Robinson's Mill/Lane's Mill
Title
Robinson's Mill/Lane's Mill
Date
late 19th century – early 20th century
Description
James Pendleton Robinson, like his grandfather James “Gentleman Jim” Robinson of Prince William County, after emancipation, became a prominent member in the community. Robinson owned a farm opposite Nestor Kincheloe’s mill at the confluence of Big Rocky Run and Cub Run. He learned how to operate the mill and, after Kincheloe’s death in 1900, took over its operation and added a store. Locally the mill became known as “Robinson’s Mill” and on his death certificate, Robinson’s family listed his occupation as “miller.”
Creator
James Pendleton Robinson
Source
Mills and Mill Sites in Fairfax County and Washington DC. Marjorie Lundegard, Friends of Colvin Run Mill, August 10, 2009. Accessed on The Society for the Preservation of Old Mills, Mid-Atlantic Chapter website: https://spoommidatlantic.org/uploads/editor/files/Mid- Atlantic_Mills/Fairfax_County%2526_DC_Mills-Book-5-8-2009.pdf
James Pendleton Robinson data compiled by Anthony Mathews on Ancestry website: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/6647287/person/25777712683/facts (The utility of this source is the collection of census records and family records that can be found in the Gallery.)
African American Landowners, Churches, Schools and Businesses: Fairfax County Virginia (1860- 1900). Guinevere S. Jones, 2009. Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library. (This is a map that shows where some significant Black landmarks and communities once existed in Fairfax County. The map is not a definitive record of all historic sites.)
Image 45 of Altas of Fifteen Miles around Washington, including the County of Prince George, Maryland (Centreville Dist. No. 1). G.M. Hopkins, 1878. Accessed via Library of Congress website, Digital ID: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3850m.gla00496
Location
Lane’s Mill Park, nearest address 6424 Paddington Ct, Centreville. VA 20121
District
Sully
Additional Notes
The mill was first established by the Lane family in the late 18th century. The ruins are protected by Lane’s Mill Park.
Photo Credit
Courtesy of FCPA
Files
Collection
Citation
James Pendleton Robinson, “Robinson's Mill/Lane's Mill,” Fairfax County African American History Inventory, accessed October 24, 2026, https://fairfaxaahi.centerformasonslegacies.com/items/show/158.