Les Jones

The guards at BM used to get pissed whenever we flew over (or near) the place. The Tennessee Guard got complaints whenever ANYTHING flew near it, not just us!

I think G. Gordon Liddy is correct on the matter of prison guarg intelligence. It does not exist. None of the airspace over the place was restricted any differently than any other place in the area. If overflights by helicopters was such a big deal they could have spent their time requesting an airspace restriction instead of whining at other bureaucrats.

Hey there,
ok, this is odd. I was just cruising around in the hills and mountains today, and after a few hours, ended up coming out of the hills near Brushy Mountain prison. We were up near Petros for a while, so when I got home, I hit the net looking for maps and other info of the area, just to figure out where the heck we went, I punched the prison name into the address bar, hit enter, and found this post. Bizarre the way that works. ;)

Since you seem to know the ropes around here, (I'm in Clinton by the way, next to Oak Ridge) I was curious- the mountains around that prison, up near Petros- are those part of the Cumberlands? I think I may have seen the fire tower you mentioned here, it was on the left as we were coming down from the area of a coal mining operation, which is on the backside of the mountain where the windmills are.

My wife and I have been here just 6 short years, transplants from the Chicago area, and are still rooting around on the weekends, just heading down one road or another just because it looked like a cool road to check out.

The tough part is trying to figure out just where the heck you are at any given time, and with so many gravel roads without street signs and such, I have no clue where we went, so trying ot re-trace the route is an insane thing to even think about.

Anyway, this was a rather cool surprise, I didn't know a thing about that prison, other than a passing thought as we went past it. "You know, if you had to spend time in a prison, this would be a cool place, as far as the view goes."

I wish I had legs working well enough to do some hiking, because as soon as I saw that fire tower, I figured it's got to have one hell of an awesome view of the area.

Off to do some more digging around online- be well.

Steve

not a very cool place... No A/C

Great post. Who are you ?

Me? Just some guy. I live in Louisville (between Knoxville and Maryville). Lived here all my life except for excursions here and there. :-)

sir: can you find out if the killer of my daughter in1979 is still there. thanks,lking

his name is joe drane. i would appreciate any info you can find out

Hi, Larry. I searched for "drane" at this page:

https://www.tennesseeanytime.org/foil/foil_index.jsp

but didn't find a Joe Drane, though there were other Dranes on that page. You might try calling the prison. There's a number and other contact information on their Web site:

http://www.state.tn.us/correction/institutions/bmcx.html

Good luck in your search.

i was raised on the fire tower from 1958-1967.it was a wonderful place to be a kid! i could stand in our back yard and see the prisoners playing softball inside the walls.when a prisoner would escaped, the siren would sound.to this day ,that has to be the most scariest sound i have ever heard in my life.i would run into the house screaming and crying.i remember several times, them searching for escaped prisoners in our buildings surrounding the tower.one time a prisoner did break into our back porch and stole some of my uncles cloths.we lived in a 4 room house with a screened in back porch.we had a coal stove for heat.didnt have a bathroom.the toilet was down the hill behind the tower.we had a well with a handle pump on the sink.we took baths on the back porch in a bath tub.it had to be filled with hot water that was heated on the stove.my aunt would wash cloths on the back porch in the ringer washer we had,then hang them on the cloths line in the yard.one time my uncle had to go into town, and it was snowing, and the wind blowing.me my aunt and my cousin stayed up in the tower until he got back.i guess because in case he couldn't make it back and a prisoner escaped they wouldnt be able to get to us in the tower with the door locked.i have to say,what a beautiful view it was.when inside the tower on a windy day you could feel the tower gently swaying back and forth.one day i dropped my army man with a parachute from the tower window and it sailed down over the trees towards the prison.never did find it.oh yes,we had chickens up there down the hill on the right side of the tower.there was also a supply building and a garage.i think the house and the buildings have all been torn down from resent pictures i've seen of it on the internet lately.if anyone out there has pictures of the fire tower please email them to bluegrassers229@aol.com or if you have any questions about the tower were i was raised,please feel free to email them to me.the fire tower was ran by barry goad,lorrine,paul,and pauline.barry and lorrine both are now deceased.pauline now lives in oliver springs tn and i live in kentucky.

looking for info about previous wardens and assistant wardens pre 1960

To Guy Montag : you showed your I.Q with your misspelling. You also should not believe everything a Convicted FELON says. Or quote him. I think that you should take a tour of brushy and tell the "guards" that you think that they are of a low I.Q. Please reply to this. I will check it often to reply.

