Prison Cell At Brushy Mountain

Title

Prison Cell At Brushy Mountain

Artist

Geraldine DeBoer

Medium

Photograph - Print

Description

Brushy Mountain Prison Cell------History of Brushy Mountain
Brushy Mountain opened in 1896 following the Coal Creek War – a 1891 lockout of coal miners that occurred in Coal Creek and Brockville, TN. The miners were protesting the use of unpaid convicts leased to the mine. The conflict was resolved when the Tennessee State Legislature passed a bill which abolished the convict labor system and created the Brushy Mountain Mine and Prison.
The location of the prison was determined with the help of geologists, whom determined that the mountains surrounding the area helped keep the area secure. The prison included its own railroad spur, and the inmates worked coal mines on site as well as operated coke ovens and farmed. The original prison was built from wood, but it was replaced in the 1920s with a building constructed of stone which was mined on-site from a quarry. This stone give the prison a cold and castle looking appearance.
The prison is located next to Frozen Head State Park and includes rugged mountainous terrain on nearly every side, which discouraged attempts to escape, and for those that did attempt it… proved to nearly always be unsuccessful. The most famous escape from the prison occurred in 1977 when James Earl Ray and six other inmates climbed over a fence around the prison. Ray lasted only two days in the mountains and was captured three miles from the prison.

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March 8th, 2019

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