Tennessee State Prison

Tennessee State Prison

Tennessee State Prison, located minutes from downtown Nashville, was modeled after a penitentiary in Auburn, New York. Designed to instill fear into the prison population, its layout and appearance is that of a fortress, containing the prisoners within thick, stone masonry walls along the banks of a wide and swift Cumberland River.

History

The original penitentiary plans dated to 1815, when the state Senate committee recommended construction of a prison in the central part of Tennessee. Various political debates ensued, and no decision was made on the prison location until 1829, when the general assembly appropriated $25,000 for construction of a facility on Church Street in Nashville.(1)(2) Construction began in April 1830 and work was completed on January 1, 1831. Containing only 200 cells, a storehouse, hospital and living quarters for the warden, the prison became severely overcrowded in a matter of years. Female inmates were housed above the administration building.

In 1853, the legislature appropriated construction of 32 additional cells. By 1858, the capacity had increased to 352 beds.(1) The expansions did little to alleviate other issues of the prison, including medical care and sanitation.

As a result, in 1893, the legislature voted to construct a new state penitentiary in Nashville to alleviate concerns regarding the aging prison.(1)(2) The new prison was to include 1,000 cells and workshops to provide employment for all prisoners, and a separate structure for female inmates.

Eventually, a location was decided upon along the Cockrill Bend of the Cumberland River northwest of Nashville, consisting of 1,200 acres.(1) The prison, patterned after a penitentiary in Auburn, New York, was designed to instill fear into the prison population. Its layout and appearance was that of a fortress, containing the prisoners within thick, stone masonry walls along the banks of a wide and swift Cumberland River.

The new Tennessee State Penitentiary opened on February 12, 1898 and consisted of 800 single-occupancy cells in two-cell blocks, unlike the 1,000 that were originally proposed.(1)(2) Also included was an administration building, various offices, warehouses, hospital, and two factory structures. Outside of the prison walls was a working farm. On the first day of operations, the new penitentiary admitted 1,403 prisoners, creating immediate overcrowding concerns.

The original prison on Church Street was demolished later in the year.(1) Salvageable materials from the demolition was used in the construction of various outbuildings at the new site.

Throughout its life, the penitentiary had its fair share of problems that eventually led to its closure. Many of the issues stemmed from severe overcrowding and sanitary issues that plagued the facility from its original inception. Seventeen prisoners in 1902 blew out the end of one wing of the prison, killing an inmate.(1)(2) Several years later during a riot, several inmates took command of the segregated white wing and held it hostage for eighteen hours. In 1907, several inmates took control of a switch engine and drove it through the prison gates.

In 1938, numerous inmates staged a mass escape, however, this plot failed.(1)(2) There were also several notable fires, including one that destroyed the main dining hall for the inmates. Two riots occurred in 1975 and again ten years later.

Because of severe overcrowding issues, among numerous other problems, several ex-prisoners and prisoners filed a class action lawsuit (Grubbs v. Bradley) in 1983. It was ruled that the Department of Correction should never admit any new prisoner into the walls of that state prison due to its severe overcrowding, inadequate facilities, and non-existent ventilation.(1)(2)

In 1989, the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution opened its doors in Nashville to house incoming inmates. The former Tennessee State Penitentiary, once hailed for its hellish and barren conditions, closed its doors in June of 1992.(1)(2)

Pop Culture References

Ten movies, including “The Green Mile”, “Last Castle”, and “Bring Me Down,” were filmed at the Tennessee State Prison.(3)

Gallery

Administration Building

13 Photos

Cell Blocks C and D

15 Photos

Death Row

11 Photos

Health Clinic

9 Photos

Machine Shops

2 Photos

Power Plant

8 Photos

Unknown Building

5 Photos

Further Reading

1. Historical photographs of the Tennessee State Penitentiary.
2. Old Tennessee State Penitentiary by blakewylie.
3. Tennessee State Prison by David Scaglione.

Sources

1. Tennessee State Prison. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. 26 Feb. 2007 Article.
   1a. Gossett, Larry D. “The Keepers and the Kept: The First Hundred Years of the Tennessee Prison System, 1830-1930 (1992).”
   1b. Gossett, Larry D. “Tennessee State Penitentiary, History of the Tennessee Penal Institutions: 1813-1940 (1940).”
2. “Historical timeline (1700-2003).” Tennessee Department of Correction. 23 Feb. 2007 (.pdf).
3. “Titles with locations including Tennessee State Penitentiary, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.” Internet Movie Database. 4 Dec. 2008 Page.