To Guy Montag : you showed your I.Q with your misspelling. You also should not believe everything a Convicted FELON says. Or quote him. I think that you should take a tour of brushy and tell the "guards" that you think that they are of a low I.Q. Please reply to this. I will check it often to reply.

I'm looking for any information on the killings on Feb. 8, 1982.

I'm looking for any information on the killings on Feb. 8, 1982.

What are you wanting to know about them? It was a racial crime. They did not like the other race. If you know what I mean. There was an officer took hostage.

nice site. It's a shame they may be closing this prison down. I've been to the tower before. It has an awesome view. All you see is mountains with patches of civilization. Lucky me I worked with the Frozen Head State Park as a summer job a few years ago. It was cool working for the state i guess. One of the coolest thing was we didn't have to walk all the way to the tower. It was a one time thing though. We had to make sure the road was in good shape and mow the grass around the tower. There is an old radio station located beside the tower, noone has mentioned it yet.
I can't remember when it was in operation or if it was only for emergencies. Just thought i'd put my two cents in, someday i'll have pictures to share....

i would like to see if there is any way to find out about when my grandfather was a prisoner there and for how long in the 1920's.his name was richard monger.

I live not far from Brushy Mountain Prison, in Clinton TN.

I've always be fascinated with prisons. Brushy Mountain Prison is just beautiful. It would be a shame to lose it. The staff are mostly very nice, good hearted country people.

My 18 year old son is there now, and I really would like it if they had air conditioning. Any mother would. But, all in all a decent place.

May God be with everyone there...staff, and inmates.

My ex-boyfriend is in ther now and might serve 2 years there. Lord help him. I've heard that it isthe worst prison to go to.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11515334

Memorial for Wayne Morgan, Brushy Guard killed.

Is Brushy Mountain State Prison in Mountain City, Johnson County?

Jill: it depends on which part you're taking about. Part is in Wartburg, and part is in Petros. See this page:

http://www.tennessee.gov/correction/institutions/bmcx.html

I admit I don't exactly understand it. The place I went hiking is the place at Wartburg.

hey i travel to morgan county at least twicw in a month fron chattanooga. i have never physically seen the prison in petros but i frequent the one in morgan county. my husband is an inmate there. this was my first winter driving thru and the snow on the mountains was like looking into a surreal picture or somethning. i also like to take differnt routes we used ti travel thru oak ridge and then discovered the single road thru coalfield straight thru to hwy 27.. it is a lot quicker that way too.....smiles.

I live in Morgan County and growing up I played Little League Baseball. One of the most outstanding memories of that time is playing the team from Petros. Instead of playing our teeball games at the Petros School, we played on the fields that are beside Brushy Mountain. During the games the prisoners were allowed to come to the fence line and watch the games.

One thing to note, although there have been numerous escape attempts from Brushy Mountain, none have been successful. Lee Harvey Oswald even stated after so long giving up is your best chance of survival in those woods. It is a shame the prison is closing. Security will suffer.

i was just released from b.m.c.x. on 5/23/06 and although it is one hell of a hot s.o.b.,there is not now nor will there ever be air conditioning.the prison is due to be completely shut down by 2009.the prison now consists of both the brushy site (petros) and the morgan site (wartburg) but they are building a new annex and max. sec. right next to the facility in wartburg. there are rumors of brushy becoming a womens facility but more than likely, it'll just be a museum.

almost forgot, as far as security is concerned, the prison is a classification complex but they do house minimum and have a max. the max that they are building at the morgan site is supposed to be the same just bigger so the possibility of an escape will remain near impossible. the new site is only about 6 or 7 miles from the old one and it's still in the middle of the woods. as far as the minimum security inmates is concerned, any of us could have just walked away but who wants to take a chance at 1-5 more years?

does any one know dallas allen

i have a brother in here

I have heard stories of a time when my uncle was taken hostage at Brushy. His name was Paul Smith. He was a guard there in the 60's and or 70's.
I would like to hear more about that if any one in here knows the history of that incident.

