MEMORIAL FOUNDATION OF THE GERMANNA COLONIES IN VIRGINIA INC

SINCE 1956, HISTORIC GERMANNA HAS OWNED AND MANAGED ABOUT 176 ACRES OF RIPARIAN DECIDUOUS FOREST CALLED SIEGEN FOREST LOCATED BETWEEN THE RAPIDAN RIVER AND VIRGINIA ROUTE 3 (GERMANNA HIGHWAY) IN ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA. HISTORIC GERMANNA DEVELOPED HIKING TRAILS ON THE LAND WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS AND DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS, INCLUDING AREA BOY SCOUTS. HISTORIC GERMANNA IS COMMITTED TO WISE STEWARDSHIP OF THIS HISTORIC AREA BY WORKING WITH THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA AND PRIVATE-SECTOR CONSERVATION GROUPS, AS WELL AS MAKING THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF THIS HISTORIC SITE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.IN 2021, HISTORIC GERMANNA STARTED THE PROCESS OF PLACING THE SIEGEN FOREST PROPERTY UNDER HISTORIC EASEMENT WITH THE VIRIGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HISTORIC RESOURCES (DHR). HISTORIC GERMANNA APPLIED FOR AND WAS SUCCESSFULLY AWARDED A GRANT FROM THE VIRGINIA LAND CONSERVATION FOUNDATION (VLCF) OF $629,901 AND A GRANT FROM THE AMERICAN BATTEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM (ABPP) FOR $628,910. HISTORIC GERMANNA FINALIZED THE EASEMENT OF THIS PROPERTY IN NOVEMBER OF 2023, AND AT THAT TIME, RECEIVED THE GRANT FUNDING FROM VLCF AND ABPP. HISTORIC GERMANNA ORGANIZES AND EXECUTES SEVERAL EVENTS FOCUSED ON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT HISTORIC GERMANNA'S SITES, ALONG WITH PROGRAMS USING THE SITES AS BACKDROPS.HISTORIC GERMANNA HELD SIX PUBLIC EVENTS IN 2024: 1) GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNTY WITH VIRGINIA MASTER NATURALISTS, 2) CONSERVATION CELEBRATION AND GERMANNA FORD BOARD LAUNCH RIBBON CUTTING, 3) ANNUAL HISTORIC GERMANNA REUNION & CONFERENCE, 4) REPTILE WALK WITH VIRGINIA MASTER NATURALISTS, 5) VETERANS DAY ILLUMINATION, AND 6) CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTY WITH VIRGINIA MASTER NATURALISTS.HISTORIC GERMANNA HELD FOUR VIRTUAL LECTURES IN 2024: 1) AN EVENING WITH GERMANNA WITH SHANNON DOHERTY WHO PROVIDED A PRESENTATION ON "THEY CAME FROM OVER THE RIVER: SLAVERY, EMANCIPATION, AND THE UNION ARMY IN CULPEPER COUNTY, VIRGINIA", 2) AN EVENING WITH GERMANNA WITH GAILA SIMS WHO PROVIDED A PRESENTATION ON "LAFAYETTE'S WORLD: REVOLUTIONARY IDEALS AND THE LIMITS OF FREEDOM". 3) AN EVENING WITH GERMANNA WITH RYAN QUINT WHO PROVIDED A PRESENTATION ON "THE 1864 OVERLAND CAMPAIGN", AND 4) AN EVENING WITH GERMANNA WITH SHANNAH MORT WHO PROVIDED A PRESENTATION ON "BLOOMSBURY, AN 18TH CENTURY HOUSE IN ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA, AND ITS CONNECTION TO GERMANNA AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE EXPEDITION". THESE PRESENTATIONS CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE AT WWW.VIMEO.COM/GERMANNA/VIDEOS.HISTORIC GERMANNA'S FORT GERMANNA VISITOR CENTER (VISITOR CENTER) HOUSES A MUSEUM AND THE EVELYN C. MARTIN GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH LIBRARY; THE HITT ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER (DEDICATED IN 2019) AND MEMORIAL GARDEN ARE LOCATED ON THE SIEGEN FOREST CAMPUS, ADJACENT TO THE LOCUST GROVE