THE PENNSYLVANIA AOH

The early history of the Order in Pennsylvania is associated with the anthracite coal industry. The Manufactories of Philadelphia commenced to use coal extensively about 1830, and there was a need of skilled miners and mine laborers to get the coal out of the earth. The skilled miners available were chiefly those in England, Scotland and Wales. When English, Scotch and Welsh miners came, there also came thousands of Irishmen who had been working in the mines of Great Britain, and also a considerable number of Irish miners had come from Kilkenny, Queens County, Ireland, (Now known as County Laois) and other mining counties of Ireland. Among these Irish miners, the principles of the "Ribbonmen" were strongly held, not directed here along religious and land reform as in Ireland, but rather as a labor union. After a while, the race jealousies were intensified in the coal regions, because the mine bosses began to discriminate against the Irish laborers as they had in Ireland.

In 1836, there were many Irish settlements along the Schuylkill Valley. In June 1836 the charter for the Ancient Order of Hibernians arrived from Liverpool, which formally established the A.O.H. in America. There were great numbers who were thoroughly familiar with the purpose of "Ribbonism" and its efficiency as a method of defense against oppression. The charter which had come from Ireland by way of Liverpool was dated May 4, 1836, and in it occurs these words: "send a copy to our friend whom you spoke of that is now working in Pennsylvania."

The name first used by the organization was the name that had been used in Liverpool and in the coalmines of Great Britain, "St. Patrick's Fraternal Society." In Philadelphia and in the Anthracite counties along the Schuylkill Valley, the new society made rapid progress. By the general public, probably on account of the annual custom of having a parade on the 17th of March, the members were called, "St. Patrick's Boys." There were many street battles whenever the "St. Patrick's Boys" appeared in public as a body, for the Orangemen and their sympathizers were quick to precipitate a combat whenever there was a favorable opportunity. At this time there was a general prejudice among the more ignorant members of the communities against all immigrants, and the Know-Nothing Party directed it vindictive policy especially against Irish Catholics.

The Know-Nothing's were a political party that developed out of an organization called the "American Protective Association", known as the A.P.A. Their objective was to oppose the spread of Catholicity in America. Any of the A.P.A.'s who happened to be arrested for repeated crimes of violence against Catholic's, on being questioned, answered, "I know nothing!"

By 1840, the AOH had spread to Philadelphia and quickly the "Know Nothing's" distributed anti-Catholic literature as well as preaching bigotry against Irish-Catholics in particular. In May 1844, the "Know-Nothing's" who sometimes referred to themselves as "Native Americans" as well as A.P.A., physically attacked Catholics and burned St. Michael's and St. Augustine Churches. The two rectories and nearby convent were also burned. Other Churches in Philadelphia were threatened. The "Hibernian Green's" a company of Irishmen in the local militia force, joined the fledgling A.O.H. to protect and defend other Philadelphia churches. In the ten to twelve years the A.P.A. and the "Know-Nothing's" were active, the A.O.H. were the leading defenders of the churches and our faith throughout Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. During the Know Noting riots in Philadelphia, Division #1, composed largely of horseshoer's and their helpers, furnished many of the staunch defenders of the Catholic Church.

By 1855, there were divisions in Schuylkill, Luzerne, Lehigh, and Columbia. Lackawanna, Northumberland and Carbon Counties. Orders, directives and other necessary "merchandise" (password, secret messages, etc. by which members identified themselves) upon arriving from Ireland was first carried to the president of the division in Schuylkill County, which was at that time considered the National headquarters of the Order. These orders usually were changed monthly and were a means of secret identification. They were later transmitted by messenger to divisions elsewhere. Finally in 1853, the headquarters of the Order were moved to New York.

It was during the 1870's that the "Molly Maguire" tragedy took place, a tragedy that almost destroyed the order in Pennsylvania. Few more terrible pages have ever been written in the history of the Irish race than were written during the years 1876 to 1879 in the anthracite regions of Pennsylvania. There has been other tragedies dripping with blood, foul with treason and black with hate, but the victims have been accorded a verdict by the tribunal of time. There have been many conspiracies against liberty, the lives and the character of Irishmen; but the conspirators had been unmasked by justice and retribution has overtaken them.

