United States Penitentiary, Lee is a high-security federal prison for men in far southwestern Virginia, with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, built in Lee County’s industrial park near Pennington Gap to bring jobs and investment to an economically struggling area. Construction began in 1998 on the 635,097-square-foot complex, which opened in 2001 and began receiving inmates in 2002. Its design used computer modeling to reduce blind spots around watchtowers. The site also holds archaeological significance, with finds from a Native American gravesite believed linked to an ancient hospital dating back as far as 10,000 years. The prison has since been marked by escapes, inmate killings, and strain on Lee County’s sewage system.