My daddy worked there for decades. He retired after 28 years. I had the pleasure of working with some of the best men and women of this State when I worked for TDOC. Many of us are 2nd and 3rd generation working at the new facility. Ever grateful for their sacrifices, hard work and dedication to keep Tennesseans safe everday. Brushy closing was the end of an era in TDOC.
kat Turner correctional officers and employees are never given the recognition they deserve for doing a job that must be done and one that most people would not do for double the pay.
I worked in corrections in IL so touring Brushy wasn’t a completely new experience for me unlike many others who have never worked in corrections and experiencing Brushy. However, the long dark history of Brushy was so interesting. We had a former inmate guiding our tour and the stories were so interesting to hear.
My brother was sentenced there. We had to drive to an outpost and then be deliver to what I believe is the first gate where the drone started to visit, via a van. I remember the inside well. My brother remembers James Earl Ray. What this video does not reflect is the twist, switch backs, and inclines to get to that gate (where the drone started). It was literally sickening . I got car sick. It was steep. It was deep. The prison is buried in those mountains.
Hi Mike. That road you are talking about is called the Devils Triangle (Hwy 116). You can see those switchbacks in this video I did. It also has more brushy footage in it. ruclips.net/video/ui5ATf_2OOo/видео.html
My Grandfather did some time as well here in the 80’s. I was too young to be told. Later on, when I became old enough I was told his punishment was for shooting a cop in Lake City. When I got my hand’s on my first car this is one of the first places I went. It was one hell of a drive for a 16 year old. I remember being told Ray was there at the same time as him. Not sure if that’s true or not as I didn’t hear the story about him escaping.
I went and toured it today. A very awesome experience! I believe it to be a very humbling experience. We take a lot for granted outside in this world. But when you visit a place like bushy your whole perspective changes
Many years ago, my church men's softball team went inside and played their team. I've never heard a sound that hits you so hard in the gut as when they shut the steel gates and doors behind you as you enter deeper into the prison. It was hard to imagine that these guys were having fun playing us but were serving years of sentences for crimes. Great video and drone work JD!
You said that right !! those Huge Doors slamming shut !! chills me to this day.. My uncle was there Michael Phillips 1969- fifty years and counting re maiming time Mountain City
Great drone footage and the music is spot on! I visited a cousin housed there in very early 90’s and it was spooky to me just standing outside. But he later was released and served time at Mountain City and he still says that he liked Brushy Mountain a lot better. I’m intrigued by the building being in the shape of a cross. I guess for a lot of the lifers that was their only hope. Eerie place. I hope you do some spooky videos around October/Halloween ( my favorite time of year).
Brushy was cross shaped as originally it was made of wood, but after the multiple church groups in Tennessee began pestering the tennessee government for using brushy prisoners as free slave labor in a independent company coal mine, they built the cross shaped building to attempt to get the church off them and then made their own coal mine which continued on until 69.
I often wonder if James Earl Ray was just another scapegoat.. the mind boggles at what humans do to each other.. thanks for your story telling absolutely have enjoyed my afternoon...😁
Hello Dr. Phillips this is Austin, one of your 5th grade students. Your channel is amazing and congrats on 100 thousand, you are so close. Keep up the good work.
It is open to the public now. Certain times and dates. It was very interesting to tour and very humbling to me. Our car club went there this spring and enjoyed it a lot. If you have a chance to visit it, go and do it. Be sure and stop at The Warden's Table at the entrance for a meal and visit the gift shop.
Yeah, we have been to several concerts there and camped afterwards. Toured the prison, tasted the moonshine and ate at the wardens table... and rode the devils triangle as well. Its right down the road from our house
It's not off limits to the public, you can take tours. My wife and I did a few years ago. Her ex husband was sent there in the 90s. Creepy place. Has a heaviness feel about it in certain areas. Definitely worth going for the tour. Also, during the tour it was never mentioned about Hannibal lecter possibly staying there. James earl Ray was definitely there though.
Help Support the Preservation of Appalachian History by Subscribing to this channel. Support this channel by clicking the "Thanks" button below or by visiting www.theappalachianstoryteller.com for official merchandise. Follow The Appalachian Storyteller on Facebook facebook.com/TheAppalachianStoryteller
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller when James Earl Ray escaped we had a whistle that they would blow and it let the community know something was happening at the prison. the night he was caught and upon arriving with him back at the prison the warden had the whistle blown, knowing all inmates would be looking out the windows to see what was going on. the warden had the whistle blown so they could see Ray having to WALK back up the road to the prison.
