaherty, Kehoe's great-great-granddaughter, outlined her argument during a discussion of her new book, 'The Passion of John Kehoe: And the Myth of the Molly Maguires.' The result of 20 years of research, the book challenges the image of Kehoe and the Molly Maguires as portrayed in 'The Molly Maguires,' a 1970 movie starring Sean Connery and Richard Harris, as well as numerous articles and books. 'Kehoe was portrayed as a terrorist miner in the movie,' she said. 'And as the 'King of the Mollies' in a book by Allan Pinkerton.' Not only was he not a terrorist, she argued, Kehoe was not a miner. Kehoe was Girardville's high constable, the equivalent of police chief. He owned and operated the Hibernian House pub, and ran for state representative in 1870. Similarly, others among the 21 Irish Catholics hanged in Schuylkill, Carbon and surrounding counties between 1877 and 1879 were also not miners. Flaherty's research puts a new face to the condemned men who went to the gallows in one of the largest mass hangings in American history. 'If they had been miners,' Flaherty said, 'they worked their way out to become area businessmen, tavern operators, tax collectors and political delegates to the Democratic Party.' Five of those hanged were school directors, she said, and all were members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Four of the condemned were members of the Workingmen's Benevolent Association. Founded in 1868 by John Siney, of Saint Clair, the WBA was one of the first labor unions in the United States. It was active in strikes against coal operators in Schuylkill County. 'These Irishmen were not thugs, and they were not oppressed mine workers,' Flaherty said. 'So we need a new explanation for what went on.' * Anne Flaherty, left, and William J. Kirwan, descendants of John Kehoe, at a lecture on Flaherty's book, 'The Passion of John Kehoe: And the Myth of the Molly Maguires' at the Schuylkill County Historical Society on March 19, 2025. (RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO) * John 'Black Jack' Kehoe (SCHUYLKILL COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY) * The gravesite of John 'Black Jack' Kehoe at St. Jerome's Cemetery along Mahanoy Street in Tamaqua. (FILE PHOTO) Show Caption 1 of 3 Anne Flaherty, left, and William J. Kirwan, descendants of John Kehoe, at a lecture on Flaherty's book, 'The Passion of John Kehoe: And the Myth of the Molly Maguires' at the Schuylkill County Historical Society on March 19, 2025. (RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO) Expand Flaherty's 512-page treatise lays the blame largely at the doorstep of Franklin Gowen, president of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad and the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Co. in Pottsville. She outlines in detail Gowen's connection to New York newspapers, which characterized the condemned men as terrorists. Responding to a question by William J. Kirwan, of Mar-Lin — Kehoe's great-great-grandson — Flaherty said a letter by Archbishop James F. Wood of Philadelphia did irreparable damage to the accused men's ability to receive a fair trial. The letter was circulated nationally and internationally. 'Bad men are a terror anywhere, but now particularly so in the coal region,' said the letter, first read by Fr. O'Connor in Mahanoy Plane on Dec. 15, 1875. 'Beware of the Molly Maguires.' Joseph Wayne, Kehoe's great-grandson and the author's cousin, was among the 75 or so persons who filled the historical society conference room to capacity. For years, Wayne has steadfastly maintained that his great-grandfather was not the so-called King of the Mollies. The trials were basically a sham, he said, where defendants were not allowed to testify, some of the jurors didn't speak English well and the prosecutor was head of the coal company. 'They could have saved time by just taking them over and hanging them,' he said, sarcastically. 'This was all about breaking up labor unions.' Wayne continues to operate the Hibernian House, which is temporarily closed, more than 150 years after it was founded. Plans are to develop part of it as a coal miner's museum. Kehoe professed his innocence in a letter written from the 'Pottsville Prison,' in which he appealed for support from friends shortly before he went to the gallows in the courtyard of the Schuylkill County Prison on Nov. 18, 1878. 'Thinking over the cruelties that have befallen me by bribery, perjury and prejudice, I am under a sentence of death for a crime I never committed,' he wrote. 