*[Heute hat meine Schwester Geburtstag.]
I have recounted, in recent Notes, a series of activities that I would like to be engaged in in the few years of rational thought and physical strength left to me. There is something that I think would please a lot of people and that is the finding and “restoration” of the Germanna fort and blockhouse. Our description of what they looked like comes from John Fontaine’s description.
Dr. Doug Sanford of Mary Washington University found what appeared to be the footing of a small section of the palisade wall. This was underneath a portion of the house that Alexander Spotswood built. This is not surprising since Spotswood probably took advantage of the land that had been cleared for the fort. By the time that the house was being built, the First Colony had left and the fort itself was redundant. The Indian trouble never developed.
Apparently, the houses that the First Colony lived in remained for some time for William Byrd reported seeing them in 1732.
So how will the extent of the palisade be found? By a lot of careful digging. First though, some aerial infrared photography may show or give some hints of parts of this palisade. Once the palisade is found, the blockhouse can be easily located, for it was in the center. Again, there ought to be traces of its setting. The houses would seem to be on the far side, away from Spotwood’s home, for they were preserved for a number of years after his house was built.
This all needs to be done carefully by trained people who know what they are doing. This is going to take money. Once the site has been found, it will be desirable to build our best approximation of the palisade, blockhouse, and homes. This will take a lot of money.
But what is the possible eventuality? The Germanna Reunion in 2014 could be held in the reconstructed fort! Wouldn’t that be the dream of a life time? What is the budget for this? It will be in the millions of dollars to locate, build, and provide access to the public, but it would be a major attraction in Virginia. And it would be the sentimental voyage of our lifetime. I could grow weepy eyed just being there in 2014.
People leave a piece of granite with a few details about their lives. Wouldn’t it be better to leave a monument showing where it began in America?
*[Today is my sister’s birthday.] oder [It is my sister’s birthday today.]
(09 Apr 07)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.