Tennessee State Prison (1898-1992) - On the Inside

Due to the abundance of interest in this property, this film was done at the request of TDOC, and in partnership with Those Drones, LLC to share the beautiful architecture with the citizens of Tennessee.
Tennessee State Prison is not an abandoned property. The Tennessee Department of Correction still actively utilizes the grounds and due to the secure nature of their business, it is off limits to the public. This site is actively patrolled by officers and anyone caught trespassing will be prosecuted. Please enjoy the film but do not venture out to the property.
While architecturally beautiful, many areas of the original complex are unsafe and hazardous. Access to the property is restricted at this time. If you are interested in a close up view of the property, please follow TDOC on social media for information about the Big Brothers Big Sisters 5k held in May. Details regarding this 5k will be available on the Department of Correction’s website in early April. For additional information, please contact the Department’s Communications team at [e-mail]
Filmed and Produced by Brian Siskind and Jim Demain, with permission of the Tennessee Department of Correction. You can visit Those Drones, LLC at:
www.thosedrones.com
Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/thosedrones
Twitter and Instagram: @thosedrones
thosedrones

[@Shipfixer]

I spent two years of my life behind the walls there for possession of two ounces of weed. While I was there, I lost my job, wife, and just about everything else. For a baggie of Mexican weed. The year was 1972. Many good people were in there who lost ever as much as me, many lost much more. It was one of the most cruel, sadistic environments I was ever to witness, and I have been in two wars. I saw 9 people die in there, some of whom did nothing more than enjoy getting a buzz from some bud in their previous life. It just goes to show how indifferent the establishment was back then in Tennessee. Now weed is legal. What a waste of life and taxpayer's money. I would like to see that place razed to a pile of rubble. I would gladly make a trip there to urinate on it. Greetings from Alaska, where I live far, far away from it all.

[@macysondheim]

Lol

[@simrancecil8380]

​What is funny about the story? He has gone through a lot and its not funny!!!! When people go to prison they know they have lost everything. ​@@macysondheim

[@simrancecil8380]

Don't worry the property got destroyed when a tornado came down and blew everything through @Shipfixer

[@simrancecil8380]

Prisoners have to be treated with dignity because they also have emotions and feelings

[@adolfhotler7431]

😢sorry for your suffering 😢

[@ThePatsyc]

This should be fully restored and open for tours. You would make money.

[@martinemikita9281]

Its open now for tours.

[@rixxur6959]

@@martinemikita9281 no it’s not

[@MemphisBelle11]

Agreed. If there couldn't be a voice-over, there should have at least been captions identifying what was being filmed. I was surprised how ornate the building's exterior was.

[@manymelons46]

Such a beautiful complex. I wish when states shut down prisons they would clean them out and reuse them for something like tourists to stay or shelters for homeless or elderly.. Just don't let the beauty go to waste.

[@Its_Comett]

2 years late but bro are you running for president tho?

[@kindly4real]

There's some guy in Nashville who want's to use it for a school to get homeless people back on their feet and restore their families but it would be open to the public with retail and manufacturing space, restaurants, hotels and events like concerts and cooperate retreats and workshops. Timothy Appleseed is the guy's name I think. He apparently discovered what the fruit was that Adam ad Eve ate and found the path back to the tree of life among other things like the global land art that covers the whole planet with continental scale sculptures that tell the story about human nature and then he's some kind of expert about emotional intelligence? But yeah! I would definitely love to go to a school there to learn how to start my own business or something.

[@davidmccracken288]

That is an excellent idea. Homeless shelter would be great. 👍

[@blacktoastmcbiscut8650]

They turned Lorton in VA into housing projects 😂🤣

[@blacktoastmcbiscut8650]

@@kindly4real That's what prison is

[@marleybu7984]

Beautiful Buildings like these should be preserved. To much are lost sadly 😢

[@simrancecil8380]

Yeah buildings like these which are still standing are very rare ❤....the modern police stations and jails don't have this architectural style anymore.

