Talk:Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
Correction and Detention Facilities (defunct) | ||||
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Tennessee Start‑class Low‑importance | ||||||||||
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Appalachia Start‑class | ||||||||||
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BRUSHY MOUNTAIN'S INMATE PET - GERONIMO
I recently came across some old black & white photographs of Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex I took sometime in 1973, while on assignment for a local area newspaper. The complex was then known as Brushy Mountain Prison or simply as “Brushy". Brushy shut down for about 4 years beginning in 1972 and one day I was given the un-escorted run of the deserted prison.
I was really impressed and depressed by the lonely cramped cells, with pictures taped to their walls, and thought about the men and stories that passed over this barber's chair.
As I walked the bases of the baseball diamond, which had a shear bluff for a backstop behind home plate, contemplating the history and silence of the place, Geronimo, a deer brought to the prison by one of the guards and kept as a pet by the inmates, walked up behind me and innocently nudged my arm. Thinking I was all alone in the deserted facility, I was so startled I yelled out loud from fright – luckily no one heard me but Geronimo. He had no fear of me. He was used to lots of attention and was starved for a little companionship and probably wanted a treat.
The cell blocks consisted of 4 caged tiers, the cells contained 4 steel bunks, one toilet, and all the walkways were caged.
Since I could find only brief mentions of Geronimo I thought I would post these shots as proof he lived and spent his life bringing some enjoyment to the inmates of "Brushy". You can see these photos at [http://mushysmoochings.blogspot.com/2006/01/geronimo-brushy-mountains-inmate-pet.html
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Geronimo
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Brushy Mountain
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Mushy (talk) 01:21, 26 January 2009 (UTC)
Broken Links
Just a note that link 7 (regarding closing of Brushy Mountain) goes to a page, offering the domain name for sale. (And I wanted to see that news about the closing. Oh well...) Thanks! Kenneth Parker, Seattle, WA