September 12, 2019
Have you ever visited a prison? I’ve toured Alcataz in San Francisco a couple of times (which totally intrigued me), but I recently learned that there is a prison right here in Tennessee which provides tours, a place for lunch called “The Wardens Table” and even moonshine tastings. Be forewarned, Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary has a violent and controversial history and is sometimes known as “The Alcatraz of the South,” but it provides wonderful history and storytelling – and plenty of fodder for a good ol’ country song such as Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer by Old Crow Medicine Show.
The Brushy Mountain Range is considered an isolated “spur” of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range. There is plenty of hiking and adventure activities in and around Brushy Mountain and even a hike to Brushy Mountain from The Great Smoky Mountains.
There are lots of stories and some folklore surrounding Brushy Mountain State Prison. The Prison, located in Morgan County Tennessee, operated for 113 years before shutting down in 2009. In that time, it secured a place in the nation’s culture of crime, punishment, violence, and labor.
The Prison may not be appropriate for young kids unless they can handle some violent and morbid stories – some told by former inmates and wardens themselves.
My mom recently visited with several friends – and escaped to tell us about it:
I am always up for an adventure and East Tennessee is just the place to keep this adventurous lady happy. There are so many places to discover and so many things to see in and around my hometown of Knoxville.
Recently, I traveled with 10 girlfriends to Petros, Tennessee in Morgan County which is about 40 miles from Knoxville to tour the newly opened Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary Museum. The location is surrounded by mountains and beautiful countryside including Frozen Head State Park. It is also the location of the Barkley Marathon which is an ultra marathon trail race that spans 100 miles and imitates the terrain that escaped prisoners might have experienced. The race has actually been completed by only 18 runners in the last 12 years of its existence. People travel from all over the world to run this race which is limited to 60 people per year.
Visiting Brushy Mountain State Prison is quite an adventure. The beauty of the lush, mountainous area ends at the entrance to the prison with a sign that reads “The End of the Line.” This maximum security prison which opened in the late 1800s and closed in 2009, has been converted into a museum, restaurant, moonshine distillery and venue site. We started off with a 2 hour tour of the actual prison which was “home” to many infamous criminals including James Earl Ray, the convicted killer of Martin Luther King Jr. Our guide was a gentleman from the area who had worked at the prison for 30 years. Some of his stories got pretty gruesome as he recounted the prison’s sordid past which was a bit shocking and somewhat fascinating. His storytelling ability was entertaining if not informative.
Once the tour was complete, we had a lovely lunch at the newly restored prison machinery garage which is now “The Warden’s Table” where they serve hamburgers, ribs and baloney sandwiches to name a few. A cold beer was also available for these weary tourists.
We then wandered into the gift shop which also included a moonshine tasting room — so of course we bellied up to the bar for a taste. Some of the ladies even bought some moonshine to take home.
Although I wouldn’t recommend this tour for young children, I found it to be quite interesting, informative and enlightening. It provides the fascinating history of Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, some history of coal mining in the South and the controversial practice of forcing inmates to mine for coal and other hard labor.
For more information on visiting Brush Mountain or scheduling a tour, visit their website.
Here are a few visiting details:
- Tickets are $12/adult $7/kids 10 and under
- Self-guided tours or private guided group tours are $20/person
- Evening “flashlight tours” are available throughout the year
- There are concerts and special events throughout the year
Have you ever visited a prison and escaped to tell the tale? Check out these other posts written by my mom:
- TRAVEL TALES: A GRANDMOTHER AND HER GRANDSON IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
- THE NATIONAL CORNBREAD FESTIVAL + A CAST IRON SKILLET CORNBREAD RECIPE
