"Tamaqua has done so much historically to preserve its history," said Schuylkill County Judge John Domalakes, a local historian.

"There are blue historical markers all over town," said tour guide "Porcupine Pat" McKinney.The Schuylkill County town, the largest borough in the county, is rich in railroad and coal history, and, particularly, Molly Maguire connections.Tamaqua was the geographic hub from which the legendary Molly Maguires violence radiated, from the Pottsville area to Mauch Chunk, now Jim Thorpe.No other single element in Tamaqua's history continues to be more storied, more researched and more intriguing than the elements of violence associated with the reputed reign of the Molly Maguires.