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A−History
History · Marshall

Marshall’s post office opened in 1882, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #48 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 314 buildings. Below: maps from 1943 on.

1882first post office
2on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Marshall began

When was Marshall founded?

1882

The Marshall post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,854144 years

How historic is Marshall?

A−

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Marshall post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Marshall’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Marshall is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #48 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Marshall’s overall grade.
Founding era1882, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194015.9% of homes (±9.1) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register2 listings, 315 historic buildings, 979 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 75%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 81%

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Marshall’s 979 sits above most of its state (97% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 315 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Marshall’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Marshall Historic District takes in 314 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Marshall are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages4 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 315 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
315
each building in a district counts
first listed
1997
Number 18 School in Marshall
Number 18 School in MarshallMarshall Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th Century1
Federal1
Gothic Revival1
Colonial Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
I-House1
Number 18 School in MarshallLate 19th Century
Marshall Historic DistrictFederal

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Marshall’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Marshall’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Old corners

Marshall’s post office has been open since 1882.

Hamlets and corners on the map
BelvoirBrookes CornerPiedmont HeightsRosstown

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Marshall came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Marshall.

Read it all →

Marshall was originally known as "Salem". It became Marshall after a short-lived incorporation. It is named after John Marshall, the former United States Supreme Court Chief Justice who grew up at Oak Hill in nearby Delaplane.

Marshall is home to the Fauquier Heritage and Preservation Foundation, as well as the Number 18 School in Marshall, which was the last one-room school in Fauquier County. Originally a whites-only schoolhouse, it was a blacks-only schoolhouse until it closed in the 1960s as a result of desegregation. It has been restored, and school groups often visit.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Marshall, 1817 to 2000

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1817Born hereRichard Henry Carter is born here
  3. 1882Post officeThe Marshall post office opens
  4. 1887Born hereHarvey Russell is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1932Born hereThomas E. Glascock is born here
  7. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 21st century
  9. 2000Born hereBlake Corum is born here
By decade

Marshall, decade by decade

Today18 recent
2018-10-22 11 49 26 View east along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 66 from the overpass for Belvoir Road (Virginia S…20182018-10-22 11 49 26 View east along the eastbound lan…2018-10-22 11 48 52 View east along the westbound lanes of Interstate 66 from the overpass for Belvoir Road (Virginia S…20182018-10-22 11 48 52 View east along the westbound lan…2018-10-22 11 48 40 View west along the westbound lanes of Interstate 66 from the overpass for Belvoir Road (Virginia S…20182018-10-22 11 48 40 View west along the westbound lan…2018-10-22 11 48 08 View west along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 66 from the overpass for Belvoir Road (Virginia S…20182018-10-22 11 48 08 View west along the eastbound lan…2018-10-22 11 39 29 View east along the westbound lanes of Interstate 66 from the overpass for U.S. Route 17 (Wincheste…20182018-10-22 11 39 29 View east along the westbound lan…2018-10-22 11 38 49 View east along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 66 from the overpass for U.S. Route 17 (Wincheste…20182018-10-22 11 38 49 View east along the eastbound lan…2018-10-22 11 37 56 View west along the westbound lanes of Interstate 66 from the overpass for U.S. Route 17 (Wincheste…20182018-10-22 11 37 56 View west along the westbound lan…2018-10-22 11 37 30 View west along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 66 from the overpass for U.S. Route 17 (Wincheste…20182018-10-22 11 37 30 View west along the eastbound lan…2018-10-22 11 29 13 View east along Interstate 66 and south along U.S. Route 17 from the overpass for U.S. Route 17 Bus…20182018-10-22 11 29 13 View east along Interstate 66 and…2018-10-22 11 28 44 View west along Interstate 66 and north along U.S. Route 17 from the overpass for U.S. Route 17 Bus…20182018-10-22 11 28 44 View west along Interstate 66 and…2018-10-22 11 27 03 View west along Virginia State Route F185 (Grove Lane) at U.S. Route 17 Business and Virginia State…20182018-10-22 11 27 03 View west along Virginia State Ro…2018-10-19 13 41 35 View east along Interstate 66 and south along U.S. Route 17 at Exit 28 (U.S. Route 17, Warrenton, F…20182018-10-19 13 41 35 View east along Interstate 66 and…2016-10-03 15 55 56 View east along Virginia State Route 55 (Main Street) at Melody Lane in20162016-10-03 15 55 56 View east along Virginia State Ro…2016-10-03 14 58 49 View west along Interstate 66 and Virginia State Route 55 and north along U.S. Route 17 just west o…20162016-10-03 14 58 49 View west along Interstate 66 and…2016-10-03 14 56 13 View west along Interstate 66 and north along U.S. Route 17 just west of Exit 28 (U.S. Route 17 Sou…20162016-10-03 14 56 13 View west along Interstate 66 and…Monarch caterpillar chamber2015Monarch caterpillar chamberFoley Building2013Foley BuildingMarshall, VA, USA2008Marshall, VA, USA
On the map

Marshall on the map, 1943 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Marshall. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Marshall on the 1943 USGS mapMarshall on the 1970 USGS mapMarshall on the 1983 USGS map1943Marshall sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Marshall.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Marshall

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Blake CorumAmerican football running back · b. 2000
H
Harvey RussellAmerican baseball player · b. 1887
R
Richard Henry CarterVirginia politician and American Civil War offi… · b. 1817
Thomas E. GlascockUS attorney and politician · b. 1932

Questions about Marshall’s history

What year was Marshall founded?

The Marshall post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Marshall rank for history?

Marshall is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #48 of 253 in Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Marshall?

Two places: the Number 18 School in Marshall (listed 1997) and the Marshall Historic District (2007).

How old are the homes in Marshall?

16% of Marshall’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1979.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.