I lived right next to it for years,alot of my family worked there.Never really heard any creepy stories about it,but it would be eerie to walk through for sure.They are suppose to turn it in to a distillary,but I think it's still in the works,thanks for posting brung back alot of memories! :)
My family and I pass by the old prison every year, going to Frozen Head State Park, located next to prison. Thank you for the opportunity to view it from the inside... It's bigger and creepier than I thought!
You can tour the inside of the prison now. I toured it last summer (2022) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of interesting information. Facts about James Earl Ray, display of shanks and weapons made by the inmates. Jeronimo, the prison pet deer that fell from the cliff behind the prison and landed on prison property. Very interesting. I think it costs $17 to take the self guided tour. We spent about 3 hours there. I totally enjoyed it.
It’s nice to see they keep it cleaned up. I’m going to see if you have that abandoned school in Sweetwater on here. I’ve always been curious about that school
I actually was there is in the early 90s and again a little later in that decade. The buildings on the upper left hand corner were the maximum security cells called HSA and they were arranged in A, B, C and D Pods. Each pods held about 25 to 30 maximum security cells. This place was horrible to work not really from the inmates but from the staff, most of them except for me and a few others came from the surrounding area and that was the main employment for a lot of people there. The only you got work there is to assigned there as a form of punishment if you pissed the warden or commish off. I am glad they closed that horrible place down. A lot of BMSP's reputation came from it's hey day from the 50s to the late 70s. After the HSA building was built, most of the dangerous inmates went there. The castle part that you see mostly housed new inmates because BMSP was a TDOC classification mostly during 90s and 2000s right up until the time it closed. The prison is located in Petros Tn.
I know this I came there in transit going to North East,that place was a bad place,the staff was all kin,and the word was they had killed a few inmates with handing a gun to a white inmate and instructed him to kill certain blacks on the yard.this is true,and being a inmate for TDOC from 2006 to 2012 brushy was a bad place because of the crooked staff.the white building in front of the prison was the annex.the wardens are guilty as hell.
the wardens directed inmates to cut the bush around the sides of the mountains to make it look good,and inmates would get bit by snakes and die.these people who worked here and ran this place was bad people.so why Bragg your family worked here.
Nick Hobbs I’ve lived near Brushy my whole life. Have had quite a few friends spend time there. I have not heard of one person dying from a snake bite. There aren’t any really venomous snakes in East Tennessee. Copperheads which have weak venom. Usually they don’t even bother with anti venom with copperhead bites. Eastern Diamondback rattlers are the only venomous Snake I would worry about. Cottonmouths aren’t found in East Tennessee. Maybe a freak one here and there that got lost near Georgia.
Its a tourist attraction now if anyone wants to go. I just visited it yesterday they have added a restaurant and a few other things but still looks close to the same
I was on the other side of the mountain at Morgan County when it closed down. I could go on and on about some realities that most ppl can't conceive, and speak facts that would drive the officers' mad while trying to rationalize their actions, but most don't care. Some were good though. The place is actually haunted. Like most old prisons. Look up "The Walls" in middle Tennessee. That prison was insane, and way older than brushy mountain.
Thank you for sharing! I live a little over an hour away East of Knoxville, and I've always heard of this place, but have never been there. Awesome video footage!
I've been there. The most haunting place,that I have ever been. This video doesn't even give this place justice, if they ever make it available to tour,this is something you will want to see...You want believe your eyes....
Rather nice place, My Aunt worked there, and to my knowledge was the first female officer to work there. It was hard work, but she didn't have to worry too much about getting attacked, the Prisoners were busy slitting each other's throats. Fun fact! most of the bad stuff ended in the 60's. If you ever meet someone who said they were there and 'the officers beat the shit out of the prisioners" they're lying. That was a rarity that ended in that officer getting fired quite quickly. More than likely that's some angsty prisoner who can't keep their mouth shut and follow the rules ( I myself work at a prison and so long as prisoners treat us with respect we treat them with respect) and were insubordinate enough to warrant backup. In which they tend to either cower up or be the douch and attack you. Also, Hannibal Lector is Fictional F.Y.I... he's a fantasy character, and even then he was being transfered to Brushy when he escaped.
Thanks for sharing your experiences my friend, I enjoyed reading them. Yeah - hanable was just a fun story. BTW- we will be camping at the prison this Saturday night watching the Jamey Johnson concert
@TheAppalachianStoryteller we also was camping for that concert! My husband use to have to do security checks at night at brushy after they shut it down, he seen some crazy stuff ( he was a corporal at Morgan County at the time)
I should, cause honestly- I was just flying a new drone that day... and had no idea 200,000 people would watch the video... my channel wasn't really even started back then. Truth is- Brushy Mountain Prison has many stories to tell. Stay tuned my friend.
