Part of moving the County seat from Dumfries to Brentsville involved building several public buildings for the function of local governing. One of these buildings the Jail was built in 1822. The Jail would serve Prince William County for the next 71 years. When the County seat was moved to Manassas in 1893 the building served in many capacities. These included a dormitory for a girls’ school a private home and an office space.