"Building Time at Brushy" by Stonney Ray Lane

After we visited Brushy Mountain Prison in Pecos Tennessee a few months ago, I really wanted to learn more about the site.  It is big, and it has been around for forever!

Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of books available about Brushy Mountain.  I was a little let down that the gift shop didn’t have something like that available.

Fortunately, former Warden Stonney Ray Lane wrote a nice book about his time there.

The book is close to 300 pages but it flows well, and it is a very quick read for its size.

Stonney talks about his time growing up and he gives a bit of information about how he ended up working at the prison.

The main story that most people are interested in, when it comes to former prisoners at Brushy Mountain is James Earl Ray.  James Earl Ray was the convicted assassin of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.  Anyway, Ray found himself doing time at Brushy.

AND, he escaped!  For a couple of days, he and a couple of other inmates hid out in the hills around the prison before getting caught and taken back. 

Stonney was very directly involved in the entire event at the prison and he gives his story.  It was great listening to him talk about butting heads with the FBI and dealing with news reports. 

One of the most interesting moments of the book comes when Stonney asks Ray about the assassination.  Ray indirectly gives a very telling answer.

I would love to find some more books on the prion…..  Please feel free to drop me a line if you know of a good one….  But “Building Time at Brushy” satisfied some of my curiosity.