Back in the 70's I was sentenced to life in prison for being a repeat "property crime" offender, the crime I was charged with no longer exists today. In 1977 I was 21 years old and serving a life sentence behind the wall's of Brushy Mountain. It was a different world, same offence today, is met with a slap on the wrist compared to what I got! Tennessee law makers were real stupid back then, Thank God our eye's are "mostly" open today!
I did homehealthcare a 70 something old TN lady said she spent the night in jail arrested for FORNICATION she was a widow with young kids and a gentleman/boyfriend came to her home to visit her and he stayed after it got dark so the neighbors called the police and the lady and boyfriend were arrested charged with FORNICATION she says they are dinner and was just talking but back then it wasn't decent to have a man in your home after dark so you could be charged for FORNICATION for doing so
Great video. Glad I saw this. I hope that the renovations have left some of the actual history. I'm not interested in going just for a restaurant, museum and tshirts. I've said this from the beginning.
Goddam , the music in this thing alone, tells sooo much of the story!! Good work, buddy. I'm impressed. You should make movies. I done watching this video like 5 minutes ago, & Im STILL creeped out. I'm sooo never going there.., and I want my mommy.... sheeyit!!!!! Lol
I've never heard of this prison, nor Brushy Mountains in Tennessee. We have a set of Brushy Mountains in NC near North Wilkseboro, known for apple & peach orchards. My dad and I go there to get peaches.
Loved the drone footage. I have seen the inside of this prison from some paranormal youtubers who have filmed in here. They had to get permission from the owner of the place. They have been doing some remodeling and have gotten plaques put up telling the history of the place.
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller I am glad that they are doing something to preserve it. So many places in history are gone because no one wants to preserve them.
Beautiful country but rough and unforgiving. I'll take this one over watching the sun come up over Leavenworth. I was outside and did everything until now to stay that way.
My son's father was here in 09 before they closed and said conditions were horrible. It was winter when he was there. He said it snowed in the windows. Had to wear all his clothes to keep warm
There is a story about a prisoner named Nimrod Pemberton of Scott County TN successfully escaping fron this facility in the year 1920 . Perhaps someone watching this video might have more information about this .
They've got incorrect information on that link on ancestry.com . Nimrod Pemberton was the illegitimate son of Churchwell Pemberton's uncle Jefferson Pemberton and a Susan Gosling , while Churchwell's sons were George W. Pemberton , William H. Pemberton and Jud R. Pemberton . Also I have Nimrod's birth year as 1890 , he would have been 101 years old if he had lived to 1991 .
What an eerie video! Nice work! I am researching an inmate that served there from 1913-1920 or so. His name was Wesley Malone Phillips. You wouldn't happen to be any relation would you?
Tawnya Mueller there was a man they called Cadillac and he spent his teenage years there but when they finally was gonna release him he tried to escape cause he didn't know what it was like to live on the outside
I was visiting my daughter and her family in Tennessee two years ago and we went there. It was open to the public then and to UTV riders to ride some trails around the area. My son-in-law had toured it a year earlier and was telling me that they claim that it is haunted.
My Papaw had a job after he retired delivering meat for a local packing company in the 80's to Knoxville and Oak Ridge areas. I would ride with him when I was out of school, and I remember him having to go to Brushy Mtn a couple times and I was glad they made me stand outside since I was a kid. I didn't mind. Lol. It and Lakeshore in Knoxville scared me to death to deliver to
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller I apologize, I was binge watching your videos, and I didn't realize how many comments I was making and blabbering on. Thank you for your great videos and your kindness in responding to a jabbering old man lol. The best to you and yours and I promise to exercise better keyboard control👍
My dad was here for 4 years or so.. They were really lenient with visitation. I got to spend 5 hours a week personal contact with him in the side yard.
I do not feel sorry for the criminals. Today we are so soft that there is no justice. And the past 2-3 years evil has been let loose in America and on the world.
Its now open to the public for trues. Complete with X-Inmates to tell stories and show you around. I have been seeing this place since I was a kid growing up in the area. It was fun to see what is behind the "castle" as we use to call it.
