The Frenchman who may be the original American superhero will return to New Hampshire this weekend, marking the bicentennial of his Farewell Tour of the United States.
The Marquis de Lafayette , portrayed by interpreter Ben Goldman, will arrive in a horse and carriage in Hampton Falls early Sunday morning, just as he did two centuries earlier on the morning of Sept. 1, 1824. He will go on to make stops in Hampton, Greenland and Portsmouth on Sunday to a hero’s welcome you can help create.
The year 2024 marks 200 years since the Marquis de Lafayette, one of our young country’s best friends, returned to the United States from his native France for a Farewell Tour in 1824. He returned to reunite with all those he had worked with, fought beside, and befriended during America’s struggle for freedom. On that tour, he was deemed the “Guest of the Nation” and was the toast of the town wherever he went, feted as a hero with parades and parties, and treated as an A-list celebrity by a country still so grateful for the Frenchman’s role in helping us win the Revolutionary War.
When does Lafayette arrive?
On Sunday morning, Sept. 1, Lafayette will arrive at 9 a.m. at the Hampton Falls Town Common in a horse and carriage to a flag-waving crowd.
An outdoor tea party, Tea with the Marquis, begins at 8 a.m. on the Common as residents wait for Lafayette’s arrival. The party commemorates the morning tea Lafayette enjoyed at the historic Governor Weare House that day in 1824. Croissants, jams and Harney & Sons Paris tea will be served on the town’s vintage Grange china. This event is free, but seats are limited. They can be reserved on Eventbrite .
At 8:45 a.m., the town’s official program begins. It will include a dedication ceremony for the town’s new Lafayette Trail marker, donated by Lafayette Trail Inc., a nonprofit that in recent years has been installing historical markers along the path Lafayette took for his Farewell Tour, and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
Lafayette will then address the crowd. A proclamation declaring Sept. 1 as Lafayette Day in Hampton Falls will be read. The New Hampshire Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard will give a three-volley salute to Lafayette. Those in attendance can greet and get a photo with Lafayette after the ceremony.
The ceremony is free and open to the public. Parking is in the back lot of Lincoln Akerman School. There is no parking along the Town Common.
The Hampton Falls Free Library and the Hampton Falls Historical Society have partnered with the American Friends of Lafayette for the event. The library will present a talk “Lafayette and Human Rights” by Alan Hoffman in advance of the Farewell Tour visit on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 6:30 p.m. The talk is free and open to the public but a reservation is requested in advance at tickettailor.com/events/hamptonfallsfreelibrary/1312889 .
How will Hampton welcome Lafayette?
Lafayette’s next stop will be at Hampton’s Meetinghouse Green. After his carriage rounds Founders Park to greet well-wishers, the Hampton Historical Society will present a Jubilee of Liberty celebration from 9:30 to 11 a.m. French coffee and pastries will be served. The New Hampshire Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard will again salute the Marquis. The event is free and open to the public.
Hampton’s celebration of this historic event has included a book exhibit at the Lane Memorial Library and a Lafayette exhibit at the Tuck Museum. On Sept. 18, the historical society and library will present "President John Adams" for an evening of history and entertainment which will include information about the friendship between Adams and Lafayette.
Greenland is Lafayette’s third Seacoast stop on Sept. 1
Greenland will welcome Lafayette at its Parade Common on Sunday. The Greenland Historical Society will present socializing, food and music at the gazebo beginning at noon. At 12:30 p.m., those gathered will process along Church Lane to near the Community Congregational Church. Lafayette should arrive about 12:50 p.m. accompanied by the New Hampshire Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard.
After being welcomed, Lafayette will walk to the steps of 480 Portsmouth Ave., which was operated as a tavern as early as 1675. In 1824, Lafayette stopped at the tavern during his Farewell Tour.
How will Portsmouth celebrate Lafayette?
Lafayette will arrive in his horse-drawn carriage at the John Langdon House on Pleasant Street in Portsmouth at 2:30 p.m. There’ll be welcoming speeches and Lafayette will speak at the pavilion behind the Langdon House. The New Hampshire Sons of the American Revolution will once again accompany him and give a three-gun salute.
Lafayette will then talk about his role in the American Revolution and take questions from those in attendance.
A banquet in his honor will be held at 5 p.m. at the Strawbery Banke Visitors Center where Lafayette will mingle with diners. Peter Reilly of the American Friends of Lafayette will give a talk entitled “Lafayette as Superhero: The Farewell Tour In Context.” Then toasts to Lafayette will be offered by those in attendance and there will be a prize for the person who gives the best toast. Tickets to the supper are $100 and include admission to three historic houses - the Langdon House, Warner House and the John Paul Jones House over the weekend. Reserve tickets in advance at friendsoflafayette.wildapricot.org/event-5792542 .
Who was the Marquis de Lafayette?
The Marquis de Lafayette was born Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier in 1757 in the south of France, according to American Friends of Lafayette . Fighting the British during the Seven Years’ War , his father was killed in the line of duty in Germany when Lafayette was 2 years old. When he was 13, his mother died, and he decided to pursue a military education and career, joining the King’s Musketeers. Later that same year, he inherited his maternal grandfather’s fortune and became one of the wealthiest aristocrats in Europe.
He continued to pursue a military career and was on maneuvers in France when he met the Duke of Gloucester, the brother of King George III, who told him all about Britain’s struggle with America’s rebellious colonists. Inspired by the American revolutionaries and their fight for freedom, he decided to enlist as a volunteer in the American army. He was commissioned as a major general in the Continental Army at 19, serving with no pay and using his own wealth to finance some of the army’s efforts, including buying his own ship. He soon met George Washington, the army’s commander in chief, and they became lifelong friends. He was the youngest general to serve on either side of the Revolutionary War and he served until its end, was wounded in battle, and repeatedly performed key leadership roles, emerging as a hero. He went on to also become a hero of the French Revolution.
How long is Lafayette’s Farewell Tour Bicentennial?
The 2024 Farewell Tour began in New York City with a kickoff weekend Aug. 15-18. The tour will visit 24 states over 13 months and cover 6,000 miles, and has inspired hundreds of commemorative events. It will run through June 2025 when Lafayette will return to New Hampshire, just as he did during his tour 200 years ago. This second New Hampshire leg of the tour from June 21 to 28 will retrace his visits to the state’s southern towns from Salem to Concord and towns east and west of Concord from Dover to Claremont and Cornish. Lafayette’s official 2025 welcome will take place on June 22 in Concord.
Retrace Lafayette’s tour of New Hampshire in 1824 anytime
You can listen to an audio and video trail of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour in New Hampshire (and anywhere he went in the U.S.) at lafayette200.org . There you can also download the free TravelStorys app and drive the trail. With the app, audio, text, and images will launch as you approach each story site along the trail.
Where can I get more information about Lafayette’s Farewell Tour?
Visit the websites of the American Friends of Lafayette at friendsoflafayette.wildapricot.org and the Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour website at lafayette200.org .
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Marquis de Lafayette returning for Seacoast tour 200 years later: What you need to know
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