Old Town Hall and School
Also known as: Haymarket Museum; DHR File No. 233-0006
Why it's listed
Built in 1883 at the corner of Washington and Fayette Streets in Haymarket, Virginia, this two-story weatherboard building was designed to serve as both a school and a town hall. The town had been incorporated in 1882 and was still recovering from the burning of 1862 during the Civil War. Residents raised money through an oyster supper and subscriptions, and Thomas A. Smith donated the lot. The building is believed to have been built by Will Shirley. Its form is simple and rectangular with a gable roof, topped by a square belfry with a pyramidal roof clad in fish-scale pressed tin. School use ended around 1900, but the building continued as the town hall and a community meeting place, hosting voting, council meetings, court sessions and club activities. An electrical fire in 2001 damaged the interior, and after rehabilitation it reopened in 2002 as the Haymarket Museum. The nomination found no other Virginia school built for a dual purpose like this one.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues local significance under Criterion A in Politics/Government because the building served as the civic focal point of Haymarket for over a century. It also symbolizes the town's rebuilding after being nearly destroyed in the Civil War. Its dual-purpose design, second floor and belfry are described as unusual among late nineteenth-century rural schools.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000063, listed March 1, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 15025 Washington St, Haymarket |
|---|---|
| County | Prince William County |
| Listed | March 1, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000063 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1883 - 1960 |
| Architect / builder | Will Shirley, Builder |
| Architectural style | Folk with Greek Revival and Victorian elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as the Haymarket Museum; still owned by the Town of Haymarket. It was rehabilitated after an electrical fire in 2001 and reopened in 2002. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Coordinates | 38.81444, -77.63714 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000063.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q15263879
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.