I was locked up in the youth prison called T.A.F.T ,just a couple miles from brushy. Allot of kids went from Taft to brushy to finish there sentence, Dark Dark stuff went on here and brushy .Guards we're incredibly crooked
I was at brushy from 2000 to 2003 and I can verify there were a lot of good people that I knew but equally as many bad. And not to mention all the stories of inmates that died in the coal mines. An old prisoner they called pops was one of the oldest prisoners there told me a lot of dark stories about that place
I think that instead of building new prisons, the counties should reopen and fix up the older abandoned prisons to make them more modern. This would cut down on the cost to taxpayers, and it might just combat some of the overcrowding
Видеоклипы
My daddy worked there for decades. He retired after 28 years. I had the pleasure of working with some of the best men and women of this State when I worked for TDOC. Many of us are 2nd and 3rd generation working at the new facility. Ever grateful for their sacrifices, hard work and dedication to keep Tennesseans safe everday. Brushy closing was the end of an era in TDOC.
You'll all burn in hell
kat Turner correctional officers and employees are never given the recognition they deserve for doing a job that must be done and one that most people would not do for double the pay.
Thanks
@@timbajwolf5709 Indeed
@motorized bicycles and wood work Robert
I worked in corrections in IL so touring Brushy wasn’t a completely new experience for me unlike many others who have never worked in corrections and experiencing Brushy. However, the long dark history of Brushy was so interesting. We had a former inmate guiding our tour and the stories were so interesting to hear.
❤️
My brother was sentenced there. We had to drive to an outpost and then be deliver to what I believe is the first gate where the drone started to visit, via a van. I remember the inside well. My brother remembers James Earl Ray.
What this video does not reflect is the twist, switch backs, and inclines to get to that gate (where the drone started). It was literally sickening . I got car sick. It was steep. It was deep. The prison is buried in those mountains.
Hi Mike. That road you are talking about is called the Devils Triangle (Hwy 116). You can see those switchbacks in this video I did. It also has more brushy footage in it. ruclips.net/video/ui5ATf_2OOo/видео.html
My Grandfather did some time as well here in the 80’s. I was too young to be told. Later on, when I became old enough I was told his punishment was for shooting a cop in Lake City. When I got my hand’s on my first car this is one of the first places I went. It was one hell of a drive for a 16 year old. I remember being told Ray was there at the same time as him. Not sure if that’s true or not as I didn’t hear the story about him escaping.
So eerie, but I love this old prison. That music is on point too. You got some amazing footage!!!
Thanks Stephanie
Thank you for this spectacular look inside Brushy Mountain . I have lived in East Tennessee my whole life and always wanted to see this place .
I saw 3 concerts there this year now that its a tourist attraction
Thanks
I went and toured it today. A very awesome experience! I believe it to be a very humbling experience. We take a lot for granted outside in this world. But when you visit a place like bushy your whole perspective changes
I agree. Thanks for your thoughts!
Many years ago, my church men's softball team went inside and played their team. I've never heard a sound that hits you so hard in the gut as when they shut the steel gates and doors behind you as you enter deeper into the prison. It was hard to imagine that these guys were having fun playing us but were serving years of sentences for crimes. Great video and drone work JD!
thanks for watching!
edro hillbilly tim McGraw done a concert there in the late 1990 and they really appreciated it they got to stand out front and they had a blast
You said that right !! those Huge Doors slamming shut !! chills me to this day.. My uncle was there Michael Phillips 1969- fifty years and counting re maiming time Mountain City
Beautiful mountains. Beautiful video. Thank you. Hello from Naples Florida
Hello from East Tennessee
Great drone footage and the music is spot on! I visited a cousin housed there in very early 90’s and it was spooky to me just standing outside. But he later was released and served time at Mountain City and he still says that he liked Brushy Mountain a lot better. I’m intrigued by the building being in the shape of a cross. I guess for a lot of the lifers that was their only hope. Eerie place. I hope you do some spooky videos around October/Halloween ( my favorite time of year).
You got it- they will be coming in October
If you like spooky videos check out the “Riggs mansion “ on my channel- watch til the end
Brushy was cross shaped as originally it was made of wood, but after the multiple church groups in Tennessee began pestering the tennessee government for using brushy prisoners as free slave labor in a independent company coal mine, they built the cross shaped building to attempt to get the church off them and then made their own coal mine which continued on until 69.
I often wonder if James Earl Ray was just another scapegoat.. the mind boggles at what humans do to each other.. thanks for your story telling absolutely have enjoyed my afternoon...😁
I’ve wondered the same thing
Hello Dr. Phillips this is Austin, one of your 5th grade students. Your channel is amazing and congrats on 100 thousand, you are so close.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you Austin ❤️
It is open to the public now. Certain times and dates. It was very interesting to tour and very humbling to me. Our car club went there this spring and enjoyed it a lot. If you have a chance to visit it, go and do it. Be sure and stop at The Warden's Table at the entrance for a meal and visit the gift shop.
