Duffy's Cut facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Duffy's Cut
|
|
|---|---|
Enclosure where the majority of human remains are believed to rest, possibly after having been moved
|
|
| Country | United States |
| Town | Malvern, Pennsylvania |
Duffy's Cut is a special place in Pennsylvania, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia, United States. It's a stretch of old railroad tracks built in 1832. This railway line was first part of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. Later, it became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad's main line.
A man named Philip Duffy hired 57 Irish immigrants to build this part of the railway. These workers came from Ulster in Ireland, specifically from Donegal, Tyrone, and Londonderry. They came to America to work on the new railroads. Sadly, less than two months after they arrived, all 57 workers died. Most are thought to have died from a serious illness called cholera. However, some evidence suggests that a few might have died in other ways, perhaps because people were afraid the illness would spread.
Today, Duffy's Cut is in East Whiteland Township, near Malvern, Pennsylvania. You can find a special historical marker there.
Contents
What Happened at Duffy's Cut?
In the 1800s, many immigrant workers, especially Irish Catholics, faced unfair treatment. Some companies saw them as easily replaceable. Other people sometimes had negative views about them.
When the first three workers at Duffy's Cut died, Philip Duffy's blacksmith buried them in separate graves. But as more workers became sick, it became clear that many would die. So, the rest of the workers were buried quickly in a shallow ditch along the railway. There were no proper ceremonies or funerals for them. No official death records were ever made for these people. Cholera usually causes about 40-60% of people in a group to die. Since all 57 workers died, it made some people wonder if other things happened.
Discovering the Truth About Duffy's Cut
For a long time, the official records about the deaths at Duffy's Cut were kept secret. They were hidden away by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). In 1970, after the company went out of business, a secretary named Joseph Tripican took these papers.
Years later, in the 1990s, one of Tripican's grandsons, Reverend Dr. Frank Watson, found the papers. He and his brother, Dr. William Watson, a history professor, started researching the story. They worked with Earl Schandelmeier and John Ahtes from Immaculata University.
On June 18, 2004, a historical marker was placed near the site. It explains that 57 Irish workers died there in August 1832 from cholera. It also mentions that unfair treatment against Irish Catholics might have meant they didn't get proper care. Their deaths showed the dangers many immigrant workers faced back then.
Finding the Remains
In August 2004, a team from Immaculata University began to dig at the site. This team included Dr. William Watson, Rev. Dr. Frank Watson, Earl Schandelmeier, and John Ahtes.
On March 20, 2009, they found the first human bones. These included two skulls, six teeth, and 80 other bones. The researchers shared their discovery a few days later. A bone expert named Janet Monge helped study the bones.
On March 9, 2012, the remains of five men and one woman from Duffy's Cut were given a proper burial. They were laid to rest at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd. Another body was found and identified as John Ruddy from Inishowen, County Donegal. His remains were sent back to Ireland for burial there in 2013. In 2015, the remains of Catherine Burns from County Tyrone were also reburied in Ireland.
The digging at the site had to stop. The land belongs to Amtrak, the railway company. They would not allow more digging because the site is very close to the active railroad tracks.
Images for kids
-
Construction tool (top) and iron strapping (bottom) from around 1832. These were found at the site.
-
Grave of some of the victims in West Laurel Hill Cemetery
-
Duffy's Cut memorial marker at West Laurel Hill Cemetery
