Germantown was Fauquier County’s first permanent settlement. It was founded by German miners brought to the Rappahannock River valley by Alexander Spotswood, then lieutenant governor of Virginia, in the early 1700’s to excavate iron ore found on his property.
As the name suggests, it was home to a large group of German immigrants whose names survive in the County today. Common Fauquier names such as Fishback, Rector, Kemper, and Hitt all date back to this early settlement. The modern-day boundaries of this settlement are Meetze Road along the northeast and Germantown Road along the southwest. The population of Germantown shifted around during the 1800s, following the popularity of the new Warrenton Road.