brushy mountain state penitentiary cemetery

Brushy Mountain Prison Cemetery

Petros, Morgan Canton, Tennessee, The states

Get directions Petros, Tennessee, Us

Coordinates: 36.09940, -84.44970
Cemetery ID: 9859

Two Petros natives are dedicated to restoring the graveyard located at Brushy Mount Country Penitentiary. Charlie McGee, 84 and Don Cox, 84, estimate that over 500 bodies are buried in this graveyard. All plots are unmarked and did non have headstones to identify the deceased. There is also no tape of who is buried in the graveyard.

This graveyard is where many prisoners were buried when they passed away while incarcerated. "I would say most 95 percentage of the people they buried hither were black. A lot of them died while working in the coalmines, some were killed, some died from natural causes," says Cox.

McGee and Cox explained that when a prisoner died the families of the deceased could either hold a funeral service and bury them, or the prison house would bury them in the graveyard. "Back then most white families could beget that only a lot of the blackness people's families couldn't so they were buried in the graveyard."

The duo has located every unmarked gravesite and marked them with rocks. The two have worked on this since October final yr (2019). Cox individually placed each stone at each gravesite that he could place. Mcgee has been mowing the backyard equally often as he can.

Two Petros natives are dedicated to restoring the graveyard located at Brushy Mount Country Penitentiary. Charlie McGee, 84 and Don Cox, 84, estimate that over 500 bodies are cached in this graveyard. All plots are unmarked and did non have headstones to identify the deceased. There is besides no record of who is buried in the graveyard.

This graveyard is where many prisoners were buried when they passed abroad while incarcerated. "I would say most 95 percent of the people they buried here were blackness. A lot of them died while working in the coalmines, some were killed, some died from natural causes," says Cox.

McGee and Cox explained that when a prisoner died the families of the deceased could either concur a funeral service and coffin them, or the prison house would bury them in the graveyard. "Back and so well-nigh white families could afford that but a lot of the black people's families couldn't and so they were buried in the graveyard."

The duo has located every unmarked gravesite and marked them with rocks. The two have worked on this since October final year (2019). Cox individually placed each rock at each gravesite that he could identify. Mcgee has been mowing the backyard every bit often as he can.