Anamosa Limestone
Encyclopedia
Anamosa Limestone is a dolomitic limestone quarried out of Stone City, Iowa
, which is located along the Wapsipinicon River
about two miles west of Anamosa, Iowa
. It is distinguished by its uniform texture, color, and banding, its durability and most of all by its distinct veining. This distinctive stone forms part of the Gower Formation, the youngest Silurian
strata in Iowa
. The color classification is Buff, which is described as a warm shade of light to moderate gold.
Anamosa Limestone has been quarried in Stone City
since the 1850's and has been used in building construction, bridges, and bridge piers. Historic buildings such as King Chapel
at Cornell College
, Anamosa State Penitentiary
in Anamosa, Iowa, and Lincoln School
in Rock Island, Illinois were built using Anamosa Stone. Anamosa Stone can also be seen in new construction all over the United States, such as the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California
.
Stone City, Iowa
Stone City is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Stone City began as a company town for the workers of the local quarries. Stone City is known for its Anamosa Limestone quarries, historic limestone architecture, and 1930's art colony...
, which is located along the Wapsipinicon River
Wapsipinicon River
The Wapsipinicon River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in northeastern Iowa in the United States. It drains a rural farming region of rolling hills and bluffs north of Waterloo and Cedar Rapids. The initial vowel rhymes with "pop".It rises in Mower County, Minnesota...
about two miles west of Anamosa, Iowa
Anamosa, Iowa
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,494 people, 1,750 households, and 1,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,453.4 people per square mile . There were 1,884 housing units at an average density of 841.3 per square mile...
. It is distinguished by its uniform texture, color, and banding, its durability and most of all by its distinct veining. This distinctive stone forms part of the Gower Formation, the youngest Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
strata in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. The color classification is Buff, which is described as a warm shade of light to moderate gold.
Notable buildings
Stone City, Iowa
Stone City is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Stone City began as a company town for the workers of the local quarries. Stone City is known for its Anamosa Limestone quarries, historic limestone architecture, and 1930's art colony...
since the 1850's and has been used in building construction, bridges, and bridge piers. Historic buildings such as King Chapel
King Memorial Chapel
King Memorial Chapel is located on the Cornell College campus in Mount Vernon, Iowa. The chapel was completed in 1882 and is built of Anamosa Limestone quarried in nearby Stone City, Iowa, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976.- History :The cornerstone was...
at Cornell College
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
, Anamosa State Penitentiary
Anamosa State Penitentiary
Anamosa State Penitentiary is a maximum security penitentiary prison for men. It is located in the Jones County community of Anamosa, Iowa - approximately northeast of Cedar Rapids, Iowa....
in Anamosa, Iowa, and Lincoln School
Lincoln School (Rock Island, Illinois)
Lincoln School is an historic building located in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. It was designated a Rock Island Landmark in 1984, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and became part of the Broadway Historic District when it was listed on the national...
in Rock Island, Illinois were built using Anamosa Stone. Anamosa Stone can also be seen in new construction all over the United States, such as the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.