In 1820, as Prince William County's port city of Dumfries declined and more people moved away from the Potomac River, citizens petitioned the state to relocate the county seat to a more centralized location. This site, along Valley Road and between three small rivers, was chosen for a new town to serve as the county seat. Seventy plots were laid out in a grid, with three acres set aside for a public square and three acres for taverns. Across from the tavern stood the Summit House, a large hotel built shortly after 1822; with heated rooms, it served female travelers and was also used as a school and summer retreat. The few remnants of 19th-century Brentsville that remain today are St. James' Church (c. 1847), the White House (c. 1820), the Holsinger House (c. 1880), and the Nelson House (c. 1820-50).