Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre

Built in 1822 as the fourth county seat for Prince William County, Brentsville Courthouse was the center of all county business, voting, tax collection, civil and criminal cases alike, for the next 70 years. At Brentsville, the general public was regularly reminded of the resistance to slavery by African American residents of Virginia as both enslaved and free freedom seekers were caught, jailed, tried, and punished. Many more freedmen and enslaved African Americans were tried for crimes. In the 1850’s and 1860’s, abolitionists were tried and jailed for openly expressing their views and violating Virginia law. An exhibit focusing on the 19th-century African American experience in Prince William County is included in the site tour.