Next in the Lovettsville Historical Society’s lecture series:
“Lafayette: Our Nation’s Adopted Son and His Farewell Tour of the America He Loved”
Sunday, June 26, at 2:00 p.m.
In-person at Lovettsville Town Council Chamber (behind the Museum)
and online via Zoom
On Sunday, June 26, the Lovettsville Historical Society will host Dr. Patricia L. Maclay, who will discuss the Marquis de Lafayette’s triumphal 1824-25 tour of the United States as the “guest of the nation.” Dr. Maclay, an official of the American Friends of Lafayette group, will also tell us about the plans for the bicentennial celebration of Lafayette’s tour which will take place in 2024-2025.
When President James Monroe issued the invitation to Lafayette make a return visit to America in early 1824, Lafayette accepted it eagerly. He arrived in New York in August 1824 and proceeded to tour the entire nation, which consisted of 24 states and the District of Columbia at that time. His trip covered 6000 miles, and included countless cities and towns, where Revolutionary War veterans and the public at large thronged to greet him. The tour concluded in Washington D.C. in September 1825, not only with a grand ball, but an address to both houses of Congress.
Near the end of his tour, in August 1825, Lafayette expressed his desire to visit with his old friend James Monroe, by then retired and living on a plantation south of Leesburg. At the invitation of the Loudoun County militia, he then made his way to Leesburg, accompanied by cavalry, infantry, and other military units and veterans. The grand procession ended up at the County Courthouse, where many thousands welcomed him.
As we approach the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, it is important to be reminded how Lafayette’s visit rekindled the nation’s revolutionary spirit. Dr. MacClay, who serves as a national official of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), will describe how the Farewell Tour Bicentennial Committee hopes it will do the same today.
This event will held be in-person at the Lovettsville Town Council Chambers and also be streamed online via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out a few days before the lecture. To request the Zoom link, please RSVP to events@LovettsvilleHistoricalSociety.org
For more information, visit www.LovettsvilleHistoricalSociety.org or email events@lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org.