'I am convicted of the beating death of Frank Langdon that was committed in Audenreid nearly 16 years ago.' Saying he did not get justice, despite evidence that provided his innocence, Kehoe added, 'It was all jug-handled justice.' Due in large part to Wayne's determination, Gov. Milton Shapp pardoned John Kehoe in January 1979. The pardon was granted after an investigation by the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons. David Moore, the Board of Pardons agent who investigated the proposed pardon, attended the program in the historical society. He graduated from Pottsville High School in 1962. 'After reading through the case file, I reported there's nothing here,' said Moore, who recommended Kehoe be pardoned. 'The Passion of John Kehoe: And The Myth of the Molly Maguires' is available online and in the Schuylkill County Historical Society.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Irish emigrees formed first fire companies in Schuylkill
POTTSVILLE — Given the oppressive conditions under which they lived and worked, it's hard to imagine how 19th Century Irish immigrants had time to volunteer as firefighters. Yet they did, according to firefighting historians Michael J. Kitsock and Michael R. Glore. In 'Irish Firefighting Heritage of Schuylkill County,' they showed that immigrants from the old sod played a crucial role in forming some of the county's earliest fire companies. The logo on this Phoenix Fire Co. No. 2, Shenandoah, fire truck features the flags of America and Ireland. RON DEVLIN/STAFF PHOTO The social hall at Humane Fire Company No. 1 in Pottsville was filled to capacity recently when Kitsock and Glore presented an hour-long slide show focusing on Irish firefighting heritage. Sponsored by the Schuylkill County Historical Society, the event was held in Humane in anticipation of a large turnout. Kitsock and Glore, authors of several books on firefighting, moderated the presentation. Their work includes 'Pottsville Firefighting' and 'Reading Firefighting.' Their newest book, 'The Great Memorial Day Fire of 1945 and Other Schuylkill County Disasters,' was published last month. Between 1820 and 1860, one in three immigrants to America were from Ireland. Following the Great Potato Famine in Ireland from 1845 to 1852, an estimated 500,000 Irish emigrated to America. In all, by 1875 some 6 million Irish settled in the U.S. An estimated 500,000 people emigrated from Ireland to America after the potato famine of 1845. The migration from Ireland coincided with the rise of anthracite coal, and many came to Schuylkill County to work in the mines. It's said that Irish miners went to work when it was dark, worked all day in the dark and emerged from underground when it was dark. Kitsock borrowed a line from Tennessee Ernie Ford's 'Sixteen Tons' to illustrate the plight of Irish miners: 'St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go, I owe my soul to the company store.' The Schuylkill Hydraulians in Pottsville, now Phoenix Hook & Ladder, was the first 'Irish' fire company in Schuylkill County, the authors' research showed. It was founded in 1829, the same year D. G. Yuengling founded the Eagle Brewery in Pottsville. It celebrates its 196th anniversary this year. Irish firefighters had a hand in the formation of Humane Steam Fire Company No 1, Mahanoy City, in 1867. A Gaelic inscription on its logo, a 4-leaf clover, reads 'Na Eireannach At Sabhail,' roughly translated 'The Irish are Safe.' The Independent Hose Company in Minersville, formed in 1869; and Citizens' Fire Company, Palo Alto, formed in 1884, both had Irish roots. A crew from Phoenix Fire Company No. 2, Shenandoah, arrived for the presentation in, naturally, a green firetruck. A plaque in its firehouse honoring World War II veterans, painted by Leo Ploppert, has numerous Irish surnames like Brennan, O'Brien and McDonald. Phoenix No 2 was founded in 1885, the same year a devastating fire swept through 400 homes in a mostly Irish neighborhood in Shenandoah. Irish surnames are common on a plaque in Phoenix Fire Co. No. 2, Shenandoah. Other fire companies with a hint of green in their ancestry included Rescue Hook & Ladder, Saint Clair; East End Fire Company, Tamaqua; Clover Hose Company, Hecksherville, and Rangers Hose Company, Girardville. Joseph Wayne, a lifelong member of Rangers Hose, said the presentation was a fitting tribute to Irish firefighting heritage. Proprietor of the Hibernian House, Wayne is a great-grandson of John 'Black Jack' Kehoe, alleged leader of the Molly Maguires. Wayne served as president of Ancient Order of Hibernians John Kehoe Division No. 1 in Girardville. 'My first cousin, Jackie McDonald, was fire chief at Rangers,' he said. 'It's a well-run fire company.' Kitsock, president of the Schuylkill Historical Fire Society, said Irish immigrants had to struggle to gain acceptance in their adopted country. 'They had to prove themselves,' he said. 'Their mettle enabled them to do the hardest jobs, and devote time to forming fire companies and fighting fires.'
