Aaron Lewis and The Stateliners Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary Petros

Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was once a large maximum-security prison in the town of Petros in Morgan County, Tennessee. It has reinvented itself as an entertainment venue. The Tennessee Department of Correction previously operated the building. Also called Brushy, it was established in 1896 and continued operating until 2009. The prisons’ grounds inside the venue are now part of the Barkley Marathons. Brushy was not just in jail, but for decades, it was a coal mine for the state of Tennessee, originating in the wake of a labor battle.

In the beginning, Brushy Mountain was a building onsite railroad spur. It was the original wooden prison structure. There was ongoing violence, deadly mining accidents, and chronic illness. Until the 1960s, the sole mission of the prison remained mining. Brushy was reclassified for its primarily maximum security when 100 beds were added.

After all these historical events and the closure of Brushy Mountain in 2009, a couple of genius entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to create a business. The Brushy Mountain Group eventually came together in 2013, and they have been operating since. The place has become public for visitors, with many tours, concerts, and distillery taking place.