 
Old Fauquier County Jail
Photograph courtesy of Scenic America: Cheryl Shepherd
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Warrenton's former
jail is a singular example of the state's early county penal architecture.
The complex includes the 1808 brick jail, converted to the jailer's residence
and completed in 1823, and the parallel 1823 stone jail with its high-walled
jail-yard. Located next to the courthouse, the jail provides a telling
picture of conditions endured by inmates of such county facilities. A
jail was built for the county in 1779, but it proved to be inadequate
within a number of years. The more substantial brick structure was finished
in 1808, and
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County Jail c.1972
Photograph from National Register Collection, courtesy of Virginia
Historic Landmarks Commission
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on October 24 the keys to the new jail were turned over to the sheriff.
With the completion of the stone jail and its plank-lined cells, the
resulting two-part building served the county until 1966. The complex
is now maintained by the Fauquier County Historical Society as a county
history museum.
The Old Fauquier County Jail is located at the Fauquier County Courthouse
Square in Warrenton. It is open Sunday - Monday (closed Tuesday) Wednesday-Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm year
round, but closed Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Call 540-347-5525
for further information.
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