[@Lane8492]

This was the prison where they filmed Ernest Goes to Jail and the Green Mile.

[@lasuzx]

The Green mile I believe yes but I’m not sure about Ernest goes to jail

[@MrTinTennessee]

And parts or most of the last castle with Robert Redford. I helped install the gate operators they drove the water cannon through. My dad used to tell me stories about playing horseshoes with the trusties. He lived within 2 miles of the prison.

[@searcy95]

And the last castle with robert redford

[@MugenGlider82]

Impressive drone piloting on some of those shots. Thanks for sharing!

[@heatheradair1376]

Do not forget that Shawshank Redemption and The Green miles were both filmed here. :)

[@sambezious]

Shawshank was filmed at Ohio State Reformatory.

[@heatheradair1376]

I heard parts of the movie were filmed here as well.

[@sambezious]

I don't think so, but I could be wrong. :-)

[@michaeldavies2677]

It has been the location for the films Nashville, Marie, Ernest Goes to Jail, Against the Wall, The Green Mile, The Last Castle,[2] two of Eric Church's music videos "Lightning" and "Homeboy", and Pillar's "Bring Me Down" music video. Most recently VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project filmed there for the third episode of the series (titled "The Warden") as well as the last episode of the first season (titled "Dead Man Walking"). The prison was referred to as "The Walls Maximum Security Prison" in both episodes to protect the location's privacy.

[@christojuice]

Parts of "Billy: The Early Years" were filmed here as well.

[@marleybu7984]

Cold Mountain, The Green Mile 😀

[@doozy6914]

I was one of the last few inmates at the wall. I did my best time there.

[@randymarsh6253]

I heard time was fucked up there. People were getting stabbed, shot, riots. And I've known a lot of lifers that were at the walls. Even the guards carried shanks.

[@antoinespates6143]

R

[@donaldwood2442]

I was there also for 2 years unit 2 5 on 10 was my best time also right before they closed it. a world inside another world. number retired #110179. 25 years and still free

[@_CoolHandLuke_]

God bless you. #212942

[@swappers]

@@_CoolHandLuke_ lmaoo you caught a body

[@fucc.da.opps2187]

My grandpa did time there on the east side of the prison witch is the less crime and he said he still seen some disturbing things in there RIP to my grandpa

[@marksimmons3801]

this is one of the best videos ive seen it is well made . i get a sense that ive been their thru this video . so to you i say bravo !

[@macysondheim]

there*

[@worshipwatcher55]

Very nice video, thank you for posting. I have climbed on the walls many times but I have never been inside, as much as I would love too.

[@yqwgjsg]

When I was a kid my dad worked there. He would take me there to get haircuts from the trustees. I think it was mainly for effect and my benefit just to see what happens if you break the law. I would stand in the admin part of the building at the “trap” and watch the men in the yard. The trap was a cage where you walked up and a guard inside cranked a wheel to open the outside cage door. An inmate would walk in and the guard would close the door. Then he would then open the inside solid key door for them to enter. My dad told me many men had been killed inside the trap when the outside door couldn’t be closed fast enough to keep an attacker from getting inside with his victim. The thought sent shivers down my spine. Many years later after my father’s death and well into my 50’s, I was working in the area and noticed there was a large hole in the back wall where they were driving something into the yard. I couldn’t resist and drove in, all the way around until I was sitting in front of the trap looking in those same windows and through those same bars as I had as a kid. This time, I had the prisoners view. This was the most haunting experience of my life. One I can thank my daddy I never experienced for real.

[@tayyummyc]

Sadly today, it got hit by a tornado, barely recognizable. Breaks my heart ☹️

[@joshuahetherington3159]

We do training there though, I haven’t but we have special ops teams that go in.

[@GrabinGears]

@@joshuahetherington3159 she said it was destroyed dude can you read

[@joshuahetherington3159]

@@GrabinGears yes Mr. clean, I can read.

