TENNESSEE STATE
PRISON PROJECT

Our mission is to inform others about and show acknowledgment for the plight and injustices faced by prisoners in the hands of the state prison

The Musuem Plans




  • Our goal is to repurpose the lobby of the Tennessee State Prison into a museum that covers the institution of convict leasing and labor.
  • The museum will cover every floor of the main lobby building.
  • We plan to restore the lobby to a safe condition (mainly to get rid of the asbestos)
    • Leave some parts still worn away (but closed off) reminding visitors of what happened here.
  • Artifacts from the prison’s history will be present
    • Old mugshots, prison uniforms, jail cells, letters, journals, and more will all be present, documenting the prison’s history.
    • We will provide ample opportunity for visitors to connect with the history of the prison through various interactive exhibits.
    • Artifacts from the prison’s past will be displayed around the building
  • Front desk to provide more information and a map of the museum/a guided tour
    • Will also be used to check visitors into the museum and ensure the safety
  • After going through the lobby, visitors go to the basement, where they start their trek through our exhibition hall.
  • Upon arriving at the basement of the building, visitors start by going through a fully restored cell. They’ll get to see the cramped conditions. It is designed a be a small space and make visitors feel how uncomfortable a cell in the prison would’ve been. From there, they move into an exhibit hall that goes over the history of the prison, both architectural and condition-wise.
  • There will be a specific room dedicated to the Grubbs v. Bradley case and the effects of that court decision nationwide.
  • As they move up in the building (away from the last two exhibits), visitors continue into a hall dedicated to the history of convict leasing and labor in Tennessee. The focus of the hall broadens to the history of those institutions across the rest of the South.
  • They can look out over the remains of the prison factories and farms while looking around the exhibit.
  • As they walk back down to the lobby, visitors will pass through a dark hallway and be encouraged to use that brief walk as an opportunity to reflect on what they ended up seeing during their visit.

Extra Features


  • Projector playing an old film of the prison’s operation
  • An information board displays and teaches visitors about the importance of human rights and ensuring all people’s (even prisoners’) natural rights are not violated.
  • Benches will be spread throughout the museum as resting places
  • A massive metal key statue stands upright in the museum, demonstrating opportunity, and that people can change.
  • Allow visitors to attach their answer to the question of “what freedom means” on a board