Germantown, Virginia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Germantown, Virginia
Unincorporated community
Germantown Lake
Germantown, Virginia Location in Northern Virginia Show map of Northern Virginia Germantown, Virginia Location in Virginia Show map of Virginia Germantown, Virginia Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Fauquier
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)

Germantown is a historic area in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. It is not a city or town today. It is an unincorporated community, meaning it does not have its own local government. You can find it near C. M. Crockett Park. This park has Germantown Lake, which is a popular spot for fishing. A very important person, John Marshall, who became a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was born here! The old settlement sites are even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical places.

History of Germantown

German Settlers Arrive

Many of the first people in Germantown came from Germany. They were from a place called Siegen, which is east of Bonn. In 1718, twelve German families left their jobs with Governor Alexander Spotswood. They had been working at a mining settlement called Germanna.

These families moved to a large piece of land in what is now southern Fauquier County. This land was about 1,805 acres (7.3 km²). The land was split equally among the twelve families. These families included Melchior Brombach, Joseph Coons, and Harman Fishback. Other families were Peter Hitt, Jacob Holtzclaw, and John Hoffman. Also, John Kemper, John Joseph Martin, Jacob Rector, John Spilman, and Tillman Weaver.

Building a New Community

All the homes in the new settlement were built on the south side of Licking Run. This stream flowed through each family's farm. Each landowner also gave 10 acres of their land. This land was used to create a "glebe." A glebe is land given to a church. Here, they built the first church, parsonage (a house for a minister), and school in Fauquier County.

The settlers also built a road called German Rolling Road. This road helped them reach the market in Falmouth. They also had a saw mill and a grist mill in their town. A saw mill cuts wood, and a grist mill grinds grain into flour.

Germantown Lake and a Famous Birth

The area where the mill pond used to be is now under Germantown Lake. This lake is 109 acres (0.44 km²) big. It was created in 1985 and was named to honor the old settlement.

This historic area is also famous for another reason. It is where John Marshall was born in 1755. He later became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. This is the highest judge in the U.S. legal system.

The Lost German Colony

By the time of the American Revolution (around 1775), the settlers were doing well. They had bought other land and moved on. Because of this, the original settlement of Germantown became empty. It is sometimes called a "lost German colony" because the community no longer existed.