Number 18 School, located roughly one mile east of the town of Marshall, is the only unaltered one-room schoolhouse surviving in Fauquier County. Built in 1887 on land donated by Samuel Fisher Shakelford, the school was operated for white children until a new school was built at Marshall in 1907 as part of the move towards consolidation. It the served as one of 31 elementary schools for African American children, and was the last African American elementary school in Fauquier County to close in 1964. Only seven of the 31 one-room buildings were left in 1964. Most likely one of the few schools of this age and size left in the state, the Number 18 School illustrates the concept of free public education introduced during the Reconstruction Era. After years of neglect, the building underwent restoration, an effort spearheaded by the Fauquier Heritage Society.