Discover Girardville

If you’re interested in mining history and the history of the Molly Maguires, Girardville offers concrete points of interest for your trip. The town’s founding history includes the construction of Girard Mansion in 1832. Another milestone followed in 1863, when Cornelius Garretson opened the Girard Colliery, later called Hammond Breaker. Before it closed in the 1920s, the colliery shipped more than 4.5 million tons of coal. The dates tell the story of different periods: first the mansion, then the opening of the colliery, and finally its closure in the 1920s.

The Hibernian House and the Molly Maguires

A special place connected to these topics is the Hibernian House. It is a living museum, a local pub, and an inn. At the same time, it was the original hotel and meeting place of the alleged Molly Maguires. The house therefore connects its own historical role with its present-day designation as a museum and the artifacts housed there. If you choose Girardville for its history, you’ll find a tangible connection here to the accounts surrounding the alleged group.

Artifacts at the Hibernian House include Kehoe’s original prison cell door, shackles, and coal-mining equipment. The items point to different aspects of local history: the door and shackles are associated with the era of the alleged Molly Maguires, while the equipment relates to mining.

A special bar opening and a tour can be arranged through Joe Wayne. Contact Joe Wayne to plan your visit.

Parade and audio tour

The St. Patrick’s Day parade is also one of Girardville’s recurring traditions. It takes place annually and is organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians. If you’re interested in local traditions, you can consider this event alongside the Hibernian House’s historical connections. No specific date for the next parade is given here, so don’t plan your trip around an assumed date.

Another way to explore the history of the Molly Maguires is the Molly Maguires Audio Tour. Its downloadable plan lists Shenandoah, Girardville, and Wiggan’s Patch at stops 18 through 20. Girardville is therefore part of a plan that includes several place names and these three consecutive stop numbers. This is a helpful guide if you’re interested in the audio tour; however, the stops alone provide no information about distances or walking times.

Route 54 is also useful for finding your way around town: it is the main road running through the central part of Girardville. If you’re looking for a vacation rental in Girardville, you can first consider whether the town’s history and the cultural points of interest mentioned here match your travel interests. The route information describes the road in the central part of town; it says nothing about the location of any particular accommodation or the distance to individual stops.

Discover more places

Also discover Frackville, Minersville, Zion Grove, Coaldale, Pottsville, Mahanoy City and Pine Grove.

For the broader travel overview: Schuylkill County.