1714 / 1717 Gate Traditional Cache
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An easily-accessible nano with no room for a pencil or trackables. Learn about the area’s history from the two nearby Orange County historical displays or by visiting the visitor center and museum inside the gate.
Why are the years 1714 and 1717 important to millions of Americans of German descent? If you are of German descent, are these years personally relevant? Why is the Virginia State Route 3 named the Germanna Highway? How did the Germanna Community College get its name? Where did the name Germanna come from? Finding this cache will take you to a visitor center and museum with all the answers.
The Germanna Foundation was chartered in 1956 to preserve the heritage of the earliest German settlements in colonial Virginia in 1714 and 1717, which were augmented with additional infusions of immigrants in the 1730s and 1740s. Originally settled in a frontier fort under the auspices of Virginia's colonial Lt. Governor, Alexander Spotswood, the members of the immigrant groups later moved to the present Virginia counties of Fauquier, Culpeper, and Madison.
The name Germanna, coined by Governor Alexander Spotswood, reflected both the German immigrants and the British Queen, Anne, who was in power at the time. Though she died only months after the Germans arrived, her name continues to be a part of the area.
The first Germanna Colony of 42 persons came in 1714 from the Siegerland area in Germany. The second Germanna Colony of 20 families came in 1717 from the Palatinate and Baden-Wuerttemberg area of Germany. Other German families also joined the first two colonies at later dates.
While here, check out the two nearby Virginia Civil War Trails information panels about Germanna Ford, where on May 4, 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant crossed the Rapidan River in his effort to maneuver around General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. This crossing of the river led to the first battle of the Wilderness Campaign.
CONGRATULATIONS to geochloe and G.O. Cash for being the first- and second-to-find, literally within minutes of it being published by honeychile. One must be ever vigilant and quick-to-act to log a FTF or STF in this part of Orange County, VA. Note that G.O. Cash has more than 1,000 FTFs in his 1,900-plus finds, which is commendable ... and, to me, amazing.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gval naq oynpx.
Treasures
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