Yeah, we have been to several concerts there and camped afterwards. Toured the prison, tasted the moonshine and ate at the wardens table... and rode the devils triangle as well. Its right down the road from our house
It's not off limits to the public, you can take tours. My wife and I did a few years ago. Her ex husband was sent there in the 90s. Creepy place. Has a heaviness feel about it in certain areas. Definitely worth going for the tour. Also, during the tour it was never mentioned about Hannibal lecter possibly staying there. James earl Ray was definitely there though.
Indeed- it’s now open for tours- this video was made in 2015 when it was closed to the public
Thanks so much for taking the risk to shoot this. Very interesting.
Indeed
Thank you for recording America's History.
Thank you!
I had the pleasure of living there for four and a half years
Whoa
Help Support the Preservation of Appalachian History by Subscribing to this channel. Support this channel by clicking the "Thanks" button below or by visiting www.theappalachianstoryteller.com for official merchandise. Follow The Appalachian Storyteller on Facebook facebook.com/TheAppalachianStoryteller
Hannibal Lecture never served time here and no one was killed when James Earl Ray escaped. I worked there for 32 yrs I should know.
Larry Wright wow, awesome comments, rock on
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller when James Earl Ray escaped we had a whistle that they would blow and it let the community know something was happening at the prison. the night he was caught and upon arriving with him back at the prison the warden had the whistle blown, knowing all inmates would be looking out the windows to see what was going on. the warden had the whistle blown so they could see Ray having to WALK back up the road to the prison.
There was a similar whistle at the main prison in Nashville. James Earl Ray was transferred to the walls after that escape.
Was hanabel a real person then
I lived right next to it for years,alot of my family worked there.Never really heard any creepy stories about it,but it would be eerie to walk through for sure.They are suppose to turn it in to a distillary,but I think it's still in the works,thanks for posting brung back alot of memories! :)
Thanks
Very interesting
That was so fascinating, good camera work too. Thanks for posting!
Thanks!
DAMN..!!.., REALLLY Beautiful work.., I subbed, and don't regret..You tell a HELLUVA STORY..!!! Thank You !!!
preciate you friend, welcome to the channel 💜
My family and I pass by the old prison every year, going to Frozen Head State Park, located next to prison. Thank you for the opportunity to view it from the inside... It's bigger and creepier than I thought!
Connie Evans thats the new one the old one is in petros but there is a park but its not frozen head in petros
Thanks
You can tour the inside of the prison now. I toured it last summer (2022) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of interesting information. Facts about James Earl Ray, display of shanks and weapons made by the inmates. Jeronimo, the prison pet deer that fell from the cliff behind the prison and landed on prison property. Very interesting. I think it costs $17 to take the self guided tour. We spent about 3 hours there. I totally enjoyed it.
My dad was in Corrections for many years up north. Very cool video with great content.
Love watching it.
Thank you
Be well
Thanks so much!
It’s nice to see they keep it cleaned up. I’m going to see if you have that abandoned school in Sweetwater on here. I’ve always been curious about that school
Thanks!
perfect musical accompaniment and aerial view. THANK YOU>
Thank you 🙏
I actually was there is in the early 90s and again a little later in that decade. The buildings on the upper left hand corner were the maximum security cells called HSA and they were arranged in A, B, C and D Pods. Each pods held about 25 to 30 maximum security cells. This place was horrible to work not really from the inmates but from the staff, most of them except for me and a few others came from the surrounding area and that was the main employment for a lot of people there. The only you got work there is to assigned there as a form of punishment if you pissed the warden or commish off. I am glad they closed that horrible place down.
A lot of BMSP's reputation came from it's hey day from the 50s to the late 70s. After the HSA building was built, most of the dangerous inmates went there. The castle part that you see mostly housed new inmates because BMSP was a TDOC classification mostly during 90s and 2000s right up until the time it closed. The prison is located in Petros Tn.
kevinicity01 i lived 5 minutes from brushy right behind the post office and library. And old gunters grossures
TurtleGames so u no kieth adkinson and a few others too
I know this I came there in transit going to North East,that place was a bad place,the staff was all kin,and the word was they had killed a few inmates with handing a gun to a white inmate and instructed him to kill certain blacks on the yard.this is true,and being a inmate for TDOC from 2006 to 2012 brushy was a bad place because of the crooked staff.the white building in front of the prison was the annex.the wardens are guilty as hell.
the wardens directed inmates to cut the bush around the sides of the mountains to make it look good,and inmates would get bit by snakes and die.these people who worked here and ran this place was bad people.so why Bragg your family worked here.
Nick Hobbs I’ve lived near Brushy my whole life. Have had quite a few friends spend time there. I have not heard of one person dying from a snake bite. There aren’t any really venomous snakes in East Tennessee. Copperheads which have weak venom. Usually they don’t even bother with anti venom with copperhead bites. Eastern Diamondback rattlers are the only venomous Snake I would worry about. Cottonmouths aren’t found in East Tennessee. Maybe a freak one here and there that got lost near Georgia.
Its a tourist attraction now if anyone wants to go. I just visited it yesterday they have added a restaurant and a few other things but still looks close to the same
yes, you can tour the prison now
I was on the other side of the mountain at Morgan County when it closed down. I could go on and on about some realities that most ppl can't conceive, and speak facts that would drive the officers' mad while trying to rationalize their actions, but most don't care. Some were good though. The place is actually haunted. Like most old prisons. Look up "The Walls" in middle Tennessee. That prison was insane, and way older than brushy mountain.
Thanks for that
Enjoyed again JD, great drone footage, I'd fly with you anytime 😊
Thank you! I’ve upgraded my drone since then
Thank you for sharing! I live a little over an hour away East of Knoxville, and I've always heard of this place, but have never been there. Awesome video footage!
Jason T. Greene where u originally from roane co
Thanks
@@katrinaaustin7481 Hello - no, I am from Washington County
I've been there. The most haunting place,that I have ever been. This video doesn't even give this place justice, if they ever make it available to tour,this is something you will want to see...You want believe your eyes....
Thanks
Looks like somebody is there..also saw more than one thing moving about the yard both times you flew over..great work!
Yes!! I didn’t see it til I got home .. it was actually kids dressed in Halloween costumes!!!!
I am doing a Cash Solo show there on July 12, 2017. Great place to visit!
Thanks
Rather nice place, My Aunt worked there, and to my knowledge was the first female officer to work there. It was hard work, but she didn't have to worry too much about getting attacked, the Prisoners were busy slitting each other's throats.
Fun fact! most of the bad stuff ended in the 60's. If you ever meet someone who said they were there and 'the officers beat the shit out of the prisioners" they're lying. That was a rarity that ended in that officer getting fired quite quickly. More than likely that's some angsty prisoner who can't keep their mouth shut and follow the rules ( I myself work at a prison and so long as prisoners treat us with respect we treat them with respect) and were insubordinate enough to warrant backup. In which they tend to either cower up or be the douch and attack you.
Also, Hannibal Lector is Fictional F.Y.I... he's a fantasy character, and even then he was being transfered to Brushy when he escaped.
Thanks for sharing your experiences my friend, I enjoyed reading them. Yeah - hanable was just a fun story. BTW- we will be camping at the prison this Saturday night watching the Jamey Johnson concert
@TheAppalachianStoryteller we also was camping for that concert! My husband use to have to do security checks at night at brushy after they shut it down, he seen some crazy stuff ( he was a corporal at Morgan County at the time)
The Prison Is Now Open For Tours. Toured It 7/4/2019 !
Thanks!
I watched 3 concerts there this year and camped there too
It is now a museum with a restaurant. I have a friend her husband works there.
so cool its once again a part of the communities income
That looks big enough to hold a couple city blocks of all those homeless living in tents on the sides of roads. Just a thought
Indeed
Hey JD!!! I'd love to see this redone with vocal narrative.
I should, cause honestly- I was just flying a new drone that day... and had no idea 200,000 people would watch the video... my channel wasn't really even started back then. Truth is- Brushy Mountain Prison has many stories to tell. Stay tuned my friend.
Back in the 70's I was sentenced to life in prison for being a repeat "property crime" offender, the crime I was charged with no longer exists today. In 1977 I was 21 years old and serving a life sentence behind the wall's of Brushy Mountain. It was a different world, same offence today, is met with a slap on the wrist compared to what I got! Tennessee law makers were real stupid back then, Thank God our eye's are "mostly" open today!
💜
I did homehealthcare a 70 something old TN lady said she spent the night in jail arrested for FORNICATION she was a widow with young kids and a gentleman/boyfriend came to her home to visit her and he stayed after it got dark so the neighbors called the police and the lady and boyfriend were arrested charged with FORNICATION she says they are dinner and was just talking but back then it wasn't decent to have a man in your home after dark so you could be charged for FORNICATION for doing so
@@JaneDoe-ng3zm wow!
@@JaneDoe-ng3zm
Are you serious?
@@figgiefigueroa7372 dead serious the man never came a CALLING anymore after going to jail for visiting her
Great video. Glad I saw this. I hope that the renovations have left some of the actual history. I'm not interested in going just for a restaurant, museum and tshirts. I've said this from the beginning.
