History unearthed: Brothers tell story of Irish immigrants in Pennsylvania

EAST WHITELAND TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — “My brother and I’ve accomplished quite a lot of issues collectively over time, totally different tasks and so forth,” mentioned Frank Watson. “However this one had a private household connection to us.”

The Watson brothers, born 10 minutes aside, grew up in Narberth, Pennsylvania. Their grandfather, an govt for the Pennsylvania railroad, handed down documentation about what got here to be generally known as “Duffy’s Minimize.”

Because the story goes, 57 Irish immigrants got here to America in June of 1832 and had been employed by railroad contractor Philip Duffy.

“However inside six weeks of their arrival, they caught cholera,” mentioned Watson. “The unhappy actuality is these Irish males and the few ladies who traveled with them had been all useless inside six weeks of their arrival.”

Almost 200 years later, the Watson brothers aided within the set up of a historic marker and the excavation of the mass burial web site in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

A lot of the found stays had been bones and skulls bearing bullet holes and axe blows. They had been capable of decide that many of those immigrants had been actually murdered for concern of spreading cholera, or maybe anti-Irish sentiment.

“It may have been us however for time and circumstance. It may have been us. It may have been our sons,” mentioned William Watson. “And I completely really feel it is my level of residing now to maintain this story alive. It is completely important.”

Watson can also be a professor of historical past at Immaculata College, which performs host to the Duffy’s Minimize Museum. The small exhibit inside Gabriele Library comprises artifacts discovered on the web site.

And for a restricted time, guests can see three bones of these Irish staff up shut.

“To see the bones, like, actually makes every little thing actual,” mentioned Gina Rufo, a historical past pupil who’s now interning with Watson.

Come the top of March, the bones will depart the exhibit to bear additional finding out to find out the life-style and consuming habits of the immigrant staff. Finally, the aim is to have them buried at West Laurel Hill cemetery with the opposite stays.

“And so the timing of this exhibit right here for St. Patrick’s Day, I believe means rather a lot to lots of people within the Irish diaspora on this nation,” mentioned William Watson.

To be taught extra about Duffy’s Minimize Museum, go to their web site.

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