[@simrancecil8380]

They need to preserve these buildings are they are rare finds

[@Andreasantoni]

This former state prison should be turned into a tourist destination; refurbished, and restored to what it looked like originally.

[@katrinaaustin7481]

Andreasantoni it is a moonshine distillery

[@billywhisman4130]

@@T113_T1T1AN its is

[@randymarsh6253]

Katrina Austin Brushy Mountain has a distillery as well as tours of the prison and a restaurant. This is the main prison in Nashville and they’re strict about trespassing. We used to sneak in it as kids looking for ghosts,

[@garyortolano7374]

..you paying ?

[@timothyappleseed2986]

Brushy Mountain has a still but the Old Historic TN State Prison does not. I've been to both. TSP is mostly mothballed with the exception of a few offices. Brushy Mountain has a still and a restaurant and offers general admission tours.

[@kris-8596]

Architecture is amazing!

[@alj82]

Great,thanks

[@nobody-ob1bz]

They made some movies there. Shaw Shank Redemption, The Green Mile, are two.

[@simrancecil8380]

Shawshank redemption was shot at Mainesfield prison in Ohio

[@kevinloving606]

Do any of the security guards or those training at that prison ever report any strange activity going on inside the prison ?

[@searcy95]

It Is Haunted.

[@ThePurplePillPerspective]

I was just there last night and the officer said there’s no activity, but you do get a strange feeling walking around.

[@TheSoulMan11]

I've heard a few from past COs

[@macysondheim]

No.

[@Shotby1jay.]

more than 200 inmates have died in there i would say it’s pretty haunted

[@jaccuster8258]

1898-1992, those are the exact years my great-grandmother was alive. She was a witch

[@Jbro1851]

What a touching story

[@mastermoonlightvariety]

She was 94 when she passed? Wow! What amazing health and youth she must have had.

[@ThePurplePillPerspective]

This place looks totally spooky at night. I was just there last night.

[@TheSoulMan11]

Went there at night since I used to be a state employee, its not open to the public because they still use the yard of prison for training and also the surrounding area still has houses that are still lived in. Their is security posted 24/7 and if caught you will be arrested for trespassing. Years ago someone did, just so happened a training exercise was going on and it didnt end well for that person. Its spooky at night.

[@rixxur6959]

I sneak in all the time. No one patrols anythint

[@TheSoulMan11]

@RixxuR6 your choice but I would not go into any of the buildings. They've let it go and even tore down a housing block serversl years ago. They still use a building outside of the walls.

[@rixxur6959]

@@TheSoulMan11 I’ve noticed the building outside is still in use. We sneak in a different way

[@g-tallfrmda6661]

​@@rixxur6959we gotta link up my farther in-law did time there and brushy mountains I always wanted to see what's it's like in those legendary prison I been to South Central,Morgan county and Charles Bass

[@rowe_jogan]

I want to sneak in some time but idk how I would manage not getting caught.

[@heatheradair1376]

I live in Nashville. For those wondering why we let it sit there is because of asbestos. It will take tons of money to come up to codes and i am sure we do not have the money in our budget.

[@SavannahLSullivan]

Heather Adair go fund me and kickstarter campaigns could easily raise extra money. I dare say People around the world would donate. It's too interesting of a place to be forgotten.

[@BelindaTN]

Yes she is Jay, yes she is.

[@randymarsh6253]

It was shut down by federal court order. There’s an permanent injunction against the state from housing inmates there. Renovation would cost as much as 2 new prisons and would require the injunction lifted. If it was me, I’d renovate the A building and demo the remaining. Then rebuild the wall to restore the original look but the housing areas would be modernized. Then use the place as reception and classification for all new intakes because the building is scary to look at. I can only imagine what convicts in the 30s and 40s thought when they rounded the corner to this place knowing they’d be there for a while

[@tonic9255]

​@@SavannahLSullivanthe State CANNOT accept funds from a crowdfunding source.

