Robinson Farm: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Manassas National Battlefield, National Park Service
Oeschger J. 2019. Robinson Farm: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Manassas National Battlefield, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 600191. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Capital Area Office / CRIS-CL
The Robinson Farm cultural landscape is situated approximately 25 miles west of Washington, DC, in Prince William County, Virginia, five miles north of the city of Manassas. It is a component landscape of Manassas National Battlefield Park (MNBP) and located in the southeast section of the park. The property is currently known as the James Robinson farm cultural landscape. The Robinson Farm Cultural Landscape is characterized by open fields interspersed with forested stands atop rolling topography. The former agricultural cultural landscape is associated with rural African American customs and practices prior to the American Civil War to after the turn of the twentieth century. The historic Warrenton Turnpike, or present day Lee Highway or Route 29, binds the cultural landscape to the north. The property is bounded on the south and west by the Henry Hill property. On the eastern side, the Robinson cultural landscape is bounded largely by Bull Run, except for the northern section that crosses Bull Run and extends along the Warrenton Turnpike. In 1936 the National Park Service acquired the 297.6-acre property in fee-simple from several descendants of James Robinson. The Robinson Farm cultural landscape is representative of 19th century agricultural practices of the Piedmont Virginia. Diversified farming on manageable plots emerged as a way of life several generations after the large tracts of tobacco plantations were divided. The historical vernacular landscape of the Robinsons supported a variety of crops, as well as livestock. The farmstead included a modest home and outbuildings that enabled the subsistence farming of the Robinson family. Most of the neighboring farms operated similarly by the time James Robinson purchased his land in 1840. The boundary of the Robinson family lands varied only slightly during the next 100 years.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Oeschger, Jennifer
- Date of Issue
- 2019-02-08
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- MANA , NCR
- Keywords
- African American, Agriculture, Archeology, Bladden Robinson Farm, Civil War, Commemoration, Ethnic Heritage, First and Second Battles of Manassas, First Battle of Manassas, Historic Vernacular Landscape, MANA, Manassas National Battlefield, Military, Outdoor Recreation, Robinson Farm, Robinson Farmstead, Rural Farmstead, Second Battle of Manassas, Tasco Robinson Farm, Virginia
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Human Use | Cultural Landscapes | Cultural Landscapes