A newly discovered mass gravesite in Downingtown is believed to be the final resting place of around 120 Irish railroad workers who died in 1832, writes Bill Rettew for The Daily Local News.
The breakthrough discovery of human remains at Northwood Cemetery was announced by brothers Dr. William Watson and Rev. Dr. Frank Watson during a public meeting at Immaculata University’s Gabriele Library earlier this week.
The uncovering of the gravesite comes nearly two decades after a mass grave containing around 57 Irish immigrants who had worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad was found at Duffy’s Cut in Malvern.
Some of them died from cholera, while others were killed.
The newly uncovered mass grave is suspected to hold an entire railroad work crew from 1832, predating the cemetery by more than 30 years.
The two sites are connected, as the crews had worked on adjacent sections of the railroad. It is believed that the Malvern crew infected the Downingtown workers with cholera.
“Their stories need to be told,” said Frank Watson. “They have the right to be remembered.”
Read more about the mass grave’s connection to Duffy’s Cut and the amount of history to be uncovered in Downingtown in the The Daily Local News.
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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on VISTA Today in June 2025.
