Bruin's Slave Jail is a two-story brick building in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C.
In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...
, from which slave trader
Joseph Bruin
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
imprisoned
slaves. Bruin's company, called Bruin and Hill, transported captured Africans to slave markets in the
Southern United States
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
. At the start of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
, 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
The Historic Fairfax County Courthouse is one of the oldest buildings in Fairfax, Virginia. It was constructed in 1799 to serve as the seat of government in Fairfax County. During the American Civil War, the first Confederate officer casualty of ...
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.
See also
*
Slave markets and slave jails in the United States
References
External links
Joseph Bruin and the Slave Trade, Official 2007 Historic Redevelopment ReportInformation on Bruin's Slave Jail from Virginia African Heritage ProgramArchaeology: Digging up History at the Bruin Slave Jail
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Alexandria, Virginia
History of slavery in Virginia
Federal architecture in Virginia
Houses completed in 1819
Buildings and structures in Alexandria, Virginia
Jails on the National Register of Historic Places
Jails in Virginia
Slave jails in the United States
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