James Robinson, also known as “Gentleman Jim”, was a free African American born in 1799. Robinson and a slave named Susan Gaskins had six children, all born into slavery. Susan and four of the children were the property of John Lee, a resident of the Manassas area. Eventually Robinson purchased two of his sons from Lee. The remainder of his family was legally entrusted to Robinson upon Lee’s death in 1847. Robinson constructed his house in the 1840’s and the family made structural additions through 1926. The original house is believed to have been completely removed during the 1926 renovations. The rebuilt Robinson House stood until 1993 when arsonists burned part of the structure. The remaining structure was subsequently torn down.
