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The Old Tennessee State Prison

Introduction

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Tennessee State Prison, opened in 1898, is a nonoperational prison located close to downtown Nashville, Tennessee. This correctional facility has been closed since 1992, but some might say still active from its previous inhabitants. This haunted facility holds ghost tours for all ages and can be a very hair-raising experience. This maximum-security prison contained the most rowdy, terrifying, and dangerous criminals when it was operational.

Backstory and Context

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This prison house some of the most dangerous individuals of the time. The living conditions for these individuals were awful. Disease ran rapidly throughout the prison. If you weren't given the chair, you died merely from poor sanitation and the brutality of the officers. Eventually the Union Army came into the city and made it a military prison. Strict rules were enforced. These rules included complete silence, no writing to anyone, and many other inhumane treatments. This facility also forced its inmates to work. The inmates worked in a prison factory where they worked for up until it was time to sleep. The male inmates worked in the factory. The women on the other hand, grew crops. On one side of the prison, the men were kept working. On the other side of the prison, the women were held up a field in which they grew crops.

Sources

Ghost City Tours, The Haunted Tennessee State Prison. Accessed January 29th 2021. https://ghostcitytours.com/nashville/haunted-nashville/haunted-tennessee-state-prison/#:~:text=Bomar%20Blvd.%20Nashville,%20TN%2037209.%20Tennessee%20State%20Prison,again%20earned%20notoriety%20for%20its%20spine-chilling%20paranormal%20phenomena..

Siskind, Brian . Tennessee State Prison, On the Inside . Accessed February 27th 2021. https://www.tnstateprisonfilm.com/.

Additional Information