The Irish working men in the anthracite coal regions enacted once more amid a new sense, the story of the land where they were born. Here surrounded, as in the old land by hostile races, they had to fight for mere existence. Maligned without influence, many of them illiterate, underrepresented in the law or on the administration of justice, they were driven to fight with their backs against the wall. Here the forces of their father's had defied in the old country met them again with the old weapons of coercion and terrorism.

The "Ribbonmen" of other days had the powerful aid of public opinion; but the poor obscure "Molly Maguire" once in the dock had no hope this side of the grave. The "Molly Maguire" prisoner was condemned before he was tried. The paid informer, the hired perjurer, the secret tool, so common in the courts of Ireland, stepped upon the scene in the anthracite region, sending men to the scaffold and blackening the character of a race.

The "Molly Maguire" organization was a secret labor society largely composed of young Irish Miners. They were uncouth and rough of course, and they were trained in a hard, crude and bitter school. They knew they had to work long hours in exhausting labor to earn a bare pittance. They saw English, Scotch, and Welsh Miners made bosses, but never was an Irishmen elevated to a place of profit or responsibility. They went on strike after strike to improve conditions, but the employers were determined to drive their union out of business.

There were fights as there are in all strikes. There were, through the instrumentality of a powerful corporation, the Philadelphia Coal and Iron, and an informer James MacParlan, some mine bosses killed, as there were other crimes committed. The "Molly Maguire's" were denounced from platforms and in newspapers. The ancient hue and cry was raised against the Irish race - as it was done in Cromwell's time- and as it was done during the Know-Nothing's days.

Suffice to say the Irish miners Union and the "Molly Maguire's" were destroyed through a legal massacre of horrible extent. Twenty-one men were destroyed because they were labor leaders, because they were hateful to the coal operators, and because they were Irish at a time and place where the passions of those who hated the Irish could only be sated with blood. Among the twenty-one men who went to the gallows were division presidents: John Kehoe, John Donahue, Dennis Donnelly, James Roarity, and Thomas Fisher.(Click here for info on the Mollie Maguire's." found through my own investigations and research of the trials in Pottsville and Mauch Chunk)

The result of the "Molly Maguire" scandal was an open assault on the reputation of the A.O.H. by the national press and the Roman Catholic Church. Archbishop wood of Philadelphia, a benefactor of Franklin Gowen who donated what is now St. Charles Borromeo Seminary for his support, openly condemned the AOH and all secret societies, threatening excommunication to all members of such orders. As a result the order died off because of church condemnation. The national officers of the A.O.H. eventually voted to cut off the counties of Schuylkill, Carbon, Northumberland and Columbia Counties from membership in the Order. Ironically the order was almost destroyed by the people they were pledged to protect, Catholic Priests.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians partook of its share of the penalty of public disfavor against everything Irish. Our organization was the only Irish organization in the coal regions. Consequently, we were forced to bear the burden of the headstrong course of the miners union, miscalled the "Molly Maguire's." We were practically the only Irish-American Catholics in the coal regions. Therefore, the Catholic Church was regarded by those who hated the church as sharing the shame from which a few of its members could not escape. The membership declined all over the state for a few years following 1878.

(The following article appeared in the Reading Eagle in May of 1936 relating the story of the executions of the " unjustly convicted Mollies" which describes in detail the hangings and the stories behind all attempts to the stay the executions of some of the men. In all 19 men were hung between 1877 and 1879 in Carbon, Schuylkill and Columbia Counties.

When the dust settled on the "Mollie Maguire's", the AOH in 1884 had 68 division in Pennsylvania. The next twenty-four years saw an amazing recovery of the AOH in Pennsylvania. In the period of 1886-1888, 34 division were added increasing membership to over 10,000, including reorganization of Schuylkill County. By 1892 there were 185 division and 22,054 members in the state making it the largest state by almost 10,000 members. When it reached 27,321 members in 1908 it achieved the highest recorded total for any state in the history of the Order. In 1906 there were a total of 328 divisions. Both marks that will never be achieved again. Although it is not known why Pennsylvania membership fell off, it is generally believed the two world wars and the depression severely diminished our ranks. In many towns the order just died out. During the 1950's and 60's a revival took place which has continued to this day.