Commemorative bronze sculpture · Dedicated June 21, 2002
Molly Maguire Memorial (Molly Maguire Historical Park)
- Location
- Molly Maguire Historical Park, 238 W. Centre Street at Catawissa St., Mahanoy City, PA
- Dedicated
- June 21, 2002
- Designer / maker
- Zenos Frudakis (Philadelphia sculptor)
- Status
- Extant
- Coordinates
- 40.81203, -76.14456 · Open in Maps · Verified location
In Molly Maguire Historical Park on West Centre Street, a larger-than-life bronze depicts a hooded, bound man awaiting execution — a memorial to the Molly Maguires, the Irish immigrant coal miners convicted, many argue unjustly, during the anthracite labor conflicts of the 1870s.
Sculpted by the Philadelphia artist Zenos Frudakis and commissioned by the borough, the memorial was dedicated on June 21, 2002 — the 125th anniversary of the 1877 mass hanging remembered as the “Day of the Rope.” Its stark imagery has drawn some objection from descendants, part of the long and contested memory of the Molly Maguires in the Coal Region.
Sources
- Molly Maguire Memorial — Historical Marker Database (HMDB) m236538
License: reference - Molly Maguire — Zenos Frudakis (sculptor's site)
License: publisher - Molly McGuire Memorial in Mahanoy City — Atlas Obscura
License: publisher
Frequently asked
- What does the Molly Maguire Memorial depict?
- A larger-than-life bronze of a hooded, bound man awaiting execution — an image evoking the Molly Maguires, Irish immigrant coal miners convicted, many argue unjustly, during the anthracite labor conflicts of the 1870s.
- When and why was it dedicated?
- It was dedicated on June 21, 2002, the 125th anniversary of the 1877 mass hanging remembered as the 'Day of the Rope.' It was commissioned by the borough and sculpted by Zenos Frudakis.