Bruin’s Slave Jail is a Federal-style brick dwelling constructed about 1819 for John Longden who sold the property in 1844 to Joseph Bruin, a slave dealer. Bruin used the house as a holding facility or “slave jail” for slaves awaiting sale to individuals and other dealers. Harriet Beecher Stowe, in her book The Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1854), described how she used her knowledge of Bruin’s slave jail as background for part of her explosive 1852 novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This building in the city of Alexandria also served as the Fairfax County courthouse from 1862 to 1865 under the Restored Government of Virginia. It is a fine example of a locally uncommon five-bay dwelling that retains historical fabric reflecting its use as a slave jail.