National Register of Historic Places

Bruin's Slave Jail

Alexandria (Independent City), Alexandria County, Virginia
Listed
August 13, 2000
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
00000890

About this property

Bruin's Slave Jail is a two-story brick building in Alexandria, Virginia, in which slave trader Joseph Bruin imprisoned slaves. Bruin's company, called Bruin and Hill, transported enslaved Americans of African descent to slave markets in the Southern United States. At the start of the American Civil War, Bruin was captured and imprisoned in Washington, D.C. His property, including the slave jail, was confiscated by U.S. Marshals and used as the Fairfax County Courthouse until 1865. All that remains today of the entire compound is a two-story brick structure that housed the enslaved people. Bruin's home, kitchen, and wash-house no longer remain.

Location

1707 Duke St.
Alexandria (Independent City), Alexandria County, Virginia
38.80436, -77.05864

Categories

COMMERCEPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTBLACKARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Orange and Alexandria Railroad Hooff's Run Bridge
Industrial
0.1 mi
Southwest No. 1 Boundary Marker of the Original District of Columbia
Listed
0.1 mi
Alexandria National Cemetery
Listed
0.2 mi
Franklin and Armfield Office
Industrial
0.2 mi
Alexandria Union Station
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Raid on Alexandria
1814Early Republic
0.6 mi
British Occupation of Alexandria VA
1814Early Republic
0.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bruin's Slave Jail listed on the National Register?

Bruin's Slave Jail was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 13, 2000.

What type of historic resource is Bruin's Slave Jail?

Bruin's Slave Jail is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bruin's Slave Jail?

The period of significance for Bruin's Slave Jail is recorded as the industrial era.

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