Take A Tour of the Old Tennessee State Prison Via Drone-Shot Video

NASHVILLE, TN — Almost no one gets to go inside the walls of the old Tennessee State Prison. Largely disused since it closed in 1992 — ordered shut after 96 years of service for inhumane conditions — the prison was a popular place for film shoots, serving as a set for The Last Castle and The Green Mile, among others, until it deteriorated to the point of danger.

But now, the state's Department of Correction is offering a free — and completely safe — tour of the imposing Romanesque structure known by its tenants as "The Walls." Nashville company Those Drones shot a fascinating 17-minute video with its unmanned aerial vehicles, offering looks not just at the famous facade but a virtual walking tour of the inside.

The video, scored with eerie ambient music perfectly suited for the subject, reveals all: cells, the auditorium, the mess hall — and the mess all left behind when humans leave in a hurry and nature takes hold.

Image via Wikimedia Commons user Pepper6181, used under Creative Commons.