Germanna facts for kids
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Germanna Site
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Sign at the Germanna Visitor Center
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 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Culpeper, Virginia |
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| Area | 120 acres (49 ha) |
| Built | 1724 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78003036 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 24, 1978 |
Germanna was an early German settlement in the Colony of Virginia. It was settled in two main groups. The first group arrived in 1714, and the second in 1717. Alexander Spotswood, who was Virginia's Lieutenant Governor, encouraged Germans to move there. He wanted them to work as miners and start a mining business in the colony.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name "Germanna" was chosen by Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood. It combines two important parts of the settlement's story. "German" refers to the German immigrants who traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. "Anna" honors Queen Anne of Great Britain. She was the queen when the first settlers arrived in Germanna. Even though she died soon after, her name lives on in the area.
A Look Back at Germanna's History
How Germanna Started
In 1720, Lieutenant Governor Spotswood received a large piece of land. This land was in the new Spotsylvania County. It was part of a plan to create a protective area against the French. Spotswood was in charge of Virginia's government from 1710 to 1722. During this time, he made many improvements. He also led a famous trip called the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe Expedition in 1716.
Spotswood was later replaced as governor in 1722. Some historians believe this happened because he had disagreements with the council. Also, he accepted a very large amount of land. This went against the Crown's rule that no one person should claim more than a thousand acres.
The German Settlers Arrive
Spotswood started the German colony at Germanna in 1714. He had two main reasons for this. First, he wanted to defend the frontier. Second, and most importantly, he wanted the Germans to work in his new ironworks. Germanna was the main town of Spotsylvania County from 1720 to 1732. Spotswood built a grand home there. After the Germans moved away, he continued the ironworks using enslaved labor. Later in his life, he became the Deputy Postmaster General for the colonies.
The First and Second Colonies
The Germanna settlements were made up of two main groups. The First Colony had 42 people from the Siegerland area of Germany. They came to Virginia in 1714 to work for Spotswood. The Second Colony arrived in 1717. This group included 20 families from areas like the Palatinate, Baden, and Württemberg in Germany. Other German families joined these first two groups later on.
Many Germanna families later moved south and west from Piedmont Virginia. However, many of these families married each other for generations. This created a strong family history.
Where Germanna Was Located
The first settlement, Fort Germanna, is in today's Orange County. It is located along the Rapidan River. Later German settlements were built in what is now Culpeper and Spotsylvania counties. Many Germanna families played important roles in early American history. This includes events like the American Revolution and the move west to Kentucky.
Keeping Germanna's History Alive
The site of Fort Germanna today is mostly open fields. There are also some areas with young trees. The Fort Germanna site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. You can still see traces of the terraces from Spotswood's large house. This house was known as the "Enchanted Castle."
The Germanna Foundation is a group working to protect this history. They are doing archaeological digs at the Fort Germanna, Siegen Forest, and Salubria sites. These sites are in Orange and Culpeper Counties.
The Germanna Foundation owns land on the original Germanna peninsula. This land is on both sides of Germanna Highway (State Route 3). It is near where the first Fort Germanna stood. This fort was once the westernmost outpost of colonial Virginia. The Foundation runs the Brawdus Martin Fort Germanna Visitor Center. It is located on the Siegen Forest side of the highway. This is about 15 miles east of Culpeper. It is also about 20 miles west of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
The Foundation also owns Salubria, an 18th-century mansion nearby. This house was once the home of Governor Spotswood's widow. In 2000, the Grayson family gave Salubria to the Germanna Foundation. This was done to help preserve its history. The Foundation has a research library and a memorial garden. They also plan to create walking trails to historic and archaeological sites. The Foundation also publishes books about history and family trees. They send out a newsletter and offer educational programs. These include an Annual Historical Conference and Reunion. They also offer trips to Germany to learn about where the Germanna families came from.
Important Dates for the First Colony
The first colony included families with surnames like Albrecht, Fischbach/Fishback, Hager, and Holtzclaw.
- 1710 May 18: The George Ritter Company was started in London. It was a company that would be in business for 20 years.
- 1711 Aug 15: Johann Justus Albrecht signed a contract with ministers in Siegen.
- 1711 Sep 5: Hermannus Otterbach asked for permission to move to America.
- 1713 Jul 12: Pastor Knabenschuh found that Pastor Haeger was gone. He also learned that schoolteacher Hans Jacob Holtzklau wanted to leave.
- 1713 Jul 17: Jacob Holzklau asked for permission to move. Hermann Otterbach was the first of the group to ask, on September 5, 1711.
- 1713 Jul 31: Philip Fischbach/Hans Jacob Richter and Jost Cuntz asked for permission to move.
- Summer of 1713: The people arrived in London.
- January 1714: They left for Virginia on a ship.
- Late March 1714: Spotswood first heard that Germans were coming.
- April 1714: The Germans arrived in Virginia.
- 1714: They built the first German Reformed church on the continent. It also served as a defensive building.
- 1718, early: They were told to look for iron.
- January 1719-20: Pastor Haeger and the First Colony members moved to Stafford County, Virginia. This area is now Fauquier County, Virginia. Three members of the group, John Fishback, John Hoffman, and Jacob Holtzclaw, got 1805 acres of land. They divided it equally among the group.
Important Dates for the Second Colony
- 1717: About 80 Germans from Wuerttemberg, Baden, and the Palatinate agreed to go to Pennsylvania. They made a deal with Captain Tarbett in London to sail on the ship Scott.
- 1717/1718: Captain Tarbett tricked the Germans and took them to Virginia instead. There, they became servants to Lieutenant Governor Spotswood.
- 1719/1722: Some Germans who left in 1717 arrived in Virginia later.
- 1725: Most of these Germans moved to the Robinson River Valley. This area is in today's Madison County, Virginia.
- 1733: Johann Caspar Stoever became their Lutheran pastor.
- 1740: The German Lutheran Church, known today as Hebron Lutheran Church, was built. Funds for its construction were raised in Germany.
