By Karen Cooper
There's an old saying: "You can never go home again." But some Germanna descendants have never been home, and if you are a Germanna descendant who has never come home to Germanna Country, you are missing so much. This beautiful area is right in the middle of the history, scenery and activity that makes Virginia a great place to take a vacation.
Germanna Country has lovely landscapes, mountain sunsets, country inns, the homes of esteemed leaders and famous people, and plenty of relaxing getaways. Germanna Country has it all, which is probably why, in 1971, the United States Department of Interior designated the Culpeper-Warrenton area as one of the seven most desirable places in the nation to live. It may be more difficult to decide what to do in Germanna Country than to find , something to do!
A few of your Germanna cousins are scurrying around and spiffing up for Germanna's birthdays. In 2014 and 2017, Germanna will celebrate the 300th birthdays of the First and Second Germanna Colonies, respectively. We are hoping to lure you home to Germanna County with more information about local history and tourism. As the 1951 Germanna Picnic Committee prepared for the annual gathering that year, it estimated that there were 2,500,000 Germanna descendants scattered across the United States. Imagine the number today! We still share many things in common: physical characteristics, medical histories, values, and memories to discuss and share. We all value preserving history. When we come together, we are a formidable group! Come home and see!
Just 65 Miles from the Washington, D.C., Beltway, 118 Miles from Colonial Williamsburg, Germanna Country is part of Virginia's Piedmont. This region is showcased in the National Geographic Society's book "Journey Through Hallowed Ground: Birthplace of the American Ideal." It is sandwiched between the sandy, low-lying Tidewater and the Blue Ridge Mountains, and was unsettled wilderness when our ancestors first arrived. The land was heavily forested, and the rolling hills, shallow rivers broken by waterfalls. The 1714 colony built its first homes in the primitive five-sided palisade known as Fort Germanna, which helped protect them from Indians. It probably temporarily sheltered the 1717 colony before those colonists built homes on the other side of the Rapidan.
Later the First Colony moved to Fauquier County, the Second Colony to Madison County, and the Little Fork group and later colonists followed. Our ancestors formed the first permanent German settlement in Virginia. The English rulers admired their work ethic and religious piety and this favorable impression made it easier for later German settlers to locate in Virginia. Today, Germanna Country encompasses the counties of Spotsylvania, Orange, Culpeper, Madison and Fauquier, and Page and Rappahannock Counties have many Germanna descendants.
It is so easy to combine a trip to Germanna Country with a vacation to Washington, D.C., and/or to Colonial Williamsburg. Driving from the Washington, D.C., Beltway to our Visitor Center takes about an hour, more or less, depending on traffic. Williamsburg, also, is not too far. Not only is Mt. Vernon between Germanna Country and D.C., Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello is just 30 miles south of Madison, Virginia. Also, the famous Skyline Drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains actually runs through the very western edge of Madison County. These are famous tourist attractions easy to reach, but there are other, less known attractions nearby. Montpelier, Newly-Renovated Home of James Madison, in Orange County. For example, this summer will be the first summer for years in which Germannans can visit the newly-renovated home of our fourth President, James Madison, about 20 miles from our Visitor Center, south of the charming small town of Orange, Virginia.
James Madison represented many of our ancestors in Congress during the important James Madison session in which the Bill of Rights was passed. He retired to Montpelier after his presidency, until his death in 1836. This Father of the Constitution, regarded as an important champion of the Bill of Rights, was also a skilled farmer, and the grounds of his home offer wonderful views and interesting features. Later the home was owned by the duPont family until the latter part of the 20th century. On the grounds, walks show off the various sites around the old home, such as an old-growth forest, a Historical Garden and a Grecian style gazebo - here Madison may have pondered democracy or simply enjoyed the view of his estate set against the Blue Ridge.
Architects and historians have peeled back layers of paint and removed the vestiges of later owners to recover Montpelier as Madison knew it. An on-going archaeological dig revealed the locations of former buildings - some agricultural, and some the homes of Montpelier's slaves. These digs are open for public viewing. The James Madison Museum, located on Caroline Street in Orange, is the first museum dedicated to the author of the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson called James Madison the "best farmer in the world," and the Madison Museum has a collection of farm related artifacts and special displays to highlight everyday activities and notes how these may have changed over time. The present exhibit is on hunting and is called "The Sporting Life." The exhibit begins with arrowheads and early handmade fishing and trapping implements and also early guns, ranging from early 19th Century percussion cap muskets to a recent Sears and Roebuck Shotgun.
Clashing armies took over various sites in Orange as headquarters or camp sites during the Civil War. The Exchange Hotel was transformed in March, 1862, when the Army of the Confederacy sent 70,000 soldiers to the hotel, transforming it into the Gordonsville Receiving Hospital. Today the hotel is the home of a Civil War Museum, exhibiting Civil War medicine, a soldier's daily life and the military actions of the Army of Northern Virginia as well as Virginia's railroads.
