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 […]
Bald Eagles Nesting at Germanna along the Rapidan River
In celebration of all the new births this Spring, the Germanna Foundation is pleased to share this photo (taken by Germanna Foundation volunteer Dr. Myron Wasiuta, OD of Culpeper) of an adult bald eagle and eaglet nesting along the Rapidan River in Orange County, Virginia. As stated in the Virginia Department of Game and Inland […]
Battlefield Preservation and Stewardship Workshop
I’m sharing this invitation to a Virginia Department of Historic Resources sponsored workshop being held in Petersburg, VA October 23-24 for a couple of reasons. First of all, as you may know, the Germanna Foundation preserves the ford on the Rapidan River that was used by troops during the Civil War Battle of the Wilderness. […]
Restoring Historic Salubria from Damage Wrought by the Mineral Earthquake
By Doug Harnsberger Spring 2012 Germanna Newsletter At 1:51 pm on August 23, 2011, the terra firma beneath Salubria rumbled and heaved the stately 1757 Georgian-style house. By the time the quaking action had subsided, the 5.8 magnitude Mineral Earthquake had ruptured and twisted both of the twenty foot high chimney stacks twenty degrees, and […]
Dedicatory Prayer for Siegen Forest
As a member of the Germanna Foundation, I hope that you hold in honor the stewardship we have been entrusted in caring for Siegen Forest, the 179-acre remnant of the original settlement, now covered in hardwoods which provides a valuable riparian buffer to the Rapidan River. As I testified before the Fauquier County Board of […]