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Suffragist from Schuylkill fought for women's right to vote
Ida Porter Boyer, a Schuylkill County woman who played a leading role in the women's suffrage movement, is on track to being honored with a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker. J. Robert 'Jay' Zane, Schuylkill County Historical Society president, indicated the commission has given tentative approval for a marker in Middleport, where Boyer was born in 1859 and spent her early childhood. In the society's recent newsletter, Zane said he expected Boyer would meet the commission's new, stricter requirements for historical markers. The encouraging news comes as the nation celebrates the 105th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The amendment, which guarantees women the right to vote, was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920. For more than 30 years, Boyer worked tirelessly for the passage of the amendment in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Oregon and Michigan as a member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. The organization was founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Boyer represented Pennsylvania at the NAWSA convention in Washington in February 1904, where she presented the report of the organization's Committee on Legislation for Civil Rights. The Library of Congress has a collection of Boyer's notes on the suffrage movement on file in its archive. On the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, Zane published a biography entitled 'Ida Porter Boyer: Schuylkill County's Forgotten Suffragist.' 'She was a national suffrage organizer who championed the right of women to vote, and her work is largely unknown in Schuylkill County,' Zane told the Pottsville Republican in 2020. 'I consider her one of the leading women in the history of Schuylkill County.' The daughter of John Porter and Elizabeth Kleckner Porter, Ida was raised in Mahanoy City and Lost Creek. A captain in the Civil War, John Porter instilled in his daughters the notion that they could achieve anything they desired. Starting as a teacher in the Lost Creek School, she taught in Reading and ran a private school in Harrisburg. As a Pottsville Chronicle reporter, she covered the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, which had an exhibit on women's suffrage. Ida Porter Boyer, a Middleport native, was a leader in the women's suffrage movement. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO In 1894, she argued women should be granted full suffrage in an essay that placed third in a national contest. The same year, she testified before Congress with Susan B. Anthony, one of the foremost suffragists. Boyer also ghost wrote a biography of Lucy Stone, a Massachusetts suffragist and abolitionist. She was a leader in the Indian Woman's Suffrage League in Oklahoma, the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association and a founder of the Massachusetts League of Women Voters. Proud of her 'coal cracker' roots, Boyer possessed wit and charm that disarmed many of her opponents. Her essay advocating granting women the right to vote was published in the Illustrated American magazine on May 26, 1894. It is reprinted in Zane's book. 'Woman suffrage Is not coming, it has come and stands knocking at the door of our Republic,' Boyer wrote. 'Our fathers achieved emancipation from British tyranny, our brothers emancipation from slavery and our daughters will enjoy the fruits of emancipated womanhood.' Boyer gave the keynote address at the NAWSA convention in 1904, chaired by the elderly Susan B. Anthony. 'She uses a literary scalpel with a skillful hand and cuts without causing pain,' the St Louis Republic reported. Testifying before House and Senate Committees, Boyer called the government a ' sex aristocracy' that needed to end. The declaration thrust her into a role as national organizer and spokesperson for NAWSA. She undertook a four-year campaign to the Oklahoma Territory in 1906, the year before it became a state. Speaking to church groups and at county fairs, she advanced the suffragist cause. Speaking at a Boston Victory Dinner a month after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Boyer said, 'We are at the end of the road and the beginning of a new outlook into the promised land, which is ours to take.' In 1926, Boyer spoke at the Golden Jubilee of Lost Creek Union Chapel, which her father helped organize. In 1943, she donated papers to Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute, which studies the history of American women. Ida Porter Boyer died at age 92 on March 13, 1952. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered on Cape Cod.