Thanks Steph

Hello:
My Daddy was a guard at Brushy, he must have started in/around 1960/63 (not certain). He never talked alot about it much. I remember him talking about the whippings alittle, he didn't approve of it, I don't think. Anyway he retired from there.

My husband will probably be going to BM in the next few months and will likely stay several years. We are inLincoln Co. in southern middle Tn. How do I know what prison he will go to and where will they move the inmates after it closes.

I spent 4 months at brushy before being sent to the regional. I am glad to see that they are closing the place. It is not fit for living. The windows are broken out, there is no air conditioning. The worst thing was the snakes. There was nothing to keep them out. I hope that someday I can go on a tour of the place I once lived. I will bet that they will repair the windows and clean things up before it open to the public.
Brushy is mainly a clasification camp now. you only stay there until you are classified to the camp you will stay at.

hey if anyone out there cuold help me get the address for brushy mt. prison or their phone # i would greatly appreciate it.

hey if anyone out there cuold help me get the address for brushy mt. prison or their phone # i would greatly appreciate it.

My husband just went to Brushy this past Tuseday.I'v called there but no one was to helpful.I'm wanting to know the policies,procedures and directions.If there is any one who can help me please contact me.

A couple of folks have mentioned that no one escaped from Brushy Mt. Not true. I represent a client who escaped and was eventually apprehended in Utah.

Didn't James Earl Ray escape from Brushy Mountian?

James Earl Ray served his sentence there for the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. Ray tried to escape in 1977, but was caught in the forest 55 hours later. National media at the time described the area surrounding the prison as "snake-infested rugged mountain terrain."

james earl ray did escape but was captured in the woods near the institution.

I'm writing a book about Brushy Mountain. In the early years the prisoners had to work in the hole down in the coal mines. A horrible place. My old man was in there for a year but all the home boys were in with him.

my boyfriend just got sent to brushy mountain he only failed a drug test i heard it is a terrible place to be do you know how many people have gotten killed there

my boyfriend just got sent to brushy mountain he only failed a drug test i heard it is a terrible place to be do you know how many people have gotten killed there

my boyfriend just got sent to brushy mountain he only failed a drug test i heard it is a terrible place to be do you know how many people have gotten killed there

my boyfriend had no ideal he was going to the prison they sent him to he was coming up for parole before long i heard he pissed a guard off so they decided to make it hard on him

doing research for someone. was there a william williams who was known as the "whipping Boss" at Brushy? would have been early years. he was born in roane co cir. 1864 and died in oakdale in 1916. at age 51. for some reason i didn't think the place was built till much later. i have had several relatives who have eithor been guards or worked in the hospital there. and as far as james e ray is concerned he was a winner or so says my relitives. no prison is COOL. but this one has a past, its a shame it has been let ruin. hope someone can help on the question.

BRUSHU MOUNTAIN IS MOSTLY A CLASSIFICATION CENTER. MOST INMATES THERE WILL BE SENT TO ANOTHER PRISON ANYWHERE FROM 3-6 MONTHS AFTER GETTING THERE.I SAW WHERE SOMEBODY ASK ABOUT JOHNSON COUNTY,MOUNTAIN CITY, WELL THATS NORTHEAST PRISON, THATS WHERE I JUST GOT OUT OF.

