Tennessee State Prison

Enoch Elliot (1858-1898) was appointed by the governor to build a new prison, in order to address issues of overcrowding. It opened in February of 1898. The old prison was demolished in June, and salvagable materials were used to construct various outbuildings. These outbuildings included a variety of plants, factories,and mills, as well as farmland, for the imprisoned labor force. The prison included separate facilities for female inmates. Despite it being much larger than the old prison, issues of overcrowding continued. In 1902, a fire destroyed the chair and carriage manufacturing plant, which was never rebuilt. In 1930, a new building for female prisoners was constructed. In 1958, a new maximum security building was constructed. The prison was closed permanently in 1992, and has since suffered tornado damage.