Lafayette Tour Marker, Marblehead, Massachusetts (MA-75)

President James Monroe invited the Marquis de Lafayette to visit the United States, his adopted country. Lafayette’s tour of all 24 states in 1824 and 1825 drew large crowds and sparked a renewal of patriotism. During the American Revolution, Lafayette’s intense advocacy of the American cause convinced King Louis XVI of France to send troops and ships, which proved crucial to the American victory at Yorktown. 

On August 31, 1824, General Lafayette visited Marblehead, MA, where he was received at the Marblehead Bank House and addressed by John Prince. The September 6, 1824, edition of the Boston Commercial Gazette mentions the historic visit: At 9 o’clock, General Lafayette was received on the line of Marblehead by a Committee from that town. He was then escorted into the town by citizens on horseback, a Battalion of Calvary, and two corps of Light Infantry. The procession proceeded through Washington Street to the Bank House, where the General was presented to the authorities of the town, and addressed by Hon. John Prince on behalf of the town in an appropriate manner, to whom General Lafayette made a very feeling reply. A National Salute of 24 guns was then fired from the Battalion of Artillery.

Learn about Revolutionary War Combat Strategy. Watch the Revolutionary War Animated Map. For a summary, read An Overview of the American Revolution.