CAMPUS OF GERMANNA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WHOSE 100-ACRE SITE WAS DONATED BY HISTORIC GERMANNA TO THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA IN 1969 FOR THE PURPOSE OF FOUNDING THE COLLEGE.EDUCATIONEDUCATION IS CENTRAL TO HISTORIC GERMANNA'S MISSION. THE VISITOR CENTER HOLDS A LARGE COLLECTION OF BOOKS AND GENEALOGY RECORDS, AS WELL AS INTERPRETIVE EXHIBITS THAT TELL THE GERMANNA HISTORY. IN 2023, HISTORIC GERMANNA HIRED AN EDUCATION MANAGER TO BETTER INTERPRET THE GERMANNA REGION'S HISTORY TO THE PUBLIC. HISTORIC GERMANNA HAS BEEN FOCUSING ON BUILDING AN INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM AT SALUBRIA AND INTERGRATING THE CENTURIES OF HISTORY AT GERMANNA INTO PUBLIC PROGRAMMING.SINCE ITS FORMATION IN 1956, HISTORIC GERMANNA HAS PUBLISHED 25 BOOKS THAT COVER A WIDE RANGE OF HISTORIC TOPICS RELATING TO GERMANNA, AS WELL AS GENEALOGIES OF MANY OF THE FAMILIES. SINCE 1957, HISTORIC GERMANNA HAS HELD AN ANNUAL JULY CONFERENCE AND REUNION, CONTINUING A TRADITION STARTED IN THE 1940'S BY ITS UNINCORPORATED PREDECESSOR. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES GUIDED TOURS OF HISTORIC SITES IN THE VIRGINIA COUNTIES OF ORANGE, CULPEPER, FAUQUIER, AND MADISON THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE GERMANNA FAMILIES. IN ADDITION, DURING THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE LOCAL AND NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SPEAKERS PRESENT TALKS ON TOPICS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST, GENEALOGY, ARCHAEOLOGY, AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION.HISTORIC GERMANNA PUBLISHED A NEWSLETTER FOUR TIMES A YEAR THAT REFLECTS INFORMATION ABOUT HISTORIC GERMANNA ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS, AND INFORMATIVE ARTICLES.HISTORIC GERMANNA OPERATES AND MAINTAINS A WEBSITE, WWW.GERMANNA.ORG, THAT CONTAINS HISTORICAL INFORMATION, NEWS, OFFICER, TRUSTEE AND STAFF PROFILES, PROGRAM PROMOTION, HISTORICAL ARTICLES, AND A STORE WHERE ALL PUBLICATIONS AND RELATED ITEMS CAN BE ORDERED ONLINE.HISTORIC GERMANNA ALSO OFFERS EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO COLLEGE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS THROUGH SUPERVISED INTERNSHIPS THAT PROVIDE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN RESEARCH, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF A HISTORIC SITE AND ORGANIZATION.CULIVATION OF TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSTHE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG TIES WITH ANCESTRAL VILLAGES OF GERMANNA COLONISTS AND SUPPORTERS OF HISTORIC GERMANNA LIVING IN GERMANY HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF HISTORIC GERMANNA'S MISSION SINCE ITS INCEPTION. TIES WITH RESEARCHERS AND GENEALOGISTS IN SIEGEN, GERMANY REMAIN STRONG TO THE PRESENT. OFFICIAL DELEGATIONS FROM GERMANY HAVE VISITED HISTORIC GERMANNA OVER THE YEARS, INCLUDING SERVERAL BY VOLMAR KLEIN, A FORMER MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT IN BERLIN, GERMANY.HISTORIC GERMANNA LEADS GROUP TOURS ANNUALLY TO GERMANY. EACH GROUP TOUR IS CUSTOM DESIGNE, WHETHERE THE PERSON IS A GERMANNA DESCENDANT OF THE FIRST OR SECOND GERMANY COLONY, HAS GERMAN ROOTS, OR HAS AN INTEREST IN GERMAN CULTURE.

