A little rain couldn’t stop us from officially opening the Germanna Ford Public Boat Launch on Saturday at our Conservation Celebration, attended by esteemed guests like Orange County District 5 Supervisor Bryan Nicol, partner organizations including Friends of the Rappahannock, Piedmont Environmental Council, and many more, and community members of all ages. The rain couldn’t damper our celebration, which consisted of […]
Germanna Highlighted Twice in Free Lance-Star
Extra, extra! Read all about it! Historic Germanna is in the news — specifically in the Free Lance-Star‘s print edition, Tuesday December 19, 2023. We are extra excited because Historic Germanna is featured in not only one, but in two different articles spread across two pages. Pages A12 and A13 feature two different happenings here […]
DHR Administers Easement Over Siegen Forest’s Civil War Battlefield Land in Orange County
In partnership with Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Historic Germanna has some exciting news regarding the Siegen Forest. Read the official press release from DHR below: DHR Administers Easement Over Civil War Battlefield Land in Orange CountyThe easement protects property associated with the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of the Wilderness. Owned by Historic […]
Siegen Forest Easement Signed by Historic Germanna Leadership
Last Friday, October 27, we achieved a monumental milestone for Historic Germanna, one that has been over a decade in the making. Our Executive Director, Jennifer Hurst Wender, under the guidance of Keith Hoffman, President of the Board of Trustees, signed the conservation easement on Siegen Forest. The journey leading to this moment involved extensive […]
Germanna Foundation Receives $647,370 Virginia Grant for Conserving Siegen Forest
The Germanna Foundation is thrilled to announce that we received a grant from Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation of almost $650,000 towards conserving 170 acres of Germanna’s Siegen Forest, which is the land behind the Fort Germanna Visitor Center. The description of the grant states it is a “Conservation easement to protect 170 acres […]
The Peter Hitt Farm: Uncovering Two Centuries of History on the Rappahannock River
Gifted to the Germanna Foundation between 2007 and 2017, the Peter Hitt Farm is an architectural and archaeological gem that provides a rare glimpse into two centuries of life in western Fauquier on the Rappahannock River. Peter Hitt, its builder, was a grandson of the 1714 Germanna immigrant of the same name. The presentation by […]
Hitt family was key to historic Culpeper bridge’s rescue
“History means a lot to me,” Russell Hitt said in 2018. “Route 613 is the old Lee Highway—my ancestors used that road, the Civil War armies used that road. I just think it’s very important to preserve things like that bridge.” Article by CLINT SCHEMMER in the Culpeper Star–Exponent After seven years of being shut […]
Germanna Connection of Superintendent of Independence National Park
Decades-long friend of the Germanna Foundation Cynthia MacLeod, Superintendent of Independence National Park, welcomes you to ceremonies in and around Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Her husband Doug Harnsberger is a former trustee of the Germanna Foundation and architect of the Fort Germanna Visitor Center in Locust Grove, VA. The Germanna Foundation is proud […]
A look into Fauquier County’s 18th century German past
Germanna Foundation Trustee Kristie Kendall wrote an article in The Piedmont Virginia magazine about the Peter Hitt house, which is under the stewardship of the Germanna Foundation: A WINDOW THROUGH TIME Driving through Fauquier County, I am often reminded of the strong German history in the area – signs for Rectortown off Route 17 north […]
Germanna Foundation Supports Rapidan River Clean-up
For the past few months, the Germanna Foundation facilitated the clean-up efforts of another area non-profit group called StreamSweepers. StreamSweepers is a youth job corps program focusing on river restoration. Each summer about a dozen area young adults are trained and paid a stipend to go out on our area rivers to perform ecological assessments and […]