Abode of Misery: An Illustrated Compilation of Facts, Secrets and Myths of the Old Charleston District Jail

Scott, David C.

Edité par Building Art Press, 2010

A propos de cet article

Fine unread condition glossy photographic softcover wraps. Includes Author's Preface: Why a Book About the Jail?; Epigraphs; Introduction: A Place Shrouded in Tragedy; A Summary Jail Timeline; Acknowledgments; Source Notes and Bibliography. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. ".the nastiest, dirtiest, filthiest, lousiest place I ever was in." - captured Union prisoner, LT, A.O. Abbott, 1864. "If ever a building was created to strike fear and dread into those confined within its walls, it is the old Charleston District Jail. Built in 1802, it was reviled as being unfit for habitation, yet it confined thousands until its closing in 1939. Because nearly all official records pertaining to it have vanished, its service has been the object of wild speculation, lurid embellishment and outright fabrication - until now. After two years of research, retired newspaperman David Scott has assembled an impressive collection of facts and pictures that provide the first accurate and comprehensive picture of the jail's role in the evolution of Charleston. Why does it look like a dark castle? How many persons died within its walls? What was it really like to be held prisoner there? Scott's sleuthing examines commonly accepted jail legends such as the supposed torture of inmates, mysterious bones found on the premises and the real story of perhaps its most notorious inmates, John Fisher and his wife, Lavinia. He has uncovered tantalizing, little known facts involving the incarceration of children at the jail, the horrific conditions endured by captive Union soldiers and that one of their attending physicians was the decidedly unpleasant brother-in-law of President Abraham Lincoln. Scott knows a good story when he sees one and this book is the first that exclusively focuses on one of Charleston's most fascinating - but least understood - landmarks." - from the rear outer cover.

N° de réf. du vendeur 008690

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Abode of Misery: An Illustrated Compilation of Facts, Secrets and Myths of the Old Charleston District Jail
• Éditeur: Building Art Press
• Date de parution: 2010
• Langue: anglais
• Reliure: Soft cover
• État de l'article: Fine