Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

North Garnaviilo street. The land between that house
and the men's reformatory was then practically all
pasture. When the Iowa State Penitentiary was located
here they brought some convicts from Ft. Madison to
build the institution. First, they built a wooden
stockade around the grounds about where the present
stone wall is located. They set high posts in the ground
and ran stringers of 2 X 6 and nailed plank to them up
and down about 10 feet high. The thing that we could
never understand was that they nailed the plank on the
outside and every once in a while the convicts would
rush the stockade, kick off a plank and away they
would go. The guards in those days used shot guns
loaded with buck shot.
"One time, the convicts rushed the east gate and ran
up the railroad track. The guards above the gate were
shooting at them. All stopped but one and he was
beating it up the track and the more they shot, the
faster he ran. One of the guards thought that he must
be over-shooting him and shot just behind him and he
fell.
"On investigation they found that he had Century
Magazines two-deep all over his neck, back, and legs
and just one buck shot hit his heel where there were no
magazines and brought him down.
"Heisey was then warden and built a house on South
Ford Street where the brick house owned by Rollie
Houstman (did he mean Rollie McBride?) is now located
and lived there several years. The house was partially
burned and was moved across the street and rebuilt
and is owned by Mrs. Edna Watters. (The house just
north of the city hall that was torn down.)
The reformatory employs over 400 full-time
employees including Iowa State Industries. a non-tax
supported work program. Other civilian staff are
employed in security, treatment, dietary, business
services, agriculture, and administration. The
institution has a total of 1,465 acres, 13 within the
walls.
The resident population ranges from 840-1,000.
The majority are medium security and first-time felony
offenders, although approximatedly 40 percent have
committed crimes against persons.
The purpose of the reformatory is to protect society
from those who violate its laws by providing a
confinement-type setting. It must be remembered.
however, that 99 per cent of those incarcerated will
return to society: in most cases, less than two years
after their admission. The primary objective is to
release individuals from the institution who have
learned to cope with their problems and live within the
niles of society.
Each new resident is first admitted to the Iowa
Medical and Classification Center near Oakdale. Iowa,
for a three-week reception process that includes
fingerprinting. photographing, and the issuing of
clothing. Physical, dental and eye examinations are
also completed at that time. In addition, a
psychological evaluation and classification are also
done that determines which one of the seven
correctional institutions in the state would be the most
appropriate placement for the resident in terms of his
security andltreatment needs.
Buildings Really “Moved” in Early Days
byBertha Finn
I think it would be most interesting to see a fastmoving
video of the movement of the Anamosa
business scene which took place over the years. It
would show the constant changing, shifting, removing.
and relocating of businesses that occurred. In the
early years, before the advent of brick-constructed
buildings — and at times, after — it was the practice to
build on someone else's lot. If the owner of the lot
decided to build there himself, the building owner took
the building along when he moved.
Several problems connected with the moving of these
buildings took on a vein of humor for the on-lookers and
frustration and expense for the owners.
To cite a few examples: Prior to the erection of the
Shaw and Schoonover Bank, which was located on the
northwest corner of Main and Huber streets. stood a
nice, sturdy, oak building. This frame had been built
"downtown"by Henry Koffitz. blacksmith, around the
year 1860, and later moved "uptown".
In 1880, plans being formulated to construct the
bank, H.C. Metcalf purchased this wooden building
with the intentions of moving it onto a lot east of Hugh
McGreevy's stone hotel, east of the Cleveland and Main
street intersection, where the Bickford 76 station is
now.
Mr. Metcalf hired J .A. Bell to move the building, and
Metcalf returned to the pursuit of his many other
business ventures.
Mr. Bell, happy to have the work, proceeded in a
diligent manner. He was on the job for several days
when he was brought to an immediate stand-still by a
court injunction.
This injunction was brought on by Mr. McGreevy
who recognized a frame building when he saw one
coming toward him; he also knew that the city fire
ordinance would allow no new frame buildings on Main
Street.
City Attorney C.M. Bush had brought the matter
before Judge Shane, who granted the temporary writ of
injunction. The building was about 10 rods shy of its
proposed destination.
The May edition of the Eureka reported. “Metcalf will
probably have the matter tested at once, or he may
conclude to remove the building to another location."
The editor, unknowing, declared, "Of course it will not
long ornament its present position."
However one week later. the building was still
waiting for a home. The editor explained, "The frame
building on Main Street still looms up solemnly,
majestically and immovably in front of Mr.
McGreevy's." The writer mused, "Somebody seems to
have a white elephant on their hands. Who is the lucky
man?"
The matter was brought to the attention of the
Anamosa City Council the following week. (The town
council had become a city-affair eight years before.)
Here, of course. that which has been done for 1,000
years. was done at this juncture: a committee was
appointed to look into the matter.
An acceptable site for the sighing, old, oak frame was
found. Or was it? The building was rolled along to the
selected site. only to be unwanted there also.