1822 jail in need of funds

Go to jail. Go directly to jail.

Okay, maybe not until the Brentsville jail has been fully renovated by PWC's Historic Preservation Division.

The former Prince William County Jail, one of several 1820s buildings at the Brentsville Historic Site on Bristow Road, housed six cells, a jailer's office and living space for the jailer's family. Not exactly a family's dream home, but jailers in the budding Prince William County area not only supervised criminals, they acted as food preparers and servers among other roles. Besides, jailers' children could easily walk to the small schoolhouse one building over.

Built in 1822 to incarcerate debtors, runaway slaves and violent criminals, the cells were constructed of thick timbers almost impossible to penetrate.

Prisoners did not typically stay longer than a year, as the jail served as more of a holding facility. Once prisoners received sentencing, they were usually shipped to the Richmond prison—that is, if they were allowed to live. The common ground in front of the jail and courthouse got plenty of use; more than 10 black prisoners were hanged from the gallows of Brentsville prior to 1893. Only one was white.

Brentsville, founded in 1820, served as the fourth county seat of Prince William County because the location was then central to all residents.

The Civil War brought drastic changes to Brentsville and the county. Many public and private buildings were destroyed during the war, and Brentsville never fully recovered. In 1893, the county seat was moved to Manassas where the economic and social center had migrated because of its railroad junction.

Site manager Rob Orrison looks forward to the time when he can give visitors official tours of the jail, which is slated to be restored to its 1830s appearance.

"We need to raise money for restoration," he said. "Right now, with the county's budget, we can't do that."

Though Brentsville celebrated a grand opening of its historic buildings in 2007, the jail remains closed to the public. Until the jail is stabilized, no one but staff and contractors are permitted in the building for safety reasons.

A peek inside makes this easy to understand. Stairs are crumbling. There is no electricity, heat or lighting. Walls are shedding their plaster, and flooring is treacherous. Termites have consumed structural beams.

This was not always the case. After being used as a jail, the building served as a dormitory for the Prince William Academy, which was once the courthouse.

The academy began as private but turned public in 1907. After that, Brentsville resident and Historic Preservation volunteer Morgan Breeden lived there before turning the building over to the county.

While some work has begun, progress is mostly at a standstill. Volunteers and donors subsidize labor, funding and time, but right now, Orrison is the only full-time employee. Living next to the grounds, Orrison is in charge of giving tours, maintaining site security, mowing lawns and assisting in restorations—no small list of duties.

Even so, while park employees rarely earn much money, Orrison said, "I won't lie. I don't have a bad day.

"You have to have a passion for it," Orrison said. "I knew at a young age this is what I wanted to do."

For more about Historic Brentsville, see http://www.pwcgov.org/brentsville or call 703-365-7895.

This is the first in a series of articles on western Prince William County's historic sites.