The prison has no renovations.
Thanks
Goddam , the music in this thing alone, tells sooo much of the story!! Good work, buddy. I'm impressed. You should make movies. I done watching this video like 5 minutes ago, & Im STILL creeped out. I'm sooo never going there.., and I want my mommy.... sheeyit!!!!! Lol
glad you enjoyed! Subscribe and share!
Finally, someone mentions the music here! YES, thats what's great about all of JDPhillips73 videos.. He COMPOSES and PLAYS the music for his videos!
I heard about this facility but never seen it before.
I wonder if they have done anything with it.
Thanks 👍
It’s open for tours now
I wonder what prison was harder to be a prisoner at: Brushy Mountain Prison or Louisiana State Penitentiary (aka Angola State Penitentiary)?
Thanks
Thank You for sharing this.
No Problem!
I've never heard of this prison, nor Brushy Mountains in Tennessee. We have a set of Brushy Mountains in NC near North Wilkseboro, known for apple & peach orchards. My dad and I go there to get peaches.
Thanks for sharing
I have toured there 2 times in the last yr or so...very interesting place..
Indeed- I just saw Jamey Johnson in concert there a couple weeks ago
Loved the drone footage. I have seen the inside of this prison from some paranormal youtubers who have filmed in here. They had to get permission from the owner of the place. They have been doing some remodeling and have gotten plaques put up telling the history of the place.
indeed, I filmed it 8 years ago in this video
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller I am glad that they are doing something to preserve it. So many places in history are gone because no one wants to preserve them.
We drove by here as we were doing the Devil's Triangle What a fascinating place - thanks for posting the video!
+1funcar I was also driving the Devlis Triangle in my 07 mustang, I just happened to have a drone in the trunk so I pulled over.
+jdphillips73 Were you able to shoot the entire video from the roadside? Drones fascinate me and I was wondering what kind of "range" you have.
+1funcar yes, my drone has a range of around 2 miles and can fly about 2000 ft high
+jdphillips73 Cool. Very cool!
+jdphillips73 - Not legally
Very cool video thank you for sharing….
Thanks for watching!
Great video. My biological father spent several years at brushy. What kind of drone do you have with such amazing range? Super impressive video!
I was flying a phantom 3 advanced that day
Beautiful country but rough and unforgiving. I'll take this one over watching the sun come up over Leavenworth. I was outside and did everything until now to stay that way.
Indeed
My son's father was here in 09 before they closed and said conditions were horrible. It was winter when he was there. He said it snowed in the windows. Had to wear all his clothes to keep warm
Dang! Dont do the crime if you cant do the time
Thanks
Hannibal Lecter was a fictional charterer.
you are correct
This place is Now a museum. Go visit it!! I was just here, It was AWESOME!
Yeah, I've seen 3 concerts there and camped there too
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My Dad did 5 of a 10 year sentence there in 1979-1983. Visited there as a 9 year old. Creepy place, lol
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They do music concerts there now as well as paranormal overnight stuff
yes ma'am. Ive seen jamey Johnson 3 times there and Aaron lewis too... we camped at the prison afterwards
thanks for a tour
thanks sherry
Blue Highway wrote a song about it called Don't Come Out of The Hole.
ill look it up
There is a story about a prisoner named Nimrod Pemberton of Scott County TN successfully escaping fron this facility in the year 1920 . Perhaps someone watching this video might have more information about this .
www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/pemberton_1559129
It says he died in 1991.
They've got incorrect information on that link on ancestry.com .
Nimrod Pemberton was the illegitimate son of Churchwell Pemberton's uncle Jefferson Pemberton and a Susan Gosling , while Churchwell's sons were George W. Pemberton , William H. Pemberton and Jud R. Pemberton . Also I have Nimrod's birth year as 1890 , he would have been 101 years old if he had lived to 1991 .
Thanks
This is amazing exclusive footage from before the prison was turned into a tourist attraction
W
What an eerie video! Nice work! I am researching an inmate that served there from 1913-1920 or so. His name was Wesley Malone Phillips. You wouldn't happen to be any relation would you?
no relation, sorry
Tawnya Mueller there was a man they called Cadillac and he spent his teenage years there but when they finally was gonna release him he tried to escape cause he didn't know what it was like to live on the outside
I was visiting my daughter and her family in Tennessee two years ago and we went there. It was open to the public then and to UTV riders to ride some trails around the area. My son-in-law had toured it a year earlier and was telling me that they claim that it is haunted.
yup, its open now, the video I shot was from when it was abandoned
Wow impressive place!!!
How many lives were won for the lord in that place 🙏🙏🙏🙏
And how may were lost!!!!!
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Wow!! Thank you for that!
Thanks!
My Papaw had a job after he retired delivering meat for a local packing company in the 80's to Knoxville and Oak Ridge areas. I would ride with him when I was out of school, and I remember him having to go to Brushy Mtn a couple times and I was glad they made me stand outside since I was a kid. I didn't mind. Lol. It and Lakeshore in Knoxville scared me to death to deliver to
pretty cool story
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller I apologize, I was binge watching your videos, and I didn't realize how many comments I was making and blabbering on. Thank you for your great videos and your kindness in responding to a jabbering old man lol. The best to you and yours and I promise to exercise better keyboard control👍
@@samspurgeon4222 S'all good my friend
Fun fact Tim Mcgraw did a concert there in the early 2000s there is a video of it on you tube
That’s cool !
wonder if they have a caretaker job here or tour guide as I would love to work here
Thanks
I've never been here but if you ever get the chance to do the night tour of Alcatraz jump on it.
I bet its a blast
That was quite a sight, kind of creepy.
Thank you
Yes sir!
Fricking awesome!
Thanks friend
Maybe you could approach the authorities to give you a complete tour. Interview some Ex staff and maybe some old timers who served sentances there
a good idea my friend
My cousin spent time in Brushy Mountain he said they treated them good there
Thats good to hear!
thanks for this
thanks John
I wish this country would get back to harsher sentences and prision labor, even hard labor if needed. It would solve a lot of problems and money.
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My dad was here for 4 years or so.. They were really lenient with visitation. I got to spend 5 hours a week personal contact with him in the side yard.
thats great, thanks for the insight!
I do not feel sorry for the criminals. Today we are so soft that there is no justice. And the past 2-3 years evil has been let loose in America and on the world.
amen friend, amen
Whoa look at me I just happened to stumble upon this prison miles up a dead end road
Thanks Lance!
You're a better videographer than you are a speller. :) Thanks so much for sharing though. Now I want to know more.
yeah, I messed up MLK's name... saw that after I posted. And yes, I never have been a good speller! Don't tell anyone I'm a teacher!
nice. exclusif. fascinating Thanks
I love it
Thanks
Its now open to the public for trues. Complete with X-Inmates to tell stories and show you around. I have been seeing this place since I was a kid growing up in the area. It was fun to see what is behind the "castle" as we use to call it.
Thanks
Thanks
I wonder why they never incorporated that into northeast correctional complex for off site work program.
Great question
When i was in grade. School my girl friends grandfather worked tere as a guard.
Wow
I thought it was the walking dead thing that was giving me the uneasy feeling? Then you mentioned, Hannibal Lecter. The walking dead's nightmare.
Yup!
We went here on June 17th 2018
did you go in?
I used to live close to it
I was locked up in the youth prison called T.A.F.T ,just a couple miles from brushy. Allot of kids went from Taft to brushy to finish there sentence, Dark Dark stuff went on here and brushy .Guards we're incredibly crooked
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I was at brushy from 2000 to 2003 and I can verify there were a lot of good people that I knew but equally as many bad. And not to mention all the stories of inmates that died in the coal mines. An old prisoner they called pops was one of the oldest prisoners there told me a lot of dark stories about that place
@@macsimumbass745 I bet he had some stories
Where is this what state
Tennessee
My cousin worked there and my ex husband was an inmate there in the 80's and 90's
wow
You realize this is now a museum open to the public?
yes, I saw an Aaron lewis concert there about 10 days ago and going to see Jamey Johnson in a few weeks. Great concert venue
I think that instead of building new prisons, the counties should reopen and fix up the older abandoned prisons to make them more modern. This would cut down on the cost to taxpayers, and it might just combat some of the overcrowding
Thanks
Thanks
i had no idea that drones had the range and height like the one here.
That was my old one, the one I have now will fly 2 miles away
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller that’s crazy lol 😂
looks more like an upside down cross which is probably why it’s haunted
good point!
Its still in good shape.
Its probably a FEMA Camp.
That's not a mine hole... the mines are up the hill. And closed
Thanks
Ok, this is totally cool!
thank you !
is that the mine hole at 7:09.......
yes
I remember seeing the road chain Ganges keeping the roads in good condition
Yup
i go camping in the campground on same road as this prison
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If it was closed, I would have just hoped the fence.
😂
I’ve been in there several times over the years
working there?
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Transporting prisoners to Brushy Mountain
Did a little time here before they closed.
Mike Becker was it hell
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