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Editor’s note: This is the thirteenth in a series of articles leading up to the Lafayette Farewell Tour Bicentennial celebration. Previous articles are available at suffolkva250.com/history.

By Frank and Gloria Womble

The American Friends of Lafayette (AFL) began its celebration of the bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour on August 15 with four days of activities in New York City and surroundings. We were honored to be joined by Lafayette descendants Virginie Bureaux de Pusy-Dumottier de Lafayette and her daughters, Heloise and Adelaide Barbier-Dumottier de Lafayette, as we welcomed General Lafayette, portrayed by Colonial Williamburg’s Mark Schneider, at a dinner on Staten Island. Over the next 13 months, Lafayette will be feted in cities large and small, just as he was in 1824 and 1825. 

On August 16, Lafayette arrived to an enthusiastic welcome at Brookfield Place in lower Manhattan. The Cadets Lafayette led the procession to a crowd of cheering people, where he was greeted by Damian Laban, Deputy Counsel General of France in New York City. Lafayette reviewed a detachment of New York Army National Guard soldiers and was then escorted down Broadway in a horseless carriage. The procession ended at Evacuation Plaza, named for the day in 1783 when the last British garrison left the city. There the American and French flags were raised. The AFL President Alan Hoffman read a proclamation signed by New York City Mayor, Eric Adams.

Next we visited City Hall, where Lafayette received an official welcome, and viewed the life-sized portraits of Lafayette, by Samuel F. B. Morse, and George Washington, by John Trumbull. Afterwards, we visited the nearby National Museum of the American Indian, where Ray Halbritter, a representative of the Oneida Nation, gave a presentation on Lafayette and the Oneida. The day concluded with a special Lafayette exhibit and dinner at Fraunces Tavern.

The morning of August 17th featured a Living History event at South Street Seaport with a talk on the French ship, L’Hermione, aboard the tall ship Wavertree. Later we enjoyed a delightful lunch and presentation at the Park Avenue Armory, followed by book signings. Next there was a visit to L’Alliance New York Florence Gould Hall Theater, where we heard the music of African-American composer, Francis Johnson. A lively question and answer session featured New York Times bestselling author Mike Duncan. The evening culminated with a reception hosted at the French Consulate.

Mighty rains off the coast on August 18 failed to dampen the enthusiasm. We began the day at Bartow Pell Mansion, followed by a visit to St. Paul’s Church, where Lafayette was warmly greeted by fellow Masons. Our journey continued to Westchester County, with stops in New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, and Rye. Lafayette was given the key to the city in New Rochelle, which he compared to his gift to George Washington of the key to the Bastille. He was greeted by an outpouring of bell ringing, singing, and honors bestowed on him. Mamaroneck and Rye issued formal proclamations in Lafayette’s honor and celebrated with joyous salutes and costumed reenactors.

Looking ahead to the next two weeks, Lafayette will travel throughout eastern Massachusetts and briefly visit the New Hampshire seacoast. On September 6, he will celebrate his 67th birthday in Weathersfield, Connecticut. On September 7, AFL will host a daylong symposium, “Lafayette and the Enduring Struggle for Human Rights and Democratic Governments,” at Fairfield University in Connecticut. For more details, see Lafayette200.org. 

Flashback: An article published in the American Beacon on August 30, 1824, reported that “The Citizens and ‘Columbians’ of Suffolk, hearing the very pleasing and anxiously expected intelligence of the arrival of Gen. La Fayette,” met on August 21 with the intent of joining the October 19 celebrations in Yorktown. Joseph Prentiss, John Murdaugh, Richard D. Webb, Nathaniel D. Wright, and Thomas G. Benton were “appointed a committee to make suitable arrangements.”  

The American Friends of Lafayette is partnering with Suffolk 250, the Constantia Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Riddick’s Folly to commemorate the Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour:  “Celebrate Lafayette: Soldier, Statesman, Champion of Human Rights,” a memorabilia exhibit from January 23 to March 1 at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts; Lafayette’s arrival on February 23 at the Suffolk Visitor Center/Riddick’s Folly; a banquet on February 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront; and a reception on February 26 at the Washington Smith Ordinary in Historic Somerton.

Frank and Gloria Womble are life members of the American Friends of Lafayette. Frank is a retired Army lieutenant colonel. Gloria is the America250 chair of Constantia Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, in Suffolk.