The Germanna Foundation invites you to make plans to attend their biggest event of the year: their four-day annual conference and reunion where it all started near Fort Germanna, Virginia.
Save the date for July 16-19, 2020 in Virginia. This year’s theme: The Peoples of Germanna.
2019 AGENDA
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Registration Open House
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Fort Germanna Visitor Center
2062 Germanna Hwy (Route 3), Locust Grove, VA
All reunion attendees are invited to drop by the Brawdus Martin Fort Germanna Visitor Center to pick up registration materials. While you are here, take this opportunity to hike the trails, browse the library, and check out the interpretive display. A volunteer will be on hand to assist with family research in the library. The Visitor Center will be closing at 4:00 pm to allow staff time to prepare to attend the Meet & Greet Reception. Those unable to pick up their registration materials during the open house may do so at any Reunion event. FREE
Hitt Archaeology Center Open House
Noon – 4:00 pm
Hitt Archaeology Center (next to the Visitor Center)
2062 Germanna Hwy (Route 3), Locust Grove, VA
Volunteers will be on hand to show you around the brand-new archaeology facility, made possible by a generous donation from Russell and Joan Hitt. See the lab where artifacts found during excavations of Germanna properties will be processed, the storage area where they will be housed, etc. At 3:00 pm: Join us for a plaque unveiling ceremony for the Germanna Foundation Time Capsule that was placed in the walls of the Hitt Archaeology Center on March 28, 2019 and won’t be opened again until July 2068. FREE
Fort Germanna / Enchanted Castle Public Access Day
Noon – 4:00 pm
Gordon Farm Road, Locust Grove, VA
Drive across Germanna Hwy (Route 3) to explore the Fort Germanna/Enchanted Castle site. Volunteers will lead informal site tours showcasing the work of past seasons. Closed toe shoes required. Other protective gear and bug spray are highly recommended. Beware of chiggers, ticks, snakes, and poison ivy. Directions will be available at the Visitor Center during Registration. FREE
Meet & Greet Reception
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Best Western Culpeper
791 Madison Road, Culpeper, VA
An informal get together for all descendants will be hosted by Fran Rowell in the large meeting room. There will be coffee, tea, water and soda, but the primary drink will be the “Toddie” that Gov. Spotswood liked to drink. It is his recipe which includes rum and tonic water. Snacks will also be served. Bring family history/genealogy, photos, and documents you would like to show others and have Fran later digitize them for the Germanna database. This is a FREE event, but registration is required for planning purposes.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Heritage Tour to Jamestown***SOLD OUT****
8:00 am – 5:30 pm (NOTE: Bus loads at 7:45 am and leaves at 8:00 am)
Departs and returns, Best Western Culpeper
791 Madison Road, Culpeper, VA
Those who have not already done so may pick up their registration materials in the back lobby before the tour. 2019 marks the 400th anniversary of several important events in Virginia, and we are traveling to where it all began! Join us on an exciting Heritage Tour to historic Jamestown, site of the first permanent English settlement in America. While visiting this historically significant site, our tour will be led by Dr. William Kelso, the archaeologist who discovered James Fort in 1994 and who recently joined the Germanna Foundation Board of Trustees. We will also have the chance to explore and learn at the 7,500 square foot Archaearium about more than 4,000 artifacts found over the last 20 years of digging. Enjoy lunch at the Dale House Cafe while overlooking the James River. Registration fee includes transportation, lunch, and admission fee to historic Jamestown. $95 PER PERSON
Research Time in the Germanna Foundation Library
***NOTE: Due to an overwhelming response, we can no longer accept RSVPs for research time in the library***
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Brawdus Martin Fort Germanna Visitor Center
2062 Germanna Hwy (Route 3), Locust Grove, VA
Want some extra time to work on your family research in the Germanna Foundation Library? During this four-hour block, volunteers ready to assist you will staff the library. This is a FREE event, but registration is required for planning purposes.
