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The Old Jail Museum, formerly the Fauquier County jail, is now the home of the Fauquier Historical Society.
Built in 1808, the front portion of the jail originally contained four cells, each of which was approved to house 40 prisoners. In 1823, after only 15 years of use, the 1808 jail was deemed insufficient and a new stone jail was built just to the rear of the older structure. The 1808 jail was then converted into a house for the jailor with a kitchen made of the leftover stones from the "New Jail" added in 1824. The rear structure contains original cells as well as an exercise yard,  which was also used as a hanging yard. Hangings took place in the yard until 1896. This is one of the most perfectly preserved old jails in the Commonwealth, and was operated as a jail until 1966.
Today, the Old Jail is a history museum focusing on the histories of the Town of Warrenton, Fauquier County, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The artifacts that make up the museum's exhibitions have all been donated by generous local citizens.
Featured Exhibitions at the Old Jail Museum:
Two Hundred Years at the Old Jail (1808 - 2008)
Maximum Security Cell Block
Colonial Kitchen
Recreation of an 1823 Jail Cell
The Civil War in Fauquier County
"It's Child's Play": 19th and Early 20th Century Toys
Native Americans in Fauquier County
Rappahannock Canal Boat / Early Industry in Fauquier County
Wine Cellar Exhibit
& much more
The Old Jail Museum is closed Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's Day. During inclement weather, we close when Fauquier County Public Schools close.
Old Courthouse
The Old Courthouse built in 1890 after fires destroyed earlier buildings of 1790, 1819 and 1854. Site picked in 1790 by Richard Henry Lee as the highest point in town. Current courthouse reproduces an 1854 building copied after the
Parthenon in Athens.
The Warren Green Hotel, originally built on the site of the Norris Tavern in 1819, was rebuilt following fire in 1876. Gen. Lafayette was given a banquet in 1825 with 6,000 of Fauquier's population cheering him. President James Monroe and a large company of distinguished men, were served an "elegant repast" here; Andrew Jackson stayed here; Henry Clay declared for the Presidency here; Gen. George McClellan said farewell to his troops in 1862, after being relieved of his command by President Lincoln; Theodore Roosevelt dined here; Wallis Warfield, the future Duchess of Windsor, spent a year here in 1927 waiting for her first divorce.
The Mosby House was built by the Spilman family in 1859. After the Civil War it was occupied by Col. John S. Mosby and his family and has been known as the "Mosby House" ever since.
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