George Robinette and His Collection of Curiosities

Around the turn of the 20th century, George W. Robinette became a notable figure in Scott County, Virginia, known for an extraordinary collection of fossils, historic artifacts, war relics, coins, and other curiosities gathered over many years.

Robinette never intended to become a professional collector. His collection grew naturally from a lifelong habit of exploring the countryside and an enduring fascination with the unusual things he discovered.

Civil War Veteran and Explorer

George W. Robinette was born May 26, 1842. He served for three years during the Civil War and survived 14 battles and skirmishes.

After returning home at the age of 26, Robinette started a family. He first settled in Flag Pond before moving to Tennessee, eventually returning to Scott County later in life.

Long before becoming known for his collection, Robinette had developed a reputation for his spelunking abilities. His explorations of caves and the surrounding countryside naturally brought him into contact with fossils, relics, and other objects that caught his interest.

Over time, those discoveries became an impressive collection.

A Cabinet of Appalachian Curiosities

Robinette’s collection contained fossils, Native American relics, military memorabilia, seashells, rare bird eggs, pipes, coins, and other unusual objects.

His historical pieces included buttons dating from 1776 and 1812, along with bullets recovered from Civil War battlefields including Bull Run, Chancellorsville, and Seven Pines.

He also preserved documents from earlier periods, including bills of sale dating to the days of slavery.

Among the stranger objects in his collection were ancient hematite carvings described as “devil gods.”

Some of Robinette’s most prized possessions came from much farther away than the mountains of Southwest Virginia. His collection included Roman, Greek, and Persian coins alongside the regional objects he had gathered during his explorations.

Robinette was more than a collector. He also made objects himself, including flint pipes.

What began simply as one man’s enjoyment of exploring the countryside eventually became a remarkable assortment of objects spanning local history, natural history, war, archaeology, and the ancient world.