The Germanna Foundation engaged Bryan & Jordan Consulting, LLC in April 2018 to assist with its strategic planning process. Our commitment was to prepare goals and action items that were achievable and could ensure a relevant and sustainable future for the Foundation and the sites it oversees.

The Germanna Foundation Board of Trustees, the staff, stakeholders, and partner organizations participated in the process that began with a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis. Following the SWOT process, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee engaged in a series of work sessions with Bryan & Jordan to prepare a draft set of goals, followed by a draft plan.

The plan was refined and prepared with actionable steps, and was adopted in September 2018 as a working document. It represents transformative elements that require full commitment from the Board of Trustees, the staff, and Friends groups to be formed in support of each site.

The attached plan is separated into immediate goals (2018-2019) and long-term goals (2020-2023). The plan strives to transform the Germanna Foundation holdings into a significant, well-known, and often-visited group of interpreted archaeological sites and historic structures. The Foundation and the staff will be guided by this plan and it’s corresponding action items.

READ THE PLAN:

2018 Germanna Foundation Strategic Plan (pdf)

Text:

GERMANNA FOUNDATION STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 – 2023

PREAMBLE

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GERMANNA

In 1714, 42 German men, women, and children arrived in Virginia where Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood (1676-1740) settled them on the Rapidan River in a five-sided palisaded fort (named Germanna for the Germans and Britain’s Queen Anne) along what was then the frontier about 20 miles west of present-day Fredericksburg. With their pastor, Henry Haeger, they formed the first German Reformed congregation in Virginia. The Germans had come from villages near Siegen, in present-day North Rhine Westphalia, a silver and iron producing area. Spotswood planned to use their mining skills to open a new metals industry in the colony. There were hopes that silver would be found. Spotswood’s famous Knights of the Golden Horseshoe expedition over the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1716 started from Fort Germanna.

By 1717, iron had replaced silver as the focus of Spotswood’s mining operation. As the Siegerlanders were coming to the end of their contract, Spotswood settled a second group of Germans to add to his workforce, these as indentured servants for seven years. Coming mainly from agricultural villages in the Kraichgau area of Baden-Wuerttemberg, they had expected to go to Pennsylvania. The first group acquired land in present-day Fauquier County and moved there by 1720.

With the frontier now further west, Spotswood dismantled the fort and built a mansion, as the center of his vast new landholdings around the Rapidan River. This mansion came to be known as the “Enchanted Castle.” Germanna began to grow as a community and was made the site of the first courthouse for the large frontier county of Spotsylvania created in 1721.

The second German group moved on to lands in the Robinson River Valley (now Madison County) in the mid-1720s and formed the Hebron Lutheran Church, the oldest continuously operating Lutheran Church in America. The influence and enterprising spirit of these early German colonists helped shape the Virginia colony, our young nation, and can be felt throughout our nation’s history even today.

HISTORY OF THE GERMANNA FOUNDATION

In the late 1940s, R. Brawdus Martin began gathering fellow descendants, including those of Alexander Spotswood, for annual reunion picnics on land that was once part of Germanna. From this group of families and others came the formation in 1956 of the Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia, Inc. The Siegen-born New York banker Ernst Flender’s gift to purchase 270 acres of the Germanna tract restored part of the Germanna home to its modern-day stewards. In 1969, the Foundation donated 100 acres of this land to the Commonwealth of Virginia for Germanna Community College.

Today the Foundation supports active archaeological sites and maintains a genealogical reference library, historical archive, exhibits and a genealogical database with 120,000 entries. The Foundation’s Germanna Record series, with 21 volumes published since 1956, is a significant contribution to Virginia’s history and genealogy.

ABOUT THE SITES

BRAWDUS MARTIN FORT GERMANNA VISITOR CENTER AND MEMORIAL GARDEN

The Visitor’s Center is the hub for all things Germanna. It is home to foundation offices, the research library, and the Memorial Garden. The Center is named in honor of R. Brawdus Martin (1879-1977) who initiated the first meetings of what is now the Germanna Foundation. The library is named in honor of Brawdus’ wife, Evelyn Martin, as a memorial from their daughter, Mary, and her husband, William Bourland. The architect of the Visitor Center, Doug Harnsberger, is a Germanna descendant, and he chose the five-sided building to call to mind the pentagonal shape of the original Fort Germanna. The handsome copper ship weather vane on top was a gift from the architect.

FORT GERMANNA / ENCHANTED CASTLE

Fort Germanna and the Enchanted Castle was once the site of the westernmost settlement of the British Empire. The site, today, can be considered one of the most significant archaeological sites in America. The Foundation acquired the site from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2013, removed dangerous modern-day structures, and then began its own research program under the direction of an experienced professional archaeologist, Dr. Eric Larsen. A sustained partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University provides needed help for excavations and the opportunity for students to learn on an active archaeological site. Funding for the partnership is provided by donations.

