George Harvan's interest in the Molly Maguires began when his sister Rose began working on a novel based on the story of the secret Irish American group that emerged in the anthracite region in the 1860s and '70s. George did some research at area libraries to help his sister learn more about their history. In the process he learned about the Mollies' trials.
       Harvan became more familiar with the story of the secret group when covering the filming of "The Molly Maguires" in 1967. In 1995 the county closed the old jail in Jim Thorpe where a number of Mollies had been held and executed. Interested in the legend of the Molly Maguires, George shot a group of photographs of the Carbon County Jail at this time.

To first photograph