[@sarahpirkle9476]

That looks like a castle, to me, on outside,

[@jefflynn1051]

It's remarkably similar to the former Ohio State Penitentiary (Shawshank Redemption). That one is open for tours and there are places that they say are very haunted. I got a strange feeling walking through "the hole." Was worth a visit I wish they would do that here as well.

[@executivemonk5gaming658]

Can i ask why yall wont restore the prison and make it in to a museum like they did with Eastern State Pa or Brushy Mountain ? Could make some money for the prison systems while allowing people to tour the old building with out breaking any laws

[@glennnicks7016]

TDOC is broke and needs more facilities before it could be justified to do anything with this one. It would be nice if it could be restored, but unless a private group does it the facility will continue to rot.

[@heatheradair1376]

asbestos

[@danielmaul4310]

JerzyBoy86 because it has been restored it's In use now they transport prisoners out there Monday thru Friday to make bunk beds for the jails & prisons in the whole state.

[@TheSoulMan11]

no they make the inmate food for entire state

[@katrinaaustin5543]

ExecutiveMonk5 Gaming this is brushy mountain prison in Petros

[@GhostOperationzInc]

Hey great video! we would love to visit here. Who do we contact to get access!?

[@Shotby1jay.]

Was just there and this is clean compared to now

[@bengals..prodzz0958]

Bro I love this place. It’s so fun An interesting

[@know-your-worth7641]

Make tours and haunted paranormal tours at night. Money maker right there

[@SavannahLSullivan]

Can the TN DOC start a go fund me or kickstarter campaign to raise money to have this gorgeous building restored or repurposed? I've been obsessed with it for years and I've always wanted to go inside. I know so many people who feel the same. You could easily raise the money to afford the costly abestos and lead paint removal. It could be a museum if it was restored. It could be repurposed into homes and shops. Even if you tore down the small buildings and left the main block and entrance and built new structures to compliment the architecture. It could also be a gorgeous park too with all that green space. It would generate a lot of jobs and income. Way too much potential to just be left to rot away. 😕

[@VintageRose75]

Savannah Sullivan I like the idea of a museum and/or historical tours. Or, it could maybe even be used as a rehabilitation center for paroled TN prisoners, wayward teens, etc. Something that would lend to its history, while still helping rehabilitate marginalized people in the 21st Century. I am not sure I would feel comfortable eating and shopping there, though...the vibes one would get from this former prison might be too strong! ;)

[@SavannahLSullivan]

Those are good ideas! Anything would be better than it rotting away!

[@danielmaul4310]

Savannah Sullivan they do use it is live here In Nashville have my whole life I've been to jail here a lot to they use it now to make the prison & jail bunk beds for the state they transport the prisoners that have work detail out here every day to make them so they have restored a lot of it that's why if you try to go in there's always a guard at the front in that shack

[@katrinaaustin7481]

Savannah Sullivan moonshine distillery it is now

[@X1.7]

Savannah Sullivan I’ll give ya some to blow that eyesore up

[@cadetmouse]

What a cool classic Gothic style main building. Please, keep this ...do not knock it down. Keep some of the Prison blocks and turn this into a new school or even a campus for whatever reason. Save this!! The Prisonaires were locked up there there in the 1950s. They were a vocal harmony group fronted by a lovely singer called Johnny Bragg (check him and the band on You Tube, and elsewhere) ..They were so good they were taken to Sun Records in Memphis to record songs under armed guard. A whole album of their stuff is on general release. Johnny Bragg was inside and out of jail for most of his life, he got done-up on some rape charges but was innocent. Frank Clement (Governor) had his sentence reduced from 574 years in 1959 and he was released.The band were formed within these very walls....Johnny went on to make records for Sun, Excello and other labels, recording all thru his life. He died on cancer in 2004. read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisonaires

[@BriNG384]

We just had a tornado hit Nashville TN and sadly its been damaged

[@simrancecil8380]

I have never seen prisons right from the 18th century even standing to date ...most of them get demolished or destroyed due to mother nature. Though it looks beautiful on the outside it carries many stories of torture and pain. They should restore this prison because not many prisons have a castle like exterior.

