The Tennessee State Penitentiary opened in 1831.  It was located near downtown Nashville. Prior to 1831 the convicts were housed in the county jails.  It was the suggestion of Governor McMinn to fund the construction of a state penitentiary by obtaining a bank loan.

Cell Block and D

The construction started in 1830 and opened January 1, 1831.

Governor Carroll dedicated the new penitentiary.  The new facility contained 200 cells, storehouse, hospital, and a few other buildings.  Construction on a new building began in 1893,  The new building opened in 1898.

Below is a list of prisoners from Giles County.  These names came from two published volumes of Tennessee Convicts: Early Records of the State Penitentiary, 1831-1870 located at the Tennessee Library and Archives.

You can request a penitentiary record by emailing the Tennessee Library and Archives at Reference [dot] TSLA [at] tn [dot] gov

Source:  http://sos.tn.gov/products/tsla/inmates-tennessee-state-penitentiary-1831-1870.