{"product_id":"anamosa-penitentiary-richard-snavely-9781531651435","title":"Anamosa Penitentiary","description":"In 1868, with Iowa fast outgrowing its only prison in Fort Madison, state lawmakers began thinking about building a new penitentiary. Several cities around the state vied for the prestige and economic benefits the new prison would provide. Anamosa, a rapidly growing town of 2,000 in east-central Iowa, was ultimately awarded the prize, in no small measure because of its proximity to some of the largest and finest dolomite limestone deposits in the world, coveted as the perfect building material for the massive institution. From 1873 until major construction ended in 1943, inmate workers literally built walls around themselves, slowly erecting a structure from the Iowa prairie whose imposing and magnificent architecture would continue to command respect and awe even to the present day. From Wild West bad man Polk Wells and boy-murderer Wesley Elkins to heinous mass murderer John Wayne Gacy, many have passed through Anamosa's iron gates and, with the quietly dedicated men and women who managed them, have contributed to the rich tapestry of Anamosa prison history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Richard Snavely, Steve Wendl\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1531651437\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781531651435\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Arcadia Publishing Library Editions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/01\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 130\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.91lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.61h x 6.69w x 0.38d","brand":"Richard Snavely","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":45896817049855,"sku":"9781531651435","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_7c0324d5-a950-4c7a-b786-ce454f658d84.jpg?v=1721372398","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/anamosa-penitentiary-richard-snavely-9781531651435","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}