Cooperative Living October 2016 - 18

(Above) The 1822 Brentsville Courthouse, where James Clark was scheduled to be tried.
He was shot in his jail cell and never went to trial. (Top right) The 1850 jail, the only
19th-century jail open to the public in Virginia that has regular hours, is undergoing
restoration. (Inset) Bill Backus, site manager of Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre.
Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre
12229 Bristow Road, Bristow, Virginia
Several ghost legends are attached to
Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre,
but the one that's attracted the most
attention over the years is a doozy.
Back in 1872, the 1850 jail housed
James Clark, then-commonwealth's
attorney for Prince William County.
Clark, 30, had left his wife and children
to enter a relationship with 16-year-old
Fannie Fewell. According to Bill Backus,
historic site manager, " She got cold feet
and went back to her parents and
[Clark] was arrested and thrown into
jail for kidnapping. "
Awaiting trial, Clark was shot in his
cell by Fewell's older brother and died
the next day.
The brother was later caught, but
many ex-Confederate generals and
Virginia politicians came to the aid of
the defense and he was acquitted.
" This was the 19th-century equivalent
of the O.J. Simpson [trial]. It made
16 | Cooperative Living | October 2016
national news because these were two
prominent Virginia families, " Backus
explains. " After the trial, a reporter
tracked down a jury member who said
Clark got what was coming to him. The
legend is the ghost is in the jail because
he never got justice. "
County-owned, the 28-acre complex
includes archaeological sites, the 1822
courthouse, the jail, Union Church (1874),
a 1928 one-room schoolhouse and
Haislip-Hall House (1853). The HaislipHall
farmhouse is the only building not
originally on the property; it was moved
from its original location a few miles away
when a developer agreed to move it to the
site as a proffer. All buildings are restored
except for the jail, where restoration is
in progress.
On Oct. 28-29, visitors can have what
Backus calls " a unique experience " ; they
can spend a night in the old jail for $300
per room/cell, each accommodating four
people. On Nov. 12, " Paranormal
101 " will be held from 7 p.m. until
midnight in partnership with ECRIP
(East Coast Research and Investigation
of the Paranormal " ); tickets are $100.
These are special-event prices.
Normal admission to the park is
$5 for adults.
About 12,000 people visit Brentsville
annually. When the jail was featured
on TV's Ghost Hunters in 2009,
visitation increased, but history
remains the main draw.
" This is the only 19th-century jail
open to the public in Virginia that has
regular tours, " Backus notes. " People
can walk where these events took
place, go into the jail cell where Clark
was shot ... it's a unique site where you
can experience history. "
www.pwcgov.org/brentsville
(703) 365-7895
www.co-opliving.com
http://www.pwcgov.org/brentsville http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living October 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living October 2016