[@vickiesutherland6240]

Lotta nice stone. Too bad it couldn't be rebuilt.

[@cashtalks6253]

Looks like it was just built yesterday. I can’t believe this place is abandoned lol

[@_CoolHandLuke_]

"The Walls" This needs Tom Hanks doing voice over.

[@TheLace]

Or Morgan Freeman.

[@jimb8738]

I passed through here in 1988, as an inmate, in transit from Morgan County Regional Correctional Facility to Lake County Regional Correctional Facility. Stayed 3 or 4 days on "10 walk" (on the left wing if you're facing the castle). Was scared as hell, tbh. I was 21. I was also at Cold Creek Correctional Center (the old Fort Pillow Prison) when they were shooting scenes for The State Vs Larry Flint. We were on lockdown for about a week while the Hollywood people were shooting. We were hot and miserable, locked in our cells, while Woody, Courtney and company were having a good time out in the parking lot with their studio busses and amenities. It's really weird seeing "the walls" all grown over and destroyed... but good riddance. A whole lot of people lost their lives in that hell-hole. Not that some didn't deserve it.

[@katbrown]

What are your thoughts on Morgan County Regional from an inmate’s perspective?

[@TheOnlyTruthJC]

What kind of drone was used?

[@TheOnlyTruthJC]

Those Drones How did they get the upward shots while moving forward with a DJI Phantom 4? Couldn't have been all flying footage, an upward shot while moving forward is impossible with the 4, not to mention you'd definitely see props.

[@TheOnlyTruthJC]

Those Drones ok, please explain how? I really want to know.

[@TheOnlyTruthJC]

Those Drones Yes, it was some of the indoor shots, where the camera would progress forward and up at the ceiling. You did an outstanding job, and excellent editing too!

[@jjjames6861]

Worked there in 1984.Worked on death row when James Earl Ray was there

[@BBBSMT]

While it's not safe to go inside, if you'd like to visit the grounds and see the exterior up close, you can register for the TDOC 5K Run/1.5 Mile Walk benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle TN on Saturday, May 5. Registration is limited to the first 500 - visit www.tdocrun.kintera.org

[@jerrydunn5680]

RIP to all of the junies that were lost in this prison.

[@shawnweeks955]

You can still get in hear just have to not get cought cause the security watches it 24/7

[@JoeyDeDominicis]

Nobody related to me knows anybody that would take any awning from Riverbend. I‘m happy it‘s gone.

[@rikkitiki1666]

It ain't gone though. You ain't there and they tell silly folk no one is... Pull up and see for yourself... They got ppl in there. In secret...

[@615daddya6]

@@rikkitiki1666 wat kind of people I live 15 min from it I'm curious lol

[@rikkitiki1666]

@@615daddya6 I have no idea what kind of ppl. I can only take guesses. I've sat in my truck down the street by the gas station with the subway and used my scope minus the rifle to watch 15 passenger vans with tinted windows roll in. You can make out the silhouettes of ppl in the back. When the van leaves roughly 40mins later. It's only the driver. They've turned this place into one of those secret prisons. My dad did 10 years there in the early 80s just before he made me. After he died I started digging into this place to try and understand him better. Pull up at the gate and armed guards will be on the way. Shut down my ass. Armed guards do not patrol abandoned buildings.

[@russellthisjohnson2571]

This don't show the inside. I've been on the inside

[@iamanindividual5456]

hey man I'm in Tennessee what county is this place in?

[@Thefroggang101]

Iam Anindividual nashville

[@iamanindividual5456]

thank you I'm in Knoxville brushy mountain isn't far away but it doesn't have the lure of this place

[@BelindaTN]

It is in Davidson County. In West Nashville.

