National Register of Historic Places

Prince William County Courthouse

Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia
Listed
February 11, 2004
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
04000039

About this property

Prince William County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at 9248 Lee Avenue, Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia. Rehabilitated in 2000–2001, it currently houses some offices of the Prince William County clerk, and the historic courtroom upstairs can be rented for events. The county's fifth courthouse was built in 1892–1893, on land donated by former Union officer and Virginia lawyer and delegate George Carr Round. After several legal disputes, including one decided by the Virginia Supreme Court, the county government moved to this building near the county's most important railroad station, from the centrally located but increasingly isolated Brentsville Courthouse and Jail. This became the county's courthouse in 1897. On July 21, 1911, U.S. President William Howard Taft and Virginia Governor William Hodges Mann shook hands on the courthouse lawn during the Manassas Peace Jubilee commemorating the 50th anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run, the first major conflict of the American Civil War. The town of Manassas became large enough for the Virginia General Assembly to incorporate it as a city in the 1970s, which caused several complications for the old courthouse. After negotiations, title to the courthouse building and the jail (razed years later) remained in the County, and various town (city) offices moved out of the building. The county property became surrounded by city land, much of which became included in a national historic district in 2004. Meanwhile, by 1980, the space had become too cramped for judicial operations in the growing county, so another courthouse was built about a mile away. This building continued actively use as a county courthouse until 1982. The current (modern) courthouse containing both the Prince William Circuit Court and the Prince William District Court is at 9311 Lee Avenue in Manassas, VA 20110, and has several parking lots nearby. The two-story, Romanesque style polychromatic brick building measures 52 feet by 60 feet and has a hipped roof. The front facade is symmetrical and features a projecting central bay forming a three-story clock tower topped with a cupola. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Location

9248 Lee Ave.
Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia
38.75490, -77.47587

Categories

ARCHITECTUREPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT
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

Manassas Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Annaburg
Industrial
0.4 mi
Manassas Water Tower
Industrial
0.4 mi
Liberia
Industrial
1.2 mi
Conner House
Industrial
1.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Skirmish at Manassas Junction (Second, 1863)
1863Civil War
0.2 mi
Manassas Junction Raid – 1863
1863Civil War
0.2 mi
Engagement at Manassas Junction (August 26 1862)
1862Civil War
0.3 mi
Battle of Blackburn's Ford
1861Civil War
2.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Prince William County Courthouse listed on the National Register?

Prince William County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 11, 2004.

What type of historic resource is Prince William County Courthouse?

Prince William County Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Prince William County Courthouse?

The period of significance for Prince William County Courthouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Prince William County Courthouse?

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