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 / Archives for Fort Germanna

Germanna Archaeology Summer 2021

August 16, 2021 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

Germanna’s archaeologists, Dr. Eric Larsen and Kelly Arford-Horne, and 2021 archaeology interns bring you up to date on the exciting discoveries of this year’s summer field season.

Filed Under: Archaeology, Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog

Digging for the truth at Fort Germanna

August 5, 2021 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

(Culpeper Star-Exponent) Many archaeologists were on hand Saturday at the Fort Germanna site in Orange County, where work is ongoing to discover new truths and answer questions about the settlement started there more than 300 years ago. At a rare public access day, visitors mingled with historic preservationists and archaeologists, discussing the fort built at […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Articles, Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, In the News

The Peopling of Germanna and Beyond

July 23, 2021 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

People have come to Germanna for many reasons. Initially, they came because it was a convenient ford across the Rapidan River, and more recently to connect with the distant past, perhaps where their families fished and farmed, explored, or battled. These people have deep roots far from Germanna, whether they crossed the Bering Straits or […]

Filed Under: Fort Germanna, Genealogy, Germanna Blog, Germany, History, Knights of the Golden Horseshoe, Video

Germanna America in Embryo

July 23, 2021 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

This 50-minute documentary (originally on DVD) about the story of Germanna was recently uploaded to YouTube by the producer, Phil Audibert of AHHA Productions. Enjoy! In 1714, under the direction of Lt. Governor Alexander Spotswood, 12 German families established a settlement on the Rapidan River in present day Orange County, Virginia. At the time it […]

Filed Under: Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, History, Knights of the Golden Horseshoe

Explorers, Indians, Refugees, and Settlers—The Road to Germanna 1650-1714

July 23, 2021 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

Dennis Loba references primary sources to paint a picture of the history before Germanna and the forces that influenced Lt. Governor Spotswood to explore and settle the Germanna peninsula and its surrounding area. ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Dennis Loba is known to Germanna Foundation mainly for his portrayals of Alexander Spotswood and the Rev. John Thompson. […]

Filed Under: Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, History, Knights of the Golden Horseshoe, Reunion, Video

Germanna Foundation welcomes visitors to archaeological site on public access day

October 15, 2020 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

News article in the Orange County Review newspaper by Gracie Wilbanks: The Germanna Foundation held a public access day on Saturday, October 3, in conjunction with the 300th anniversary of the founding of Spotsylvania. The history organization hosted its annual public access day to Germanna’s archaeological digs sites, educational opportunities regarding colonial life and a […]

Filed Under: Archaeology, Events, Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, In the News

2017 Germanna Reunion Photos

July 25, 2017 By Germanna Foundation 1 Comment

Be sure to take a look at the photos taken during the 2017 Germanna Reunion and Conference– Photos from the Salubria dinner Photos of various events Fort Germanna Archaeology Dig including the visit to the site by world-renowned archaeologist William Kelso, who discovered Fort Jamestown.      

Filed Under: Announcements, Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, Photos, Reunion

BREAKING: Horse Stolen from Col. Spotswood

March 15, 2017 By Germanna Foundation Leave a Comment

Okay, maybe the news is 281 years old, but Germanna Foundation President Marc Wheat came across a mention of Germanna and the Iron Works in the January 7, 1736 edition of the Virginia Gazette newspaper about a horse stolen from Col. Spotswood. We wonder if anyone got the “handsome reward” that was offered for the […]

Filed Under: Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, History

Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition Ride Reenactment

August 23, 2016 By Germanna Foundation

(Dale Duvall/Culpeper Times) Virginia Colonial history will be re-visited as horseback riders from across the United States gather to re-enact Colonial Governor Alexander Spotswood’s Transmontaine Expedition up and over the then imposing Blue Ridge Mountains.  It was 300 years ago that this expedition paved the way and began the never ending westward expansion of America. Starting […]

Filed Under: Announcements, Events, Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, History, Knights of the Golden Horseshoe

Thanks Virginia Commonwealth University

July 28, 2016 By Germanna Foundation

We treated Dr. Bernard Means and his VCU archaeology field school students to a pizza party picnic at the Fort Germanna/Enchanted Castle excavation site on Thursday, July 28th – the final day of VCU’s field work at Germanna this summer.  Our seasonal staff, under the direction of Germanna’s archaeologist, Eric Larsen, Ph.D., and this season’s […]

Filed Under: Announcements, Events, Fort Germanna, Germanna Blog, In the News, People, Photos

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NEW GERMANNA RECORD!

Broyles Family book

The Broyles Family: The First Four Generations
by Cathi Clore Frost

watch on-demand!

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

Your donation helps support our mission:

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Become a member or renew your membership in the Germanna Foundation:

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RECENT POSTS

  • Salubria in Spring: Our First Salubria Public Access Day of 2023!
  • 2023 Bluebell Walk with Germanna Foundation and Old Rag Master Naturalists
  • Lab Nights with Germanna Archaeology: Hitt Archaeology Center Open House
  • An Evening with Germanna Presents Founder’s Day Genealogy: The First and Second Germanna Colonists with Barbara Price and Cathi Clore Frost
  • Lab Night with Germanna Archaeology Presents: Buildings and Builders of Germanna
  • Join Germanna for the 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count!
  • Virtual Event: The German Diaspora: Looking at German Emigration Worldwide from the 9th Century to Today

Germanna in the Revolution

Download Icon for Genealogy Databases

Germanna Descendant

Germanna 101

Watch a video about the history of the Germanna Colonies in America.

germanna-family-1b

Become a member of the Germanna Foundation and get access to Germanna’s exclusive genealogy database, GermannaFamily.org, with thousands of names. Research your Germanna roots!

Become a Member

Make a Donation

Planned Giving

Remember the Germanna Foundation in your estate plans and in your will.

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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