[@phillipfolis4399]

I was there in 1980

[@1mrsohara]

What's with the huge smokestack?

[@randymarsh6253]

the steam plant. was used to heat the bldg

[@randymarsh6253]

the steam plant. was used to heat the bldg

[@macysondheim]

No.

[@johnfarr2738]

Huge steam smoke stacks used for heating the building in the winter

[@carolynray1329]

Is that place still up

[@grayvetrain]

Yeah, it’s still there but it’s heavily guarded and falling apart

[@rikkitiki1666]

@@grayvetrain and some ppl think the asbestos is being guarded. Shit... I grew up in East Nashville and you can go in all sorts of old buildings from trinity lane to James Robertson pky. But this fucking building... Even drive by slow while heading to the junkyard and it's gonna be a problem.

[@mike_cantrell8386]

Went in last night and got some footage...check my page

[@skiesofthesouthwest]

Hi, we were turned away by your rude guard. Any idea why? I mean, as a filmmaker, our audience loves this kid of material. Any feedback would be appreciated.

[@TNTDOC1]

WoodyTV thanks for your interest in TSP. Please see the information posted in the about section of this video.

[@mattheww8856]

are u ever going to allow tours?

[@macysondheim]

No

[@macysondheim]

@@mattheww8856 No.

[@skiesofthesouthwest]

@@macysondheim get a job.

[@1XX1]

Sadly, DJI drones have been blacklisted by the U.S. Oct 2022

[@AntoneJohnson-dq5gm]

It's possible to bring them to justice ! Especially if Riley Strain Was a seven or eight years tourist to this prison site before with pictures of family outing and celebrations ! Pigeons will whisper through branches of low place for the Eagle Beyond the branches

[@iamanindividual5456]

where is this? I live in Tennessee in not saying its not real in want to know more

[@Thefroggang101]

Iam Anindividual its in nashvilld

[@BelindaTN]

West Nashville.

[@doozy6914]

Iam Anindividual It's on centennial Blvd. West Nashville

[@BriNG384]

why did it close?

[@TNTDOC1]

In a nutshell, it was outdated and had become inefficient.

[@katrinaaustin7481]

Bridget Love so your saying this isnt brushy

[@asylumbuilder2881]

It was in bad condition inmates kept escaping the place caught on fire many times

[@macysondheim]

Because it did. Now sit down & be quiet.

[@macysondheim]

@@katrinaaustin7481 you’re*

[@globalmogul]

these old prison are former castles

[@FeatheryBird]

CONDOS!

[@lsubandtrumpet2014]

Is it haunted ?

[@macysondheim]

No.

[@lsubandtrumpet2014]

@Macy Sondheim NOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm pretty sure it is though.

[@Mothertrucker53]

The only things I could recommend to improve it is to speed it up and have a voice over to describe WHAT we are seeing ! Thanks for the disturbing video of one of the places we'd all hope to never see the inside of.

[@keithreiffenstein9909]

I came on a field trip in 78 or 79. We didn't go into any cell blocks but we were allowed on death row to see "Sparky" and look down the hall ways. Walked some in general pop and back to the visitors area. All of those year ago that is one trip I will never forget...And yes I agree there should have been something to tell us what we are seeing...

[@brandysmanlarry]

Volusiagirl wouldn't change a thing. Brilliant maneuvering.

[@thealmightyjug]

I heard this prison was no fuckin joke. Dudes getting thrown off of balconies And shit.

[@AntoneJohnson-dq5gm]

RILEY STRAIN WAS KILLED AT LOCATION !

[@GrabinGears]

The music is really annoying

[@111CREWGO69ZEHZ]

Z

[@AntoneJohnson-dq5gm]

Imagine The Many Bisexual That This Building Created Over 103 years ! And Now Revolution Is Occuring Because The State Never Implode The Building * theirs no true real information on how many since 2000 - 2024 premeditated murders have occurred at this old state prison *

[@davidmccracken288]

Ruined it with the stupid sound effects.