Germanna Foundation

Preserving the historic heritage of the original settlers of the Fort Germanna Colonies in Virginia

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You are here: Home / Events / Germanna Welcomes Astronaut Buzz Aldrin ‘Home Again’
Germanna Welcomes Astronaut Buzz Aldrin ‘Home Again’

Germanna Welcomes Astronaut Buzz Aldrin ‘Home Again’

November 8, 2014 By Germanna Foundation

The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, Inc., met with Apollo 11 astronaut and Germanna descendant Buzz Aldrin at the Germanna Community College’s Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper on Friday, November 7th, as he met with students as part of his ShareSpace Foundation’s effort to inspire children to study science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.  Buzz is descended from the Germanna colonial Haeger, Rector and Fishback families.

Germanna Foundation President J. Marc Wheat, also a descendant of the families, presented Buzz with a Cat’s Meow piece depicting the Foundation’s Brawdus Martin Visitor Center, the Foundation’s own “command module,” and a copy of Buzz’s genealogy showing his family tree back to the Germanna colony’s founding in 1714.  Wheat said, “I was pleased to meet again my moonwalking distant cousin, and I reminded him that his explorer genes can be traced back to those intrepid German ancestors of ours, who – while not traveling as far as the moon – displayed the same questing spirit and the use of the best technologies to plant our civilization on this frontier as he did for us on the moon.”

The Germanna Foundation helped establish Germanna Community College by donating the land for the Locust Grove campus to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of founding the College in 1969 – the same year that Buzz walked on the moon.

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About the Germanna Foundation: The Germanna Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to preserve the early German-American heritage that began in colonial Virginia through lively programs of: (1) Land conservation; (2) Preservation of historic structures, sites, and cemeteries; (3) Education of the general public as well as the tens of thousands of descendants of those early settlers; and (4) Development of strong international relations with counterparts in Germany.

Contact: Steve Hein, Chief Operating Officer
540-423-1700
[email protected]

PHOTO GALLERY

Click on photos to enlarge. Also see them here.

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Philanthropist Joe Daniel (donated money for the Daniel Technology Center) and Germanna Community College President Dr. David A. Sam
Philanthropist Joe Daniel (donated money for the Daniel Technology Center) and Germanna Community College President Dr. David A. Sam
Germanna Foundation President J. Marc Wheat greets Germanna descendant Buzz Aldrin
Germanna Foundation President J. Marc Wheat greets Germanna descendant Buzz Aldrin
Marc Wheat presenting a reprentation of the Germanna Visitor Center to Buzz Aldrin
Marc Wheat presenting a reprentation of the Germanna Visitor Center to Buzz Aldrin
Marc Wheat tells Buzz Aldrin about his Germanna ancestry.
Marc Wheat tells Buzz Aldrin about his Germanna ancestry.
Marc Wheat presenting a reprentation of the Germanna Visitor Center to Buzz Aldrin
Marc Wheat presenting a reprentation of the Germanna Visitor Center to Buzz Aldrin
Marc Wheat presenting a reprentation of the Germanna Visitor Center to Buzz Aldrin
Marc Wheat presenting a reprentation of the Germanna Visitor Center to Buzz Aldrin
Aldrin was very taken with the gift.
Aldrin was very taken with the gift.
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Steve Hein, Marc Wheat, Buzz Aldrin
Germanna Chief Operating Officer Steven Hein, Marc Wheat, Buzz Aldrin and behind him, Germanna Community College President Dr.David A. Sam.
Germanna Chief Operating Officer Steven Hein, Marc Wheat, Buzz Aldrin and behind him, Germanna Community College President Dr.David A. Sam.
Steve Hein, Marc Wheat, Buzz Aldrin
Keith Hoffman, Mary White, Marc Wheat and Steve Hein.
The Germanna Delegation: Keith Hoffman, Mary White, Marc Wheat and Steve Hein.
STEM students pose with Aldrin and drones
STEM students pose with Aldrin and drones
Note what he is proudly holding!
Note what he is proudly holding!
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Germanna Foundation’s Mission and Stewardship

The Germanna Foundation tells America’s story of liberty through the frontier experience of her settlers and descendants using archaeological, historical, and genealogical research and interpretation. We are stewards over these important properties and initiatives:

  • Fort Germanna Visitor Center campus which includes a Museum, Genealogy Library, the Hitt Archaeology Center, and the Germanna Memorial Garden
  • Siegen Forest – 170-acre Hiking and Nature Trails along the Rapidan river
  • 1714/1717 Fort Germanna Archaeology Site
  • Virginia Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood’s home “Enchanted Castle” Archaeology Site
  • 1757 Georgian-style Salubria Manor
  • 1800 Peter Hitt Farm
  • Publishing “The Germanna Record” genealogy/ history books
  • Maintaining a genealogy database with over 130,000 records of descendants of the Germanna colonists

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Germanna Foundation

The Germanna Foundation
MAILING: P.O. Box 279
LOCATION: 2062 Germanna Highway
Locust Grove, VA 22508-0279
Phone: 540-423-1700
Fax: 540-423-1747
Contact Us Page

Remember the Germanna Foundation in your Will and Estate Plans.

Fort Germanna Visitor Center, Museum & Library

2062 Germanna Highway (Route 3)
Locust Grove, VA 22508
(Next to the Germanna Community College campus)

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturdays, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Closed on Sundays

Out of town visitors are urged to call us at 540-423-1700 to confirm or to make special arrangements for groups.

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Hike Siegen Forest!

Behind the Fort Germanna Visitor Center is our 170-acre Siegen Forest nature and hiking trails along the Rapidan river. Trails are OPEN 7 days a week, during daylight hours. When visiting the trails, please practice “Leave no Trace” ethos. If you enjoy the trails, consider donating to the Germanna Foundation to help support their upkeep.

 

About

The Germanna Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring the Colonial Virginia frontier via the historic 1714 Fort Germanna and its German colonists and their descendants.

It conducts archaeological exploration and conservation, genealogical research and publishing, and historic preservation and interpretation.

The Foundation owns and maintains several historic sites and properties, such as Salubria Manor, that were part of or closely connected to the Germanna colonies, the town of Germanna, and the other early colonial Virginia settlements and towns in the Piedmont area of Virginia.

Copyright © 2023 The Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia Inc. (The Germanna Foundation) | Website by CJKCREATIVE.COM

 

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