Looking for a great spot to spend an hour or less? My
husband and I had the pleasure of visiting two sites, Brentsville Jail &
Courthouse and Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park. They are right here
in Prince William County.
If you have a free weekend, I would highly recommend
visiting and learning about these sites.
Both places would be perfect for a peaceful & romantic picnic. Old Brentsville jail was excitedly &
beautifully restored. Just imagine it is
1855 and a runaway slave was on trial. The courthouse was the day’s
entertainment, watching the community argue the case. The set up of a courtroom
is different today from back then. We were lucky and received a tour from a
joyful and knowledgeable guide for a reasonable $10. I found out that Prince William Co.
Preservation has big plans to create a museum if they can get the funds
unfortunately. There are historic
markers, trail, courthouse, jail, farmstead, school, and church here to
explore.
. 
The second historic site Bristoe Station Battlefield
Heritage Park is a nature park with a walking trail and historic markers. If you go on second & fourth weekends
May-Oct, a guide is there for a fantastic 45-minute talk about the battles. The battles may be small but had a big impact
especially battle of Bristoe Station.
In Oct 1863 during battle of Bristoe Station even though
Confederates had more men, it was a devastating and embarrassing loss. Just imagine General Warren fighting General
Hill North Carolina Brigades at Bristow Station while drinking cool soda. If
Civil War history does not interest you, you could borrow a local nature from
public library, and identify plants and animals. I want to challenge everyone to go out and
explore local history.
