the body farm

On our recent road trip to the University of Tennessee, we were driving through Knoxville, following the Tennessee River, we could see the stadium up ahead and someone said, "Where is the Body Farm?" Several of us have read about it, and although we don't really want to take a tour, it would be neat to see the general area.

Sue has read all of Patricia Cornwell's books, one of which was written in 1994 titled The Body Farm about this facility here in Tennessee. I read that one also and at the time I just figured it was a fictional place. Since then I have read all of the Body Farm books by Jefferson Bass. Nicole majored in criminal justice and has read some of the books, she wanted to see it too.

On the campus of the University of Tennessee lies a patch of ground unlike any in the world. The "Body Farm" is a place where human corpses are left to the elements, and every manner of decay is fully explored—for the sake of science and the cause of justice. ~Dr. Bill Bass on the University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility

The creator of the Body Farm at UT is Dr. Bill Bass. He and writer Jon Jefferson have written a series of fiction books about the farm, great stories:

1.  Carved in Bone (2006)

2.  Flesh and Bone (2007)

3.  The Devil's Bones (2008)

4.  Bones of Betrayal (2009)

5.  The Bone Thief (2010)

6.  The Bone Yard (2011)

7.  The Inquisitor'sKey (2012)

8.  Cut to the Bone (2013)

9.  The Breaking Point (2015)

At lunch I asked cousin Joann if she knew where the Body Farm was, as she lives in Knoxville. I don't remember her answering me, probably thought I was crazy for asking :).

If you are interested in forensics or just like a good story, check out the Body Farm books, and when you go to a football game at UT, remember what is underneath the football field (no not bodies, but the Anthropology Department with over 5000 skeletons stored in boxes).

If you are ever driving around in the area, see if you can find the actual Body Farm... maybe take a tour? The gate looks like this: