Snap
From the hangman's noose to the World Series!
He was sentenced to die on the gallows, but fate had other ideas.
A selection of fascinating true stories, articles,
and documentation from the prison's long history
He was sentenced to die on the gallows, but fate had other ideas.
An exemplary career as an Anamosa tower guard, from the prison's earliest, rowdiest days. More than once he had to unlimber his Springfield rifle...
He was only 11 years old when he murdered his parents as they slept. Sentenced to life in prison, he was a boy among men at Anamosa. How could he possibly survive?
Her case later became a play, a short story, and a book. An abused woman in 1900 had few recourses. So she took matters into her own hands.
Years before his date with infamy in Chicago, Gacy was an inmate at Anamosa. How could such an exemplary inmate become such a monster?
The Mecum boys fought the law, early and often. Jails and prisons couldn't hold them, and they raised hell wherever they went. It took the "Oregon Boot" to bring them to heel.
Born in the UK, he made the fateful decision to sail to the New World, where he would find his destiny helping Iowa build its foundations.
Her escape was the stuff of movies, and proved that female inmates can be every bit as cunning and creative as their male counterparts.
More than any other inmate, his skill helped shape nearly every stone used in the construction of the Anamosa prison.