IN OCTOBER 2013, HISTORIC GERMANNA ACQUIRED A 62.2-ACRE TRACT OF LAND SITUATED IN THE GORDON DISTRICT OF ORANGE COUNTY, VIRGINIA FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, WHICH HAD BEEN MANAGED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON (UMW) WITH A HISTORIC EASEMENT PLACE ON THE PROPERTY. THE PROPERTY CONTAINS SEVERAL KNOWN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES, INCLUDING FORT GERMANNA, THE "ENCHANTED CASTLE", THE FIRST SPOTSYLVANIA COURTHOUSE AND THE GORDON PLANTATION. GERMANNA ARCHAEOLOGIST EXCAVATE THESE SITES ANNUALLY, WITH OVERSITE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORIC RESOURCES. THIS PROPERTY IS PROTECTED BY A CONSERVATION EASEMENT DONATED BY HISTORIC GERMANNA TO DHR.BEGINNING IN 2016, HISTORIC GERMANNA'S ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAM PARTNERED WITH DR. BERNARD MEANS (FACULTY MEMBER OF THE ANTHROPOLOGY DEPARTMENT AND SCHOOL OF WORLD STUDIES AT VIRGINIA COMMON UNIVERSITY). HISTORIC GERMANNA HAS HOSTED THE VIRGINIA COMMON UNIVERSITY (VCU) FIELD SCHOOL SINCE 2016. THE FIELD SCHOOL IS A SIX-WEEK HANDS-ON, EXPERIENTAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN ARCHAEOLOGY. THE STUDENTS ARE INTRODUCED TO DATA COLLECTION METHODS ON A REAL WORLD, WORKING EXCAVATION SITE. IN THE PRACTICE OF PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC ARCHAEOLOGY, FIELD SCHOOLS ARE SEEN AS A "GATEWAY" EXPERIENCE TO ENTERING THE PROFESSION. THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HISTORIC GERMANNA AND VCU PROVIDES A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR VCU STUDENTS ON AN IMPORTANT VIRGINIA ARCHAEOLOGY SITE. HISTORIC GERMANNA HOSTS "PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY DAYS" AT THE FORT GERMANNA/ENCHANTED CASTLE SITE. THESE PUBLIC ACCESS DAYS PROVIDE VISITORS THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME AND SEE THE ARCHAEOLOGY SITE AND OBSERVE THE PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR. IN ADDITION, ARCHAEOLOGISTS DEVELOP AND SET UP RELATED ACTIVITIES AND DISPLAYS. HISTORIC GERMANNA HELD EIGHT PUBLIC EVENTS AT FORT GERMANNA/ENCHANTED CASTLE SITE AND HITT ARCHAELOLOGY CENTER IN 2024: 1) FORT GERMANNA/ENCHANTED CASTLE SITE ARCHAEOLOGY CLEANUP, 2) TWO PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY DAYS, 3) 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPOTSLVANIA COUNTY COURT HOUSE IN VIRGINIA, AND 4) FOUR EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS OF GERMANNA ARCHAEOLOGY IN CELEBRATION OF ARCHAEOLOGY MONTH WITH GERMANNA.HISTORIC GERMANNA HELD ON VIRTUAL LECTURE IN 2024: 1) AN EVENING WITH GERMANNA WITH GERMANNA ARCHAEOLOGY STAFF WHO PROVIDED A PRESENTATION ON "GERMANNA ARCHAEOLOGY RECAP". THIS PRESENTATION CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE AT WWW.VIMEO.COM/GERMANNA/VIDEOS.IN DECEMBER 2020, THE ARTIFACTS COLLECTIONS EXCAVATED AT THE ENCHANTED CASTLE SITE DURING THE 1970S AND 1980S, WERE TRANSFERRED FROM UMV TO THE HITT ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER. THE COLLECTIONS, ON LOAN FROM DHR, INCLUDES ARTIFACTS, NOTES, DRAWINGS AND OTHER DATA FROM THE PREVIOUS EXCAVATIONS OF THE ENCHANTED CASTLE RUINS. THESE COLLECTIONS ARE CURRENTLY HOUSED IN THE HITT ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER FOR THE PURPOSES OF STUDY, ANALYSIS AND EXHIBIT. HISTORIC GERMANNA WILL MAKE THESE COLLECTIONS AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCHERS AND SCHOLARS.IN 2018 AND 2019, HISTORIC GERMANNA CONSTRUCTED THE HITT ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER, WHICH WAS PLACED INTO SERVICE IN MAY 2019 AS A HEADQUARTERS FOR HISTORIC GERMANNA'S ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAM. THE HITT ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER GIVES HISTORIC GERMANNA A PLACE TO CLEAN, STUDY, STORE AND EVALUATE ARTIFACTS FOUND ON THE HISTORIC GERMANNA PROPERTIES. THIS 3,000-SQUARE FOOT FACILITY HAS SPACE FOR LONG-TERM STORAGE OF ARTIFACTS, A LAB FOR THE CATALOGING AND STUDY OF THOSE ARTIFACTS AS WELL AS FACILITIES FOR CLEANING AND PRESERVING ITEMS FOUND IN THE FIELD. THE STORAGE PROVIDES A CLIMATE-CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT ENSURING THE PRESERVATION OF COLLECTIONS.THE HITT ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER IS A PLACE WHERE SCHOLARS CAN VISIT AND STUDY ARTIFACTS FROM HISTORIC GERMANNA'S COLLECTION, INCLUDING ARTIFACTS RECOVERED FROM ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD'S ENCHANTED CASTLE, AND THE FORT GERMANNA, SALUBRIA AND THE HITT FARM SITES. IN 2023, GERMANNA ARCHAEOLOGY TOOK THEIR "ARCHAEOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM" PROGRAM TO SEVERAL SCHOOLS IN ORANGE COUNTY, AND HOSTED SEVERAL MORE STUDENTS ON-SITE.