In May 1864, Generals Lee and Grant met for the first time in the Wilderness Campaign. The Wilderness Battlefield is located in the eastern part of the county and over the border in Spotsylvania County. The exhibit shelter on the Wilderness Battlefield is off State Rte. 20. There are driving tours to link the parts of the battlefield, and walking trails as well.
The site of Fort Germanna was just 5 miles from the battlefield and famous photographs show Grant's crossing at Germanna Ford. (See p. 3) This battle initiated Grant's movement to Appomattox and Lee's surrender
Spotsylvania County - Not To Be Missed By Civil War Enthusiasts
Spotsylvania County was formed, in 1720/21, at Governor Spotswood's request. The name is actually a play on the governor's name, as "sylvania" means "woods." Several major highways cross around Fredericksburg, including I-95, so the county is central, and is more developed than the more western Germanna Counties If you are a Civil War enthusiast, then you won't want to skip Spotsylvania. Spotsylvania's proximity to Richmond led series of battles around the county as both sides attempted to control the "Capital of the Confederacy." There were four major conflicts: Fredericksburg, December 1862; Chancellorsville, April-May 1863; Wilderness, May 1864; and Spotsylvania Court House, May 1864. These battlefields comprise a National Military Park.
A few days after the Wilderness, the two armies met again at Spotsylvania Court House. The Spotsylvania Court House Visitor
Center has exhibits on loan from the Spotsylvania County Museum and the National Park Service, with a 10-minute video overview of the area. The Chancellorsville Battlefield also has a visitor center, and there are exhibits, a bookstore, trails and a twenty minute film. The Civil War Life Museum is located twelve miles west of Fredericksburg on Route 3. This museum has a life size diorama about the hardships of camp life and the carnage of battle. There is hands-on play for children and a narrated 3-D slide show. Round out your wanderings with a walk through the historic area of Spotsylvania Court House Historic District. Look for the Spotswood Inn and the Christ Episcopal Church.
If all the battle strategies become too much, or the kids want to see something big and noisy, stop by the National Railway Historical Society site and learn about train history.
Culpeper - The 'Culpeper Classes' and Civil War Sites
The central town of Culpeper was an early market town for the Second Colony between 1749 and 1793. This would be why our ancestors' militia lists were called the "Culpeper Classes.
Culpeper first developed in an area referred to as the wharf, which was actually a market area. Here the first court house stood among warehouses and commercial enterprises. When the rail system came, Culpeper became a major shipping site, and both sides tried to hold this supply station during the Civil War. A new courthouse was built in 1870 and can be toured today. Culpeper recently formed a corporation to encourage renovation around the old wharf area. The old depot has been refurbished and serves as the town's visitor center. Interesting shops, boutiques, restaurants old buildings along Main Street and several side streets. These streets boast examples of 18th and 19th century architecture including decorative brick cornices and other ornamental jewels.
The Museum of Culpeper History exhibits artifacts from prehistoric times to today. The Civil War, of course, also came to Culpeper, where the courthouse was burned. You can visit the Graffiti House at Brandy Station, where the Union and the Confederate forces met in the largest cavalry battle of the Civil War, or the battlefields at Cedar Ford and Cedar Mountain. Culpeper County boasts several wineries including Old House Vineyards, Unicorn Winery, Gray Ghost Vineyards, or Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, and we might wonder if our 2nd Germannans would approve. If your taste leans to stronger stuff, check out Belmont Farm where moonshine is made legally!
Don't be surprised if you notice trailers filled with horses, or you see someone on the I-95 street in riding clothes. Germanna Country is part of Virginia's Horse Country, and the Winston National, scheduled for July 8-12 this year, draws as many as 900 to 1300 horses, and is just one of many shows. Check out www.HitsShows.com. In July, the peaches will be ripening. Take a country road out into the Culpeper countryside, and you will find orchards and roadside stands filled with local produce. If your drive takes you toward Rappahannock County, you will notice gracious old houses perched on the hills above you. Ancient rock walls surround the fields and help enclose the grazing lands filled with cattle and horses.
Fauquier County - Second Stop for First Colony
Like Culpeper, the Fauquier calendar is filled with horse races, parades, flower shows, art exhibits, wineries and museums. The Fauquier Visitor Center is located in Warrenton on Keith Street. Not to be missed is the old county jail, built in 1808, which houses a local history museum. There are many old churches and houses in the historic area of Warrenton, and the county court building is another old brick structure with spires and columns. Using the Civil War Trails guide, you can trace the route of Confederate cavalryman John Singleton Mosby. (The Mosby Heritage Area Association is headquartered in the Caleb Rector house in Atoka, where Mosby organized his Rangers.) Chief Justice John Marshall grew up in Fauquier County, and his family had direct dealings with our Germanna ancestors. (No, he didn't lock them up, his father purchased some Germantown property.)
