Lafayette Tour Marker, