Hidden deep in the hills of East Tennessee is a prison where the worst of the worst once lived. What once was the home of murderers and rapists. Now is a unique attraction that invites people of all ages to step behind the once locked walls.
The site of my early childhood home sits just on the other side of the ridge from the prison. It was not until years after we had moved that I even knew the prison existed. A few years after the penitentiary had closed its doors my mother chose to drive us past the prison. We’d been on our way to Frozen Head State Park. Knowing it had closed a few years earlier we decided to drive up to the gate to catch a glimpse of the castle-like building in the distance. Since that day we have often talked about wanting to see what lies behind the tall rock wall. This year we finally the chance to step behind that wall….
The Dark History of Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
Shortly after the Civil war the State of Tennessee, like many other states in that time, was broke. The state made the decision to lease prisoners to private companies to mine coal. This meant the locals lost their jobs to the convicts. The loss of work spawned the Coal Creek War in 1891, in what is now known as Rocky Top, Tennessee. The war ended within a year and the local miners returned to work. The State of Tennessee found itself forced to find another solution to their money problems.
In 1896 Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was founded. The location of the prison had been selected by a group of geologists. They determined that due to the surrounding mountains it would be nearly impossible to escape the prison for long. They planned to have the inmates extract coal from the nearby land held by the State. For the next 70 years, the prisoners of Brushy were required to mine and refine coal. Sickness ran rampant through the prison in the early years. The inmates were expected to continue working no matter what. Those who refused to work would be beaten or worse killed by the guards.
Not only did they mine the local area for coal, but they were required to build their own jail. The first iteration of the prison was built out of wood. The prison was erected in the shape of a cross. The hope was to bring the inmates to a relationship with Christ. In the 1920s they built the building that still stands to this day. They choose to keep the building in the shape of the cross. This time though they used rock collected from a quarry located on the prison grounds. The 18-foot rock wall surrounding the prison was built in 1934. The rock used in the building process was also gathered from the grounds and hand carved. The prison is listed in the Guinness book of world records for being the only prison in the U.S. to have a rock bluff as a prison wall.
In 1967 Brushy Mountain took one step into making prison life a little better for their inmates. After a recent cave-in had killed two miners, Warden Lake Russell, a former Carson-Newman football coach, said the mining operation was over and would remain that way as long as he was over the prison. The mines remained closed from that time forward.
Life at Brushy was still far from good though. 1969 they were reclassified as a maximum security facility. Crime became more rampant on the inside than it was outside the prison. Many of the inmates were serving multiple life sentences. One man even owed 346 years. Most guards have said that the worst prisoners are the one who will never get out because they have nothing else to lose. Two industries ruled, drugs and prostitution.
Fighting for control was common throughout the years. In the early 1980s, 7 inmates escaped from their cells by cutting the bars with everything from guitar strings to carbide jewelers’ chains. Armed with a .25 Cal. pistol, a switchblade, and 6 shanks they took four guards hostage. They used the guard’s keys to gain access to a different area of the prison and then they killed 2 inmates and wounded two others. When they had finished they surrendered peacefully and released the guards unharmed. Some reports say this was due to racial tension. But many reports from prisoners there at the time say it was over control of the drug trade.
During kitchen duty one morning an inmate was brutally murdered. While cutting chicken for the day’s meals two men attacked him. One stabbed him multiple in the back while the other attempted to chop the man’s arm off leaving it hanging by a thread. Once the two inmates were satisfied with the damage they had inflicted, they left him to die in a pool of his own blood. One guard recounted the incident saying he had been the first to discover the deceased inmate. He got on the floor to search for signs of life, but the man was far gone. When he stood again he was soaked in the man’s blood. The reason for the attack was said to be that the deceased had been short on his delivery. He’d supplied two out of the four pills that he was paid to obtain for one of the other cooks.
Brushy was known for having been home to some of the worst convicts in the country. When another facility could no longer handle a prisoner they would send them to the little jail in East Tennessee. It was often called the end of the line since there was nowhere worse to be sent. The most notorious inmate to ever serve time at Brushy was James Earl Ray, known for assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. You will have never heard of most of the other evil men who called Brushy home.
One such man was featured on MSNBC’s Lockup Special about Brushy Mountain. He was serving a life sentence for murdering his mother after she’d referred to a girl that called him about a date in a derogatory manner. According to him, they had problems for a long time and he had finally had enough. He dumped his mother’s body in the river and then headed to his date.
Shortly after beginning his sentence he stabbed another inmate 67 times, killing him. Later he killed his counselor in the hopes it would land him on death row. He wanted to use the state of Tennessee as a means of suicide. He went on to say that any man who committed premeditated murder and said he felt remorse was a lair. Saying how could you feel bad for something you planned to do. This man was just one of many like him to reside in Brushy Mountain.
Due to the harsh conditions, rampant sickness, and multiple lifetimes sentences, it was common for inmates to attempt escape. Even though it was sometimes referred to as Tennessee’s Alcatraz. The prison was not known to be one you could not escape, but one you could not escape for long. In the early years of the prison, one man made a break for it on a mule used in the coal mining operation. Another man once made it past the walls in hopes of visiting home for the holidays, but ultimately ended up lost and cold. Eventually returning to the prison on his own.
Probably the most entertaining escape attempt was planned by a man looking to serve 318 years. He taught himself yoga, while at the same time strengthening his shoulders. All so he could stuff himself into a box and get shipped beyond the walls. At the time it was common for the prison to ship uneaten food to other facilities in the area. With the assistance of a few other inmates, the man got inside two small boxes that had been put together and even made to look like they were not stacked perfectly. Then they put a sign on the boxes reading “135 Pound of Roast Beef” and loaded him onto a flatbed truck with the other shipments.
Once he was outside the walls he put his strengthened shoulders to work and broke out of the box and slipped off the back of the truck. As his luck would have it a guard happened to be hunting in the area and saw the escapee walking by a creek in the woods. A quick call to the Warden proved the man was not supposed to be beyond the walls and he was brought back to the prison that same day.
The most notable escape involved Brushy’s most famous inmate James Earl Ray. Ray painstakingly planned the escape with two other inmates. They arranged a fight to break out in the yard and for an inmate to look like he was trying to jump and climb over a different wall to distract the guards in the towers.
At the right moment, Ray and his two accomplices assembled a ladder made from pipe stolen over a few months and hung it on the wall. They quickly made it over, but the last one over the wall forgot to kick the ladder down. Four other inmates saw the opportunity and followed them over the wall. The last man over the wall was shot by one of the guards and barely made it to the woods. All the men including Ray, who was hiding in a pile of leaves, were caught in less than 3 days. They had only made it about 8 miles from the prison into the vast forest.
That was not the only time Ray attempted to escape the grips of Brushy Mountain. He once covered himself with a blanket and tried to crawl his way to the front gate. On another occasion, he attempted to sneak through the air vent in his cell. He also started a plan to dig a tunnel from inside the gym beyond the wall. Eventually, word of the tunnel got around and made its way to the guards. The plan was quickly shut down.
Brushy finally closed its doors after 113 years on June 11, 2009. It was a sad day for many families in the surrounding area. Brushy had been the main source of jobs in the area since it opened. Many jobs would often be handed down father to son. Many of the guards and inmates were transferred to the new prison, Morgan County Correctional Complex, built just a few miles down the road. The prison set abandoned until August of this year.
A New Life for Brushy Mountain
On August 4th of this year, Brushy opened itself to the public. You can now tour the historic grounds. The self-guided tours cost 12 dollars for adults and 7 dollars for children. Soon they will be offering guided tours for 20 dollars per person. The tours will be lead by ex-prison guards and are not recommended for children due to the graphic nature of the stories that will be told. They also offer paranormal tours that you can read about here.
They have been careful not to change the look of the prison in any way. However, they have built a stage in the back of the prison yard that is planned to be used for monthly concerts. A big part of the new plan for the prison is the distillery, where they make and sell alcohol. Since we do not drink we did not pay much attention to this, but I did appreciate that it did not have a strong smell of liquor in the gift shop area. The Wardens Table is a small restaurant opened with the prison and is located in the same building where you purchase your tickets. We did not try the food at the restaurant, but the BBQ smelled delicious. The prices also seemed very reasonable.
Since they have only been open about a month it is still very busy on Saturdays. The day we went it was raining, but that did not stop people from forming a line that stretched through the building and out into the road. Even though they seemed to be slammed everyone working seemed nice and the line moved quickly. I will also say that the bathroom in the gift shop area was very nice. It actually surprised me how nice it was. I did not see any restrooms inside the prison grounds so it is worth thinking of going before you head up the hill to the prison.
Once you have purchased your tickets you have the option to leave your car at the gift shop parking area and walk up to the prison. You can also drive up to the prison and park in the lot closer to the entrance. That is what we chose to do and it worked out very well for us.
Driving up to the prison gives you an odd feeling. If you have never seen the building before it looks more like a castle than a maximum security prison. It is also placed in what could be a very beautiful setting. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, it is not a view that you get just anywhere. The day we visited there was a semi truck painted to look like the one used in the film Smokey and the Bandit. I am unsure if it is always on display at the prison or if it just happened to be there that day. But it was a big highlight for me.
When you walk through the entrance to the prison it really feels like you have entered another world. Oddly enough you do not go through the 18 foot surrounding wall when entering. The wall actually connects to the sides of the prison. It was not until writing this and thinking back that I made that realization. I really can’t recall much about entering, mainly it was a dark hallway. I assume offices were in this area at one time. At the end of the hall, a lady stood ready to take your ticket and answer any questions you may have. They have put small yellow arrows on the ground to help you navigate to the different exhibits.
