Restored Historic Brentsville Jail Offering Sleepover Program

The Brentsville Jail, built in the 1800s and now a historic site in Prince William County, is offering an overnight experience on Saturday, July 20, where attendees can sleep in a prison cell, take part in a mock trial, take an evening tour and listen to ghost stories around a campfire.

“Guests will take part in a mock trial where we take court cases from the 1800s and we give everyone different roles,” Paige Gibbons Backus, historic site manager at Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre & Lucasville School, said in a press release. “They go through the court case, hear the evidence and then decide if someone is innocent or guilty and we tell them if they changed history or not.”

The jail was built in tandem with the Brentsville Courthouse in the 1820s and served as the “center of law and order” for the county until 1893, the release stated. The county seat moved to Manassas, so the jail transitioned to a women’s dorm for the teacher’s college in the defunct courthouse. It was then renovated to become a private residence then the county park authority’s jail space.

Since those days, the jail has been restored by the Office of Historic Preservation to return to its original appearance. A museum is now the main occupant of the building, detailing its own history and that of Brentsville.

Up to five people can sleep in a single, air-conditioned cell and attendees will receive a light breakfast on Sunday morning, which is included in the $120 registration fee.