YOU CANGET ANY PRISON PHONE NUMBER OR ADDRESS AT TDOC.COM

THIS IS LACY.MY BROTHER JAMES LE'ROUX WOOD IS IN BRUSHY MOUNTAIN.HE'S A REALLY GOOD PERSON AND PEOPLE HAVE PUSHED HIM AROUND SO MUCH IN THE TENNESSEE SYSTEM.HE'S VERY SMART AND INTELLIGENT AND I LOVE AND MISS HIM VERY MUCH AND EVEN THOUGH HE'S IN PRISON RIGHT NOW I DO BELIEVE THAT HE WILL MAKE SOMETHING GREAT OF HIMSELF WHEN HE GETS OUT.HE USED TO WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE AND EVERYTHING.HE STILL DOES WNT TO BUT I GUESS HE CAN'T NOW.HE HAS A FAMILY THAT LOVES AND CARES ABOUT HIM VERY MUCH AND WE ALL MISS HIM!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS LACY.MY BROTHER JAMES LE'ROUX WOOD IS IN BRUSHY MOUNTAIN.HE'S A REALLY GOOD PERSON AND PEOPLE HAVE PUSHED HIM AROUND SO MUCH IN THE TENNESSEE SYSTEM.HE'S VERY SMART AND INTELLIGENT AND I LOVE AND MISS HIM VERY MUCH AND EVEN THOUGH HE'S IN PRISON RIGHT NOW I DO BELIEVE THAT HE WILL MAKE SOMETHING GREAT OF HIMSELF WHEN HE GETS OUT.HE USED TO WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE AND EVERYTHING.HE STILL DOES WNT TO BUT I GUESS HE CAN'T NOW.HE HAS A FAMILY THAT LOVES AND CARES ABOUT HIM VERY MUCH AND WE ALL MISS HIM!!!!!!!!!!!

MY GREAT UNCLE WAS THE WARDEN OF BRUSHY MOUNTAIN IN THE 1950'S.I WASN'T THAT CLOSE TO HIM .I VISITED HIM ONCE A YEAR WHEN I WAS A KID IN THE 70'S. HIS NAME WAS JOE FRETAG

Went by Brushy this week 3-12-08 and stopped by the guard shack and asked if the Prison will be torn down or possibly open it up for tours some day. The guard said, "Maybe, I don't know." I hope they do open it up for the public or at least for a short time period BEFORE it's torn down (if they do).

Went by Brushy this week 3-12-08 and stopped by the guard shack and asked if the Prison will be torn down or possibly open it up for tours some day. The guard said, "Maybe, I don't know." I hope they do open it up for the public or at least for a short time period BEFORE it's torn down (if they do).

I just read that Phil Bredeson has no intentions of tearing Brushy Mountain down and the Tennessee Historical Society is planning something for it. I grew up in Clinton and in high school we would go up to the fire tower at night and party. I never actually climbed up the tower but I've heard that it is a perfect view of the prison. The guys loved to scare us and pretend that they heard noises and it was probably an escapee. Great times! It would definetely be a shame if the prison is torn down.

Bush Mountain owns, I grew up around there the place is beautiful.

I never travel to bush mountain this is my next travel.

I've been to Bush mountain in the spring. It's a great time.

My father grew up around Brushy Mountain and had some great stories about that place.

brushy mountain, no ways

sweet man very nice post. Saw something similar on maycha.com

sweet man very nice post. Saw something similar on maycha.com

Wow, this is a nice story!

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Wow, it is 2008 and I've just read it!!! Nice post.

I didnt go to Brushy Mt. but I did go to the one not very far from there. Brushy is not as bad as people say it is. Not all prisons are bad nor good. All depends on how you handle yourself while your in there. Dont act like a bad ass you will be ok.

I took a motorcycle ride one day on a route listed as "The Devil's Triangle" that took us past Brushy Mountain. If this place ever opened for tours, I would go there from Ohio to take one. It looked pretty cool, emerging from the woods to see this place up close. A relative of mine was leading our ride and told us some of the history of the joint.

thanks for this post. it written in 2003 but was very helpful for me.

Bush Mountain owns, I grew up around there the place is beautiful.

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