After entering you can head over to the museum section. The museum is housed in what was used as a recreation area for inmates on one side and a chapel on the other. The chapel is now used to play a short documentary about the history of Brushy. I will warn you that a few gruesome stories are told during the video that may not be suitable for all ages. If you taking the tour though it is very informative and worth watching. The basement of this building is where “The Hole” is located. “The Hole” was used as a punishment when inmates did not follow the rules. “The Hole” was an extremely small room outfitted with two buckets and a bed with no pillow, sheet, or blanket. One of the buckets used contained clean drinking water, while the other was to be used as a toilet.
The museum is full of very interesting artifacts that you probably can not find anywhere else. Many of the items are unique to Brushy. One room has mainly things pertaining to the history of Brushy. They have personal photo books, badges, flags, uniforms (from both the guards and inmates), and a ton of other things. The other room displays inmate-made weapons and items for using and smuggling drugs. Hung on the walls of both rooms are framed artwork done by inmates while they were serving their time. They also have a vast collection of original newspaper clippings all pertaining to reports on Brushy. It is honestly amazing to see all the period items they have been able to collect. I really began to wonder how they were able to find it all and most of it in great condition.
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After leaving the museum you can see the old laundry rooms where the inmates would work. We were told that they were only allowed to use the pressing machines when taking care of the guard’s uniforms. The inmate’s uniforms were only to be washed and dried. We were also informed that due to the lack of supervision in that area many hits would take place behind a piece of equipment and be left to be found another time. Next on the tour is the old gym, where many a fight had taken place. This is also the place where James Earl Ray and crew attempted to dig a hole from under the gym through the yard and past the wall. It is not marked anywhere in the gym, but it is located near the front across from where the office area.
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Looking through the four-story castle building is very interesting. Throughout the building are large signs on the walls that give information about the area or an event that took place there. On the first floor, there is not much to see beside the cells. While many of the cells look the same be sure to pay close attention to the walls inside some of the cells. Many of them have artwork that was either down by the inmates that called them home or by people who broke into the prison after it closed. Two of the cells stand out. One of them has what would be hundreds of marks counting the day of one prisoner’s sentence. Another has a large drawing of Jesus with a start and a dove.
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On the second floor of the building, you can see the cafeteria. All the walls and pillars are painted with large murals that all seem to have been done by the same person. I am not sure when they were painted, but it is not what I expected to see. The second floor also has the mailroom and the visitation booth. The other two upper floors have only cells, but it is still worth walking through.
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There are two other buildings on the grounds. One being the original maximum security building and the other being the new maximum security built in the 90s. The original was eventually turned into a minimum security. You are unable to enter either of those buildings at this time. You can, however, go into the outside area of the original and walk through the cages where inmates would be allowed their one hour a day outside of the cell. They are outfitted with a pull-up bar, a dip bar, and what looked like what would have once held a speed bag.
The rest of the grounds are just the yard and the old basketball court. Be sure to also notice the rock bluff that acts as one of the walls for the prison. There’s no need to rush through the grounds or the yard as guests are invited to stay and explore as long as they would like. Don’t stay too long though or you may get locked in.
Our Experience
This may sound a little bizarre, but we expected this to be a light-hearted trip with the FamLee. We hoped to have a good day and try to learn a little history. We ended up running into a man that had served his sentence at Brushy. A large group had formed around him as he showed us through his old home. All the while telling us of the horrors that took place. At the same time, he shared with us his breathtaking testimony. Explaining that God had saved him in that very prison. You can read all about that experience here. It did make for an experience we will never forget and went to prove that not everything that went on in Brushy was evil. A lot of what we experienced with that man will stay unique to our visit, but the Brushy will stay the same.
As we walked through the grounds I tried to remember that it had only been out of operation for 9 years. At times it looked as though it had closed many years prior. Sitting abandoned and riding out many storms alone left the prison with a lot of damage. Many of the cells were in very rough shape. Most of them would have them uninhabitable. I have done a good deal of research since our visit and found a few videos filmed while the prison was in operation. The condition has not worsened too much since the early 2000s. Besides gaining more rust that is. More shocking than the condition where the number of cells with bars that inmates had attempted to saw through in an attempt to squeeze their way out.
The prison museum was definitely a highlight. I was extremely impressed with the number of artifacts that were directly related to Brushy. Not just prisons in general. The museum also helps to make you realize that it was real. That the people who lived there were truly some of the worst criminals alive. It also proved to us that assuming that someone in prison is not intelligent is completely wrong. These men found ways to create weapons that are truly shocking. They even smuggled drugs into the prison in ways that many would have never of thought of.
We spent about 3 hours in total throughout the prison and learned more about what prison life was like than I ever thought possible. Visiting is an experience not easily forgotten and definitely worth the trip. My entire family agreed that the experience changed us all in some way. We plan on going back to visit again. Just to make sure that we did not miss anything. I highly recommend visiting Brushy to anyone. I truly believe that it fosters an appreciation of the life you have. And also a good wake up call to those on the wrong path. Not to mention the money brought in really helps the small town of Petros and the surrounding area.
I hope this article has helped you decided to visit Brushy and that you learned something about Brushy’s past. If you have any questions about anything mentioned please feel free to leave us a comment or contact us on social media.
Thank you so much for reading and as always God bless!
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