United States
Pennsylvania (PA)
Pocono Mountains Region
Jim Thorpe
Things to Do in Jim Thorpe
Old Jail Museum
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Old Jail Museum

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See all things to do
Old Jail Museum
4
About
Jail built in 1871 & used as County Jail until 1995. Seven Irish Coal Miners known as The Molly Maguires were hanged here. Learn Irish, Coal Mining & Jail History Open May through October Subject to change without notice. Please visit our website for tour dates & times
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
557 reviews
Excellent
229
Very good
202
Average
92
Poor
17
Terrible
17
Justin L
1 contribution
History of the place is nice... the place itself needs some TLC
Jun 2021
It was nice to learn the history of the jail and all that occurred there. We were disappointed to see many strange items stored in the cells. For example, there was a push mower in a cell. Why? Carts and other random items were stored in other cells. Plastic bags covered old toilets that were still intact because they were not being upkept. Insulation was on the floor in some rooms as well. I get you do not want to spray your handrails with chemicals, but why not have people wear gloves so they do not contaminate the rails? A lot of the tour was cut out and could have been fixed by that simple solution. I know restoration is expensive, but reaching out for donations or even the states help could greatly improve the quality of the tour. Restoring the jail to the luster it once was will not only improve the experience, but also really immerse the visitor into what life was like in that cold dark prison. You could even charge more for the tour! Converting the wardens living room also disappointed me because it takes away from the historical appeal of the building. I know space is limited but surely there was another way to combat the problem. Including smaller groups and utilizing the initial meeting space for the introductory video. I am glad I came because I learned so much, but there is so much potential here that I would love to see utilized. There are people who would pay to spend a night reliving the life of a prisoner! I look forward to returning someday with my kids so they too can learn the history. I just only hope my suggestions did not fall on deaf ears.
Written June 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
welikepalms
Pleasant Gap, PA250 contributions
Nice tour
May 2022
The old jail tour is very informative. Enjoyed the preservation the owners have done. Tour lets you see most of the old jail. Tour guides offered many stories and facts about the building during its time as a jail. Found the handprint on the wall interesting too. Worth a visit when in Jim Thorpe.
Written May 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jeff
York, PA19 contributions
Not a $10 Tour!
Jun 2021 • Couples
It was a nice relaxed tour. The intro to the jail was a no budget video. We were told that it was due to COVID they did not have someone do a live intro. They also had a high science fair type board showing the history of the jail. A young high school kid did the tour. He did a really good job. My biggest complaint is this is not worth $10 per person. I know they need to make money but still think its a bit pricey.
Written June 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
brigetj640
Rehoboth Beach, DE6 contributions
Suzy is excellent docent
Nov 2021 • Friends
I rated this a 5 ONLY because of the docent Suzy. The owners grandson, who apparently runs the place and his docent friends need to grow up. Suzy gave a great tour and gave the visitor a lot to think about. Her knowledge of the history was fantastic.
When I told the owners grandson my concerns about the docent I had on my first tour, he told me Suzy talked too much. The tour is only supposed to be 20 minutes, according to what the grandson told me. The grandson needs to go back to business school. The kid docent we had told us he was so happy the season was over because he was sick of giving tours. Who says that to paying customers and expects a good review. I say promote Suzy and send the kids back to the playground.
If you get a good decent that knows the history it is a good tour. If you have to do a self tour, you are going to miss a lot.
The jail is not free, you pay for a tour, and I expect a tour, and someone to give me information.
The grandson slandered his docents when I told him my concerns, so my opinion of the management is a one star, but the history is 5 star.
Written November 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jennifera399
Reading, Pennsylvania, United States154 contributions
A must see
Sep 2021
A mix of creepy and cool with a definite Shawshank Redemption type feel. Learned lots of how much the Irish influenced the area. This was definitely cost efficient entertainment with timed tours for those who are liking smaller crowds.
Written December 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
oceanview1
9 contributions
Cool old jail
Jul 2022
Cool place to visit. How many places can you go and see an old jail? I agree the short video presentation in the beginning is not great but it was ok. Agreed it should be a much larger tv. The jail itself is very cool. The dungeon is very cool. Can't believe they kept people in those conditions. Some people complained about the tour guides-yes they were young high school or college but our tour guide did an ok job. I'm sure they don't get paid a lot. Would've liked to have seen the upstairs where the warden and his family lived. If we can all be shoulder to shoulder on the tour in a small jail no reason they should use the covid excuse which is what the video said. I also noticed a basketball court outside-that's something that could be added to the tour as well. Maybe a mannequin or two in the cells to make it seem more real. All in all it was cool to see and I would recommend it especially if you like history.
Written July 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
nshowers
Gettysburg, PA25 contributions
Definately Worth the Time to Learn About the History of the Area
Nov 2022
Our group of seven booked a tour of the old jail. Our tour guide Anya was very informative and we learned a great deal about the Molly Maguires. This tour is definately worth your time when visiting Jim Thorpe to learn about the history of the area.
Written November 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Meredith P
Middletown, NJ35 contributions
Definitely unique and worth the money
Sep 2020 • Friends
My friend was so excited and told me that we definitely had to go into this museum. For the price of $10 it was definitely worth the money. It was interesting. Definitely worth your time walking through and seeing the accommodations and the dungeon. It may not be the biggest or longest thing you're going to do while around but they were open daily witch my friend and I came during the week and none of the other museums were open so I am very thankful that they were open for us to go and check it out.
Written October 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
amyew
12 contributions
Poor tour of jailhouse
Jul 2021 • Couples
Came here expecting an enjoyable tour of this landmark. Did NOT get that. Our tour guide was a young man who immediately told our group that “This is my last tour of the day, so after I’m done you can walk around and get the heck out of here!” He said we can “ get the heck out of here”numerous times. I feel he may have been trying to be funny but it was not. He seemed knowledgeable of the jailhouse history but talked so incredibly fast it was hard to understand him.
Also half of the jailhouse rooms were not open due to Covid. I don’t understand why because bans have been lifted.
Definitely not worth recommending to anyone.
Written July 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Krista H
Virginia217 contributions
Jail Tour
Jul 2021 • Friends
Took a tour of the old jail cell. The tour was about 30 minutes. They start you off watching a 15 minute video then they take you to the main cell block and then the dungeon. Overall it was pretty cool. Mason was our tour guide and wa pretty good. It's a nice little place to check out if you're into jail history.
Written July 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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