On October 11, 2018,a ground-breaking ceremony took place for the future site of the Hitt Archaeology Center, next to the Brawdus Martin Fort Germanna Visitor Center.
This new center is made possible by a generous gift from Russell and Joan Hitt. The facility will contain space for cleaning, cataloging, and storage of artifacts from archaeological work at the four Germanna Foundation properties.
Speakers at the ground breaking ceremony included Germanna Foundation President Marc Wheat, Foundation archaeologist Dr. Eric Larsen, and Orange County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tammy Collins.
Since 2016, the Germanna Archaeology program has been searching for the exact location of the 1714 Fort Germanna with the assistance of summer interns and Virginia Commonwealth University field school students.
Sean Jones, a 2018 intern and current graduate student at the University of Maryland said: “The construction of a permanent lab space shows the Germanna Foundation’s commitment to archaeological research and preservation. This new space shows that the Foundation is not only committed to uncovering history, but also caring for and curating this history for future generations. As a young professional, this new facility opens up a world of possible research potential with Germanna artifacts.”
The Hitt Archaeology Center will help launch the careers of young archaeologists anxious to publish on the discoveries yet to be made at Germanna. Generous contributions from the community and from the Germanna membership will ensure they have the right equipment and supplies to explore the material culture of Germanna’s frontier families at a place where they became Americans. In the last century Jamestown and Williamsburg were explored archaeologically.
For more information visit www.germanna.org