The one-traffic-light town of Marshall will be buzzing with activity September 28 to 30 as it continues its yearlong celebration of its 225th anniversary. Things kick off Thursday night with a Taste of Marshall dinner with bites from Field & Main restaurant (one of our 50 Best Restaurants in 2022), the Whole Ox butcher shop, and Blue Pig BBQ.
The three days of events, put together by nonprofit Marshall Moving Forward, the Fauquier Heritage & Preservation Foundation, and the Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County, will include a fireman’s carnival, historic walking tours, a farmers market, book sales, tours of three historically Black churches, and live music. The county’s annual Marshall Day will be held on Saturday and will have moon bounces and other children’s activities at the community center.
The small town, first known as Salem until it was renamed for Supreme Court Justice John Marshall in 1882, has seen growth and changes. “We’ve had considerable change over the last 20 or 25 years,” says Anne Michael Greene, president of Marshall Moving Forward. “This Main Street Improvement Project has been on the docket for decades, and it’s finally come to fruition this summer, [along with] the Van Metre residential planned community. We’re seeing the culmination of things that have taken decades of planning.
“This is really about the community as a whole throughout the decades,” she says. “Some of those buildings [on the walking tour] were built in the 1800s, and some were built in the 1940s. It’s really a culmination of where we are now and where we’ve come from. It’s a celebration of Marshall as a whole.”
What: Marshall 225th Anniversary
When: September 28–30
Where: Downtown Marshall
Cost: Free, except for carnival rides, games, and food
Plan Ahead
A Taste of Marshall
September 28, 6–8 p.m., reservations required, $10 suggested donation
Fireman’s Carnival
September 29, 5–10 p.m.
Farmers Market
September 29, 4–7 p.m.
Marshall Day Fall Festival
September 30, 12–4 p.m.
Walking Tours
September 30, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Book Sale
September 30, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Feature image by Shannon Ayres
This story originally ran in our September issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
