Midtown in Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

First State Penitentiary

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, November 11, 2022

1. First State Penitentiary Marker

Inscription. This corner was part of the original prison ground for the first Tennessee State Penitentiary. The prison stood on 10 acres between Church Street and Cedar Street, now Charlotte Avenue, from 15th Avenue westward. The prison opened on January 1, 1831, during the administration of Governor William Carroll. Leased convicts helped build the state capitol between 1845 and 1859.

Heavily fortified during the Civil War Federal occupation of Nashville in 1862, the penitentiary housed military and political prisoners. The prison closed in 1898, during Governor Benton McMillin's term. In 2013 this corner was named Governors Corner in honor of those two men.

Erected 2016 by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3A 220.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Historical Commission series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 1, 1831.

Location. 36° 9.566′ N, 86° 47.762′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in Midtown. It is on McMillin Street south of Charlotte Avenue

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(U.S. 70), on the right when traveling south. Marker is behind a barbecue restaurant. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1601 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville TN 37203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bethlehem Centers of Nashville (within shouting distance of this marker); Capers Memorial CME Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); William Edmondson (about 600 feet away); Blue Triangle YWCA (approx. 0.2 miles away); Watkins Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Pearl High School (approx. ¼ mile away); The Fisk Jubliee Singers (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Alfred Stieglitz Collection at Fisk University (approx. 0.3 miles away).

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2020

2. First State Penitentiary Marker

Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.

Also see . . . Tennessee State Prison. Tennessee Encyclopedia entry on the state prison's history, by the Tennessee Historical Society. (Submitted on June 20, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 20, 2020

3. First State Penitentiary Marker

First Tennessee State Penitentiary image. Click for full size.

Tennessee State Library and Archives, circa 1831

4. First Tennessee State Penitentiary

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,807 times since then and 108 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 23, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 20, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.