“In June, 1832, a group of 57 Irish immigrants from Donegal, Tyrone, and Derry arrived in Philadelphia. They were brought to Chester County by a fellow Irishman named Philip Duffy as laborers for the construction of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, Pennsylvania’s pioneering railroad. Within six weeks, all were dead of cholera and possibly violence, and were buried anonymously in a ditch outside of Malvern.

The Duffy’s Cut Project is an ongoing archival and archaeological search into their lives and deaths and seeks to provide insight into early 19th Century attitudes about industry, immigration, and disease in Pennsylvania. With the help of the Chester County Emerald Society, we obtained an official State Historical Marker for the site in March, 2004, thereby putting Duffy’s Cut on the map of history.”

 {text from the Duffy’s Cut Project website}

In breaking news, following several rounds of GPR and Electrical Imaging surveys, an electrical anomaly was test-pitted on Friday, March 20, 2009, revealing portions of three skulls, and the intermingled bones of at least four persons, who have lain in an unmarked grave for nearly 180 years - some with living descendants still in Ireland.  We hope to begin soon the recovery, identification, and re-interment of all 57.

Based on further high resolution imaging, focussed on the Pole-Pole resistivity anomaly (above) where remains were exposed in March, the edge of the mass grave has been positively identified through exposure of more remains in July, 2009.

The highly resistive anomaly (below) north and west of the detected remains probably represents a swarm of air-filled voids or very porous material created by the collapse and upward-stoping of the mass grave pit due to decomposition/compaction of the bodies.