Wineries in Fauquier include Linden Vineyards which offers wine tasting and wonderful hillside views. Meredyth Vineyards at Middleburg offers wine tastings, tours, a retail store and a picnic area by appointment, plays, dinners and lunches. Naked Mountain Vineyard near Markham also has tours and tastings along with panoramic views, and a picnic lunches with 24 hours notice. Piedmont Vineyards & Winery also has tours and tastings and is located near Middleberg. Since most of these sites like a day's notice, it would be wise to call ahead.
Of interest to First Colony Germannans is the site of the Elk Run Episcopal Church archaeological dig. Some of our families became members of this church, but all in the vicinity would have been required to attend.
Madison County, Home of the Second Colony - Still Rural, After All These Years
Perhaps of all the counties in Germanna Country, Madison is the best-kept secret. Even the highways into this beautiful county seem designed to show off its attractive rural heritage. Road signs bear the names of our ancestors, and the county seat retains a 19th century air. When is the last time you bought a cup of coffee for 10 cents at a drug store soda fountain?
In July, after a morning of court house research, the fresh squeezed lemonade at that old-fashioned soda fountain is a great reward. The drugstore was established in 1856 by Dr. Walker S. Jones, and is one of oldest pharmacies in the United States. It is famous for its lunch counter offerings including the egg salad and low chicken salad sandwiches made according to old recipes.
The town of Madison was named for the fourth President, James Madison. The brick court house, built in 1829-1830, was built by workers who had helped build the University of Virginia by Thomas Jefferson. At this time, however, it is being restored, and cannot be used, although records are accessible nearby. Half the structures in the town are more than a hundred years old. The church is another 1830s brick building, similar to the court house. Madisonians try to save
their history and resisted when a huge tree in the park was to be felled. A "save the hemlock campaign" was spearheaded by Bobby and Joan Tanner, and yes, Bobby and Joan are Germannans.
At the edge of town is the Kemper Residence, home of Germanna descendant James Lawson Kemper. Mr. Kemper, a native Madisonian, was a Major General
in the Confederate Army, and later, Governor of Virginia. This Greek revival house is furnished with period furniture and exhibits with the cooperation of the Madison County Historical Society and other historically-minded clubs.
President Herbert Hoover maintained a getaway in the Shenandoah National Park within Madison County borders, and this can be visited. There are fishing camps in the mountains, and canoeing down the Rapidan River which forms the southern border of the county. Several mountains named for our ancestors overlook Madison. Also of interest is the mail order business "Plow and Hearth." And in Germanna Country, if you say - "My dining room set is Clore," people will know you have furniture produced by E. A. Clore Sons - since 1830, one of the oldest family-owned businesses in the U.S. Look for their classic pieces in the Germanna Visitor Center.
The Frontier Culture Museum is a must for Germanna descendants! This outdoor museum is not in Germanna Country, but rather in Staunton in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Nevertheless, you should try to visit this museum, where you can tour typical houses that might have been lived in in England, Ulster, and Germany by our ancestors, as well as typical houses from the Shenandoah Valley in the colonies. Old farming methods and historic interpreters complete the image. Www.frontiermuseum.org. Phone: 540-332-7850
This article originally appeared with photos and some additional information in the Germanna Newsletter, Spring 2009, Vol 15, No. 1
Here are some more links to help you explore your vacation possibilities:
For Civil War buffs there are a large number of possibilities including:
The Wilderness battlefield is not far from the Visitor Center
Chancellorsville battlefield is also close to the Visitor Center
Cedar Mountain battlefield, again great proximity to the Visitor Center
Fredericksburg battlefield, a short distance from the Visitor Center
Chatham Manor another Fredericksburg historical site
Brandy Station site of the great cavalry battle in nearby Culpeper
Culpeper Museum has Civil War history and more
Spotsylvania Courthouse site of the famous Bloody Angle fighting
Ball's Bluff battlefield an early Civil War battle where Oliver Wendell Holmes was wounded
Manassas where the first major battle of the Civil War was fought
The Shenandoah Valley and Winchester offer great Civil War sites
The Stonewall Jackson House and Lexington are superb sites for the Civil War buff
Lee Chapel and Museum on the beautiful Washington & Lee University Campus
Virginia Military Institute supplied many soldiers to the Confederacy and George Patton to the U.S. Army which history you can explore at the VMI Museum, all in Lexington
Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy and offers many excellent sites
Museum of the Confederacy is another Richmond must see
Tredigar Iron Works in Richmond was the industrial workhorse of the Confederacy
Petersburg Battlefield where the fighting was long and tough
Appomatox where Lee surrendered to Grant
Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. where Abraham Lincoln was assasinated
Stratford Hall is Robert E. Lee's birthplace and another site worth seeing
Winchester Civil War Museum in the city that changed hands many times during the Civil War
Civil War Museum at the Exchange Hotel is Virginia's only remaining Civil War receiving hospital
For Colonial and Revolutionary history buffs try this sampling:
Colonial Williamsburg is an essential place to visit for every American
Yorktown where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington
Jamestown the first permanent English settlement in America
James River Ferry from Jamestown take the free ferry across the James River
Mount Vernon George Washington's home is another must see site
Monticello Thomas Jefferson's classic home near Charlottesville
Charlottesville close to Monticello and home to the University of Virginia
James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland the home of our fifth president
James Monroe Museum and Library recommended by our own John Pearce
James Madison's Montpelier the home of the Father of the Constitution
Frontier Cultural Museum recommended by our own Katharine Brown
George Washington's Birthplace just east of Fredericksburg is worth the trip
Poplar Forest the retreat home of Thomas Jefferson
Red Hill Patrick Henry's last home
Scotchtown the home of Patrick Henry from 1771-1778
Historic St. John's Church where Patrick Henry delivered his Liberty or Death speech
The James River Plantations are a trip back into early Virginia
Smithfield Plantation located at the Virginia Tech campus is a delightful venue
Our Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C., is another destination that is close by and offers so much that we can only give a small samping of your options here:
Smithsonian these museums house our nation's treasures
The Capitol Building is a must see in Washington, D.C.
