Tennessee State Prison, stone and silence
Tennessee State Prison is on Cockrill Bend near the Cumberland River, about six miles west of downtown Nashville.
From the road, you first notice the stone, then the building takes shape: a main building in the Gothic Revival style with walls made by hand, towers, round turrets, and lines along the roof.
It was built to look permanent and hard to cross. That look is why it picked up the nickname “The Castle.” The prison opened in 1898 and closed in 1992. After it shut down, the building stood but slipped year by year…