Built in 1811 in Mount Holly, NJ and intended to be a short-term holding facility, Burlington County Prison became one of the most notorious prisons of its time as criminals of all sorts spent days, years or lifetimes in its dungeon-like cells.

Renowned architect Robert Mills designed the structure to be escape-proof, but more than a few prisoners overcame that challenge.

Murderers, kidnappers, abusers, alcoholics, the mentally ill and other “undesirables” served time here. Many were executed on the grounds, while others never left.

From conception to construction, from criminal deviants to prisoners guilty of simply being poor, authors Dennis Rizzo and Dave Kimball explore the prison’s past and present — the whole story of one of New Jersey’s most well-known landmarks.