The White House is another national treasure
The Washington Monument the symbol of our nation
The Lincoln Memorial an always impressive place to visit
The Jefferson Memorial a most beautiful memorial
Vietnam War Memorial a touching tribute to many who sacrificed for our country
World War II Memorial a new place to honor the fallen
Korean War Veterans Memorial we can never forget those who have served
Ford's Theater mentioned above
Across the Potomac in northern Virginia you will find:
Iwo Jima Marine Memorial is another touching tribute to our servicemen
The Pentagon while Fort Germanna may have been the first pentagon in Virginia this one is the biggest ever
Mount Vernon which we mentioned above
Arlington National Cemetery is both beautiful and touching
Claude Moore Colonial Farm allows you to take a trip back to 1771
Colvin Run Mill offers interpretive programs at a 19th century water powered gristmill
Alexandria Archaeology Museum artifacts include a 13,000-year-old Clovis point, 18th- and 19th-century local pottery, and Civil War items.
National Air and Space Museum (near Dulles airport) displays thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall.
Great Falls Park the Patowmack Canal offers a glimpse into the early history of this country
Sully Plantation guided tours highlight early 19th century life
Oatlands Plantation a mansion built by George Carter, great-grandson of Robert "King Carter"
National Museum of the Marine Corps “Ooh-rah” this is the place to visit for Leatherneck fans
For genealogists check out these sites:
The Library of Virginia the ultimate depository of Virginia genealogical data
Virginia Historical Society find private manuscripts, family bibles, and family papers. Excellent museum and exhibitions.
The Valentine Library is another Richmond resource but call in advance to do research
Special Collection Library at William and Mary in Williamsburg is another gem for the genealogist
The Germanna Visitor Center and Library offers rare and unique Germanna items
Madison County Courthouse is an excellent site for many Germanna genealogists
Culpeper Courthouse is another treasure trove for the Germanna genealogist
Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library a superb regional library of Virginia and Northern Neck history and genealogy. Located at Lancaster Court House village. Be sure to visit their on line catalog.
The Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society a good collection of Westmoreland county history and genealogy, located in the Westmoreland County Museum on Court House Square in Montross.
Library of the Daughters of the American Revolution ranks as one of the best
The Library of Congress is an awe-inspiring place for any lover of books
The National Archives is a national treasure for genealogists
More Virginia sites worth visiting:
The Woodrow Wilson Library honoring the last Virginia born president of the United States
National Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, honoring a few good men
National D-Day Memorial makes Bedford a great place to visit
Luray Caverns Hooray for Luray! These caverns are amazing and near the Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway if there is a prettier drive than this why hasn't anyone found it?
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is an engineering wonder near Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach where you can enjoy the sun and the surf
Chincoteague Island where wild horses still roam
E.A. Clore Furniture yes, that's a Germanna Clore and a picturesque site in Madison
Busch Gardens Williamsburg for a great kids adventure near colonial Williamsburg
The Homestead Resort one of the world's finest golf and spa destinations
Point of Honor Home and Museum is Lynchburg's look back into the early 1800s
Patsy Cline Museum where Winchester honors one of its own
The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond is southern elegance at its best; worth a stop to enjoy their lobby
The Inn at Little Washington where you'll need reservations for this famous Virginia restaurant
The Virginia Diner a classic place to eat peanut pie and taste real Virginia peanuts
Photo of James Madison's Montpelier, click on photo to enlarge image:
