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Public_executions_in_PA_1688-1833 (3).pdfCourtesy of the Lancaster Historical Society
Document Summary:
Document Summary:
This document was from the Lancaster Historical Society. The origin of the document is unknown but likely dates to the late nineteenth century. The document is a chronological list of all public executions in the state of Pennsylvania between 1688 and 1833; before public executions were officially outlawed in PA. The list is likely a government document and annotations in pencil can be seen throughout.
The document is broken into three sections: “Colonial or Provincial Period 1682-1776”, the “Revolutionary War Period - Spies, Deserters, Traitors & Ordinary Criminal,” and the “Period of the Founding of the Commonwealth to the Abolition of Executions 1790-1834.”
What the document tells us:
What the document tells us:
The document is quite bare, listing only the name, date, county, and crime of those executed. This document is helpful because it allowed me to quantify the number of executions that occurred in Lancaster County, potentially at Gallows Hill in Lancaster. The document acknowledges the public execution of sixteen people in Lancaster, with the first execution taking place in 1759 and the last in 1832. Of those sixteen people, six were executed for murder, one for rape, and nine for robbery/burglary. Of the sixteen people publicly executed fifteen were men and one was a woman.
Whoever left notes on the document prefaced that Chester County included present-day Lancaster County until 1729 when Lancaster County was formed. This could mean that some of the executions that took place in Chester County before 1729 could have taken place at Gallows Hill in Lancaster. The document lists seven executions in Chester County between 1718 and 1728, meaning its possible that seven more people could have been executed in present-day Lancaster County, potentially at Gallows Hill in Lancaster.
The list of names the document provided is also important because it allows me to find more information on those condemned to die, creating a more holistic historical picture.
What the document doesn't tell us:
What the document doesn't tell us:
This document does not provide any details about where these executions took place, leading me only to speculate that the executions in Lancaster County may have been at Gallows Hill. This document also does not provide how these people were publicly executed. While it is probably reasonable to assume all public executions were via hanging, it is not specifically stated how those condemned for death were executed. This document also does not provide the age, occupation, or gender of any of the people executed, nor does it provide any explanation about their crimes or their personal lives.
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