SALUBRIA

Salubria is one of the few surviving structures with ties to the settlement of Germanna. It is located seven miles east of the town of Culpeper and stands as the oldest brick house in Culpeper County. Dendrochronology suggests that this Georgian house was constructed circa 1757. It served as the residence of The Reverend John Thompson and his wife, Butler Brayne Spotswood Thompson, widow of the late Lt. Governor Spotswood. The house received the name Salubria, Latin for healthful, from a later owner, James Hansbrough, in the early 1800s and has been known by that name since that time.

SIEGEN FOREST

The Germanna Foundation’s 170-acres at Siegen Forest are traversed by four trails named in honor of Foundation benefactors Russell and Joan Hitt. These trails are open to the public during daylight hours, year-round. Visitors are welcome to enjoy hiking along the Rapidan River, enjoy nature and the area’s wildlife, or experience some of Germanna’s rich colonial and Civil War era historic sites firsthand. The trails provide a unique opportunity to walk in the footsteps of history. With the exception of the Blue/Bluff Trail, trailheads are all near the Germanna Foundation Brawdus Martin Fort Germanna Visitor Center located on Germanna Highway in Locust Grove, VA. The Blue Trail trailhead is along Flat Run Road (State Route 601).

HITT FARM

The Hitt Farm is land that once belonged to Revolutionary War soldier Peter Hitt, who died in 1802. He was most likely the grandson of 1714 immigrants Peter Hitt and Elsbeth Otterbach. The Hitt cabin dates to 1800, per dendrochronology study and is believed to be one of the few such survivors in the county. Additional research and testing is needed. Thirty-five graves have been discovered through ground-penetrating radar near the cabin in addition to the known and marked gravesites of Peter Hitt and his wife Hannah. Care is being taken to discover and protect this family cemetery and to learn more about persons possibly buried there.

VISION STATEMENT

By 2026, Germanna will be a destination and source of knowledge for understanding and appreciating the American frontier experience and the story of migration.

MISSION STATEMENT

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.

CORE VALUES

RESPECT for the collection, preservation, and interpretation of historical artifacts that reflect Germanna’s role in establishing the American frontier.
STEWARDSHIP with integrity of our material resources, financial resources, and personal relationships.
EXCELLENCE in archaeology, interpretation, and scholarship maintaining the highest quality in everything we do.
HONOR for descendants and their families by providing a place to respect their memory.
EDUCATION for the public, students, historians, genealogists, and descendants using programs, publications, and exhibitions.
RESEARCH to expand knowledge of the American story.
COLLABORATION by creating and maintaining mutually beneficial partnerships to increase the reach and impact of our work.
EXPLORATION and development of programs and exhibits for diverse audiences.

STRATEGIC GOALS AND ACTION ITEMS 2018-2019

1. Prepare and execute a plan to transform the Board of Trustees to a resource board.

TIMELINE

Beginning 2018 and ongoing

ACTION REQUIRED

Executive Committee to prepare revised by-laws and present to the Board of Trustees for approval in October 2018 but no later than January 2019 with an eye toward recruitment of new members, attention to term limits, and plans for continued engagement of valued former board members
A transition plan for the Board of Trustees should be developed with an eye toward the gradual addition of new members, with term limits as specified in the revised by-laws
A succession plan for the Executive Committee should be developed
Nominating Committee to prepare a matrix of desired characteristics for future Trustees, and, along with the full Board, begin cultivation of prospects
Nominating Committee to prepare a process for selecting and inviting new Trustees to the Board, a strategy for educating new board members about the Foundation, and prepare or update corresponding written materials
The Committee structure should be re-evaluated, and responsibilities for the committees should be clearly defined
Restructure Board meetings to enhance Trustee engagement

RESPONSIBILITY

Board of Trustees Executive Committee
Board of Trustees Nominating Committee
Full Board of Trustees (new Board member cultivation)
Executive Director

2. Hire an experienced Executive Director with some gravitas within the field.

TIMELINE

Post position no later than August 24
Committee meeting September 27 to determine finalist candidates
Tentative finalist candidate interviews October 10-11
Tentative Executive Director begin work January 2, 2019

ACTION REQUIRED

Consultants post, cultivate candidates, conduct telephone interviews and reference checks
Search committee available for October interviews, tours and deliberation

RESPONSIBILITY

Search committee

3. Invest in archaeology as a sure path to growth and visibility.

TIMELINE
• October 2018 Board meeting: Submit archaeology plan through 2019 for approval
• July 2019: Next five-year plan to be submitted

ACTION REQUIRED
• Obtain confirmation of continued VCU partnership in writing
• Reach consensus on site(s) to be emphasized
• As soon as possible add another full-time Archaeologist to the staff and develop an archaeology plan to reflect the increased professional capacity

RESPONSIBILITY
• Foundation Archaeologist and Executive Director (plan)
• Board of Trustees (plan approval and funding assistance)
• Executive Director (cultivate funding)
• Executive Director and Foundation Archaeologist (search and select archaeologist for board approval)

4. Prioritize private fundraising plan.

TIMELINE
• Development Committee and staff, last quarter 2018
• Executive Director, Development Committee, and staff 2019
ACTION REQUIRED
• Commit to focus on the 2018 annual campaign and assign responsibility to provide a summary document to the Board and the Executive Director that outlines our legacy fundraising activities and 2018 results
• Commit our new Executive Director to prepare a two-year fundraising strategy document by the end of the first quarter, 2019
RESPONSIBILITY
• Development Committee and development staff (last quarter 2018 short-term plan)
• Executive Director, Development Committee, and Development staff (long term strategy)

5. Prepare a Memorandum of Understanding with donor for the archaeology building and launch the construction process.

TIMELINE
• By September 1, 2018, Memorandum of Understanding
• By December 31, 2018 begin construction

ACTION REQUIRED
• Meet with donor to finalize agreement
• Meet with county to resolve parking concerns
• Receive final construction contract approval
• Receive permits from Orange County, Virginia

RESPONSIBILITY
• President and Treasurer, MOU
• Foundation Archaeologist, in consultation with Buildings & Grounds Committee, to oversee contractor – parking, county approval, permits, adherence to timeline, etc.

6. Establish Friends groups that will support the historic sites or each historic site through fundraising and volunteerism.

TIMELINE
• Siegen Forest, January 2019
• Salubria January 2020
• Hitt Farm January 2021
• Fort Germanna/Enchanted Castle, 2022

ACTION REQUIRED
• Determine size and scope of the Friends group(s)
• Develop by-laws for the Friends groups
• Develop goals for each Friends group including volunteerism and fundraising
• Develop strategy for Executive Director oversight of the Friends groups

RESPONSIBILITY
• Executive Committee or appointed committee (draft by-laws)
• Executive Director (develop goals and provide oversight)
• Executive Director, Development personnel, Friends group (establish fundraising goals)
• Board of Trustees (approval of all)

7. Determine the feasibility of one or two heritage events that are open to the general public, beginning with an Oktoberfest.

TIMELINE
• Feasibility report(s) to Board in October 2019

ACTION REQUIRED
• Feasibility report to include interest, preparation of budget, sponsorship, entertainment

RESPONSIBILITY
• Development consultant
• Executive Director to oversee Development consultant

STRATEGIC GOALS AND ACTION ITEMS 2020-2023

1. Restore the Salubria gardens.

TIMELINE
• Three-tiered approach. Part 1 begin January 2020 to develop Historic Landscape Research Plan for Falling Garden restoration
• Part 2 early 2020 -21
• Part 3 2022-2023

ACTION REQUIRED
• Part 1: Find funding through grant or partner organization to engage a historic landscape professional to research the garden and prepare restoration plan
• Engage the Department of Historic Resources to obtain appropriate approvals, etc.
• Part 2: Use the restoration plan above as basis for fundraising through grant, private donors, or partnership organization in 2121
• Part 3: Implement restoration plan in 2022-2023 with funding raised in Part 2

RESPONSIBILITY
• Foundation Archaeologist
• Friends of Salubria
• Executive Director and Development staff
• Board of Trustees

2. Add a full-time programming, education, or development professional to the staff.

TIMELINE
• Consider needs and develop budget for increased staff for FY 2020
• Consider possibility of combining programming and director of education

ACTION REQUIRED
• Board of Trustees approval of positions and authorization to seek funding
• Preparation of job descriptions and knowledge, skills, and abilities required
• Carry out search process
• Location of office space for additional professional staff

RESPONSIBILITY
• Board of trustees
• Executive Director
• Development committee

3. Grow the Library and Genealogy operations, including the cultivation of Spotswood descendants, and plan to add a full-time genealogist within a few years.

TIMELINE
• Initiate fundraising for the position in 2023

ACTION REQUIRED
• Board approval
• Fundraising
• Work plan
• Search process

RESPONSIBILITY
• Development committee
• Executive Director
• Board of Trustees

Strategic Plan

2018 Germanna Foundation Strategic Plan (pdf)