This authentic, Second Empire, four-story wooden school built in 1876 is a monument to the importance of education for the immigrant miners and entrepreneurs in the Old West. The state-of-the-art facility preserves a gateway to the real story of life in a booming, cosmopolitan mining town. Built to accommodate over 1,000 students and teachers, the 16 classrooms retain original interior finishes, wooden desks, maps, school bell, and books. The museum and community cultural and archival research center feature exhibits on alumni, local Virginia City history, Mark Twain, letter press printing, Comstock and modern mining, genealogy, and more.