Sunday, in honor of Black History Month, a nineteenth century school that used to serve Prince William County's African American population opened for the general public, with plans to remain open every weekend this month from noon to 4 p.m.

The Lucasville School, at 10516 Godwin Dr. in the Manassas area, was an one-room school and the only institution of the like aimed at just African Americans in the entire county, according to Robert Orrison, a historic site manager for the county.

The one-room schools that used to serve white people have been turned into homes, even though some of them still remain.

Orrison said that the Lucasville School, which was built in 1885, catered for children in grades one through six until 1926, with 20 to 25 students of different ages having been taught by one instructor only.

The historic site manager further revealed that the school was not fitted with desks, but benches, while the blackboards were made of pieces of plywood painted black, unlike in those where whites studied, which had blackboard slates.

Moreover, he said that the school was named after the Lucasville village, which was located at Lucasville Road and Godwin Drive and where several former slaves had built their homes.

Currently, even though the school is still at Godwin Drive, it’s approximately a mile-and-a-half away from the place where it was originally built.

Pulte Homes and Prince William's Historic Preservation Division preserved some of the school’s pieces the time it was moved and unfortunately crumbled down, which made it possible to reconstruct it back in 2007.