Memorial Planned for Duffy's Cut Railroad Workers

The Duffy's Cut project is drawing to a close.

The remains of five Irish railroad workers, thought to be shortly after their arrival in America in 1832, will be at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd on March 9.

According to , which has led the effort to unearth the bones and stories of Duffy's Cut, five caskets will be on display and local dignitaries will attend the memorial service:

A visitation of handmade caskets containing the five unearthed bodies from the Duffy’s Cut excavation site will be open to the public beginning at 12:30 PM at Bringhurst Funeral Home on the grounds of West Laurel Hill Cemetery.  At 2:00 PM the funeral procession will begin, concluding with the committal of the five bodies at a burial site donated by West Laurel Hill Cemetery. 

Immaculata University provided the funding for the 10-foot limestone Celtic cross, made in Ireland, that will commemorate the dead with a plaque listing the names of those who perished.

Immaculata President, Sister R. Patricia Fadden, IHM, who was instrumental in securing the memorial Celtic cross, will speak at the event.  Among others, she will be joined by His Excellency Michael Collins, Irish Ambassador to the United States, Senator Andrew E. Dinniman and State Representative Duane D. Milne, Ph.D., all of whom have supported the Duffy’s Cut project to its conclusion.

Immaculata University History Department chairman William Watson has in efforts to recover the remains of the Irishmen and utilize forensic science to determine what led to their demise. They suspect that the five people whose remains have been recovered, and up to 52 others, were murdered after contracting cholera while working on the railroad.

Their attempts to recover all the bodies has been hampered recently by and .

“We hope this ceremony will bring peace to the souls of the men and woman of Duffy’s Cut after almost 180 years of ignominious repose,” commented Dr. Watson.

is located at 215 Belmont Ave. in Bala Cynwyd. For more information about the Duffy’s Cut Memorial Service and Burial,  call the cemetery at 610-664-1591 or email them at contactus@forever-care.com.

Read more about Duffy's Cut, and the ghost-sighting that helped launch the endeavor .