First settled in 1710 as the "East Camp" by some 1,200 Palatine refugees from the Rhineland, the District of Germantown was created in April, 1775, only weeks before the start of the American Revolution, and became a township in 1788, the year after the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

The Columbia County Township, with a population of about 2,020 today, is located some 100 miles north of New York City and about 50 miles south of Albany, the state capital. Its dimensions are 8,000 acres or 12.5 square miles. Its western border is the shoreline of the Hudson River.

About 200 feet above the river, bordered by wooded hills, orchards and small farms is Germantown’s community center. Germantown’s Palatine Park, provides recreational facilities and a host of other amenities. The Town Park in northern Germantown provides river access for boaters.