Cumberland in Cumberland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

John Robinson (ca. 1825-1908)

Toya Gray-Sparks courtesy of VDHR

1. John Robinson (ca. 1825-1908) Marker

Inscription. John Robinson (born John Lipscomb), a free person of color from Cumberland Co., was a wagoner and landowner before the Civil War. Twice attacked by White men in 1864, he fled to Amelia Co. and later used the local courts to convict many of his attackers and defend his property rights. An active Republican during Reconstruction, he was one of 24 African Americans elected to serve in Virginia’s Constitutional Convention of 1867-68, where he voted with radical reformers. As a state senator (1869-73), he helped set up Virginia’s new public school system and voted to ratify the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. For 30 years he owned and operated the Effingham House tavern near here.

Erected 2024 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number MJ 6.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education • War, US Civil.

Location. 37° 29.857′ N, 78° 14.581′ W. Marker is in Cumberland, Virginia, in Cumberland County. It can be reached from the intersection of Anderson Highway (U.S. 60)

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and Courthouse Circle when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1474 Anderson Hwy, Cumberland VA 23040, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Veterans Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Confederate Memorial (about 500 feet away); Cumberland County Court House (about 500 feet away); First Call For Independence (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Jackson Davis (about 700 feet away); Campaign of 1781 (approx. 2.6 miles away); Lucyville (approx. 3.4 miles away); Buckingham County / Cumberland County (approx.

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5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cumberland.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Jackson Davis (was about 600 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . The life and legacy of John (Lipscomb) Robinson. Cardinal News (12/30/2024) (Submitted on April 30, 2025.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2025, by Lew Longenecker of Appomattox, Virginia. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 24 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on April 15, 2025, by Lew Longenecker of Appomattox, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?