Later Life and Legacy
Turney did not seek reelection in 1896, and did not seek public office again afterward. He died in Winchester, Tennessee, on October 19, 1903, and was buried in the Winchester City Cemetery.
The state penitentiary authorized during Turney's administration, Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, operated from 1896 to 2009. The coal and farm lands purchased as part of the prison complex are now part of Frozen Head State Park. In tribute to Turney's prison reform efforts, the Turney Center for Youthful Offenders (now the Turney Center Industrial Complex), which opened in 1971 in Hickman County, was named in his honor.
Turney's brother, Joe Turney, used his political connections to manage a chain gang for financial gain, inspiring a famous blues song, "Joe Turner," which in turn inspired August Wilson's play, Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
Read more about this topic: Peter Turney
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