Haunted Nashville State Prison

The Tennessee State Prison located in Nashville, Tennessee is said to be haunted. Built in 1898, this prison has housed thousands of inmates of various crimes. It could be quite possible this building is filled with aberrations roaming the halls, forever incarcerated with no way out.

The Nashville State Prison was built by Enoch Guy Elliott. Elliott was Chief Warden of the old prison and he used inmates to construct the new location. Prisoners began being housed in the 800 cell facility in February of 1898; however, overcrowding was an immediate issue after 1,400 inmates was assigned to their cells.

Every prisoner was assigned to sixteen hour days of work detail to help fund the facility. After a long days work, the inmates only got a small portion of food and had to sleep in unheated cells. In 1902, the state prison began to have an array of problems. Inmates were rioting; one inmate blew out a section of the walls, causing the death of another inmate. There were several escapes, fights, and fires started. Many areas of the building, including the dining room, had extreme damage.

The Nashville State Prison was forced to close in June of 1992 due to a Class Action Law Suit. The federal court banned inmates from ever being housed in this prison location again. Another prison was constructed and all prisoners were transported to the new location. The Nashville State Prison has been abandoned ever since.

Movie Locations

Since the closing of the prison, it has served as a film location for various Hollywood movies. Popular movies such as Ernest Goes to Jail and The Green Mile have been filmed in the abandoned prison. If you have seen either of these movies, you've gotten a glimpse of what it might have been like for the prisoners who were housed there so many years ago. The accommodations were not the best, even for a criminal.

The Green Mile

Those who have had the chance to enter the facility since its closing have reported some strange activities. Visitors have reported the sound of cell doors being slammed, echoes throughout the hallways, the sound of footsteps, and even cold spots in various locations in the building. One guard employed at the prison in 1985 reported hearing footsteps under his tower. When calling for backup and investigating, they discovered footprints circling the tower. The guard also found the same footprints located behind his chair inside the tower, but no one was ever seen.

Tourists, at one time, could visit the inside of the prison, but due to unstable structures throughout the building, the tours have been cancelled. Those who are interested in viewing the inside of the facility can find videos online simply by searching, "Nashville State Prison."

The walls of the Nashville State Prison have seen a lot, and if walls could talk, I'm sure we would hear some stories that would give us nightmares. Souls of passed inmates could be trapped, spending eternity in this once heavily guarded compound.

Haunting

Below is just a little facts and trivia that are related to the Nashville State Prison.

Facts and Trivia

• Inmates wore striped uniforms
• Inmates were forced to live in inhumane conditions
• The prison had night time solitary
• VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project was filmed at the prison
• Enoch Guy Elliott was married to Lady Ida Beasley Elliott, Missionary to Burma
• Materials from the original prison were used to help construct out buildings and offices for the new prison.
• Country music artist, Eric Church, filmed two music videos at this location.