Anamosa State Penitentiary Cemetery, United States historic place
Anamosa State Penitentiary Cemetery is a burial ground in Iowa located roughly a mile and a half from the prison facility that has interred inmates since 1876. The graves are marked with limestone stones engraved with names, ages, and dates of death, with some stones bearing multiple names.
The cemetery was established in 1876 at a location called Prison Farm No. 1 when the prison and burial ground first began operations together. In 1914 a new cemetery was built to replace the original site and continues to serve as the primary burial location today.
The cemetery carries the name of the nearby prison and serves as a place of remembrance for inmates from different backgrounds. Visitors experience here the human dimension of a prison history that extends beyond the institution's walls.
The cemetery is open to the public and located in a rural area of Iowa near the prison facility. It is best to explore the grounds on foot and read the headstones slowly, as inscriptions can be difficult to make out in places.
Some graves at this cemetery are marked with names of inmates who died under unclear or dramatic circumstances, such as injuries during escape attempts or during prison disturbances. These details are recorded in historical documents and tell of significant events from the institution's past.
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