Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

In 1913, work was started on the deputy warden’s
house. It was to be a seven-room structure and would
occupy the lot just south of the corner where the old
Catholic school house then stood.
In 1914 the old prison graveyard was moved to its
present site, due to the needed space for the prison
farms. There were aproximately 35 bodies moved to the
new burial grounds.
In August 1927 the State Board of Control started
working on plans to find employment for the nearly 500
inmates who had been working at the apron factory
located inside the prison. This was due to the pressure
put on legislators regarding the outside interests
which were using the facilities. The Board needed to
find something which would keep the men employed
while not interfering with outside labor. The institution
had the license plate division and then a soap factory
was initiated. The Board planned to install“ machinery
for the making of all the clothing needed by confined
persons across the state.
Billed as the largest bam in the state, the stone barn
north of the reformatory was completed in August
1929. In October a public dance, attended bv 250
couples, was held through special permission of the
Board of Control. A heavy downpour of rain kept
attendance down as many could not negotiate the
road. Music was furnished by the reformatory's 12-
piece band.
The barn cost $65,000 to build, excluding labor.
In 1886 the building for the criminally insane and the
female department were completed. This building was
constructed under one roof with a solid wall separating
the two departments. Later the hospital portion was
torn down and rebuilt. Work was started in 1935 but in
1939 the building was still lust a shell, due to lack of
funding. It was completed in the early 1940s.
In 1934, during the depression years, the inmate
population climbed to a record-high of 1,489. During
the latter years of World War II, when certain men were
allowed to volunteer for the service, the population
dropped to 400 men. If these men received an
honorable discharge from the service, further jail time
was exonerated. The work at the quarries ended at this
time. The institution by then was pretty much completed.
Quoting from the handbook put out by the Division of
Correctional Services [the reformatory is currently
under the Department of Corrections) published in
I984: "The Iowa State Men's Reformatory, located at
Anamosa, was established in 1872. The entire
institution was built using stone from the nearby
quarries. Even today, structural change or modification
involves use of this stone, though major development
ceased in 1936.
The following is being taken from the 1938 special
edition of the Eureka editorial by C.L. “Clifl” Niles and
his version of early reformatory times. “The writer was
born in the house now occupied by A.L. Remley on
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Aerial view of the Iowa State Men's Reformatory
and surrounding area. Photo was taken by Paul Kurt.
April 6, 1973. (Submitted by Don FOlkflrlsl