Banquet & Auction
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Lake of the Woods Clubhouse
205 Lakeview Parkway, Locust Grove, VA
The Annual Banquet is the main social event of the reunion weekend. After a day of touring outdoors, join us in air-conditioned comfort overlooking Lake of the Woods. Begin the evening enjoying the social hour with cash bar followed by a buffet dinner. Bid on a variety of items during the silent and live auctions. $60 PER PERSON; $45 children 12 and under
Saturday, July 20, 2019
July 20, 1969: 50th anniversary of Germanna descendant and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon.
Historical & Genealogical Conference and Annual Meeting
8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Germanna Community College Daniel Technology Center
18121 Technology Drive, Culpeper, VA
Start the day with coffee & donuts, socialize, shop in the Vendor Hall, and enjoy a full schedule of informative lectures. For the first time, the Germanna Foundation Annual Meeting has been upgraded to full conference session status and will feature mini presentations by staff members and Trustees. If you have not already done so, registration material may be picked up at the Germanna booth in the Vendor Hall. Boxed lunch included. $60 PER PERSON
Conference Sessions:
Germanna 101
Cathi Clore Frost, Germanna Foundation Trustee and Genealogist
What is Germanna and who is a Germanna Colonist? This presentation will identify Germanna in both historical and current context. Learn how we identify the Germanna settlers, including the First and Second Colonies as well as later arrivals. Some factors that led the Germanna Colonists to leave Germany, conditions of their journeys, and what they found in Virginia will be explored. The First and Second Germanna Colony settlements at and near Fort Germanna were fleeting. Why didn’t the colonists settle there permanently? Where did they settle after leaving Germanna? How did the location each colony settled after their indenture period affect group cohesion? These questions, and more, will be answered in this presentation offering a history of the Germanna Colonies in Virginia.
Virginia’s “Red Letter” Year
Dr. Katharine Brown, Germanna Foundation Trustee and Historian
What is meant by the “Red Letter” Year? Wrap your mind around the long-range effects of importing Africans to the British North American settlements, as well as bringing women to marry and create permanent families on a frontier post of single men, also of establishing the first elective, representative legislative body in the Americas, and the First Thanksgiving celebration. Phenomenal change in just one year! How did it influence our ancestors who settled in Virginia? Learn about important events in Virginia in this key year “Before Germanna.”
Iron Maidens: Anne Catharine Green and Mary Ball Washington (mother of George Washington)
Laura J. Galke, The George Washington Foundation
Archaeological investigations at two colonial-era homes reveal the determination and agency of two savvy Chesapeake women: Anne Catharine Green (c. 1720-1775) and Mary Ball Washington (c. 1708-1789). Anne Green printed the Maryland Gazette, managing its labor force and newspaper content, after the death of her husband. Mary Washington-George Washington’s mother-raised young five children, managed multiple plantations, and even managed a wig maintenance operation, after her husband died. Washington biographies overwhelmingly assert that George succeeded despite the efforts of his widowed mother. Archaeological investigations at the Green home in Annapolis, and at Washington’s home in Stafford County, highlight how each of these women overcame numerous challenges to raise their children, manage their properties, and engage in enterprising ventures. The archaeology at each of these sites preserves the strategies these ladies implemented in their pursuit of freedom and success. These insights are possible thanks to the recovery, examination, and thoughtful analysis of the material culture of their respective homes.
Travels with Germanna
Learn about upcoming opportunities for both heritage and tourist travel to Europe, including the annual Germanna Foundation trip to Germany and a 2019 Christmas Market Cruise. Possible future trips may also be introduced.
Annual Meeting featuring:
- Tim Sutphin, Executive Director – The State of Germanna
- Dr. Eric Larsen, Staff Archaeologist – Germanna Archaeology
- Kristie Kendall, Trustee – Germanna Foundation Properties
- J. Marc Wheat, President – Germanna Foundation Board of Trustees
Saturday at Salubria
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Salubria, 19173 Salubria Lane (off Route 3), Stevensburg, VA
Put on your Dirndls and Lederhosen and celebrate our German heritage with a delicious Abendessen on the grounds of historic Salubria during this casual, family friendly event. Before dinner, tour the house and grounds. The team led by Germanna Staff Archaeologist Dr. Eric Larsen and Dr. Bernard Means of Virginia Commonwealth University will be digging at Salubria during the 2019 field school season. Visit their display showing work accomplished to date. By popular demand, dinner will be catered by Bavarian Chef and feature Oktoberfest fare. Schmeckt so gut! A local German band, the Low’n Brows, will provide after dinner entertainment. Feel free to polka along! $55 PER PERSON; $40 children 12 and under
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Worship at Historic Church of your choice
10:00 am – Noon
Hebron Lutheran Church, 899 Blankenbaker Road, Madison, VA
Little Fork Episcopal Church, 16461 Oak Shade Road, Rixeyville, VA
Lunch at Graves Mountain Lodge
1:00 pm
Graves Mountain Lodge
3626 Old Blue Ridge Turnpike, Syria, VA
Join your Germanna cousins and friends as we gather together for one last social time before we must part. Rustic Graves Mountain Lodge, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, is owned and operated by Germanna descendants. The restaurant provides excellent, plentiful, family-style meals and it is a favorite with past attendees who have lunched here during our Heritage Tours. $30 PER PERSON
Monday, July 22 – Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Post- Reunion “I Dig Germanna” 3-Day Archaeology Workshop
9:00 am – 5:00 pm daily
Fort Germanna / Enchanted Castle site
For the 2019 season, work on the Fort Germanna/Enchanted Castle site will be moving into the lab to catch up on cataloging artifacts from the last three years of digging. This allows Dr. Eric Larsen the chance to complete an interim report before we return to excavating at the site. This summer, fieldwork will take place on the grounds of Salubria. Join Dr. Larsen, summer archaeology interns, and field school students from Virginia Commonwealth University along with their professor Dr. Bernard Means for this exciting opportunity to conduct supervised field work at Salubria. This is your chance to play in the dirt! $100 PER PERSON
The fine print: Due to necessary training which will be given the first day, participants must commit to all three days of the workshop. Participants must be 16 years of age or older (age 14-15 allowed if accompanied by parent/guardian), and in good health as field work is conducted outside with limited shelter and facilities.
REGISTRATION
Early Bird (EB) prices are good through June 1, 2019 after which Regular Registration prices go into effect. Register Early! Registration for each event is on a first-come, first-served basis and some events SELL OUT.
Reunion registration closed July 10, 2019.
Cancellation Refund Policy: Cancellation refunds, less a $25 administration fee, offered only until July 1 because after this date the Germanna Foundation is obligated to pay vendors for your space and meal whether you attend or not. All Reunion registrations will NOT be refunded at the full à la carte price per event even if individual events are requested to be refunded before the deadline. These prices are discounted from the à la carte price and will be refunded at the rate of $5 off the à la carte price. All refunds are subject to the $25 administration fee.
ACCOMMODATIONS
A limited number of rooms at each of the following motels have been reserved at a special rate. To receive the discounted rate, you must mention “Germanna Foundation Reunion” and make your reservation by June 11, 2019. Rates include breakfast. We recommend making your reservations early.
Best Western Culpeper – $85.00
791 Madison Road, Culpeper, VA, 540-825-1253
Holiday Inn Express Culpeper – $129.99
778 Madison Road, Culpeper, VA, 540-825-7444
Quality Inn Culpeper – $99.99 + tax
890 Willis Lane, Culpeper, VA, 540-825-4900
Local Tourism Websites
- Culpeper County – VisitCulpeperVA.com
- Madison County – Madison-VA.com
- Orange County – VisitOrangeVirginia.com
- Virginia – Virginia.org
Past Germanna Reunions:
- 2018:
- 2017:
- 2016:
- 2015:
- 2014:
