Located along the Cumberland River at Cockrill Bend, the Tennessee State Penitentiary operated from 1898 to 1992. Nicknamed "the Castle," the fortress-like complex was designed by Chattanooga architect Samuel Patton, with a central administration building flanked by five-story cell block wings segregated by race and gender. The maximum security prison closed by federal court decision because of perpetual overcrowding and poor conditions. Behind 20-foot stone walls, the self-supporting campus included a hospital, chapel, industrial shops, cafeteria, gym, and a death house where 125 prisoners were executed from 1916 to 1960. The prison also became associated with popular culture through film and music, producing an inmate band called The Prisonaires, hosting concerts by Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Linda Ronstadt, and Eddy Arnold, and serving as the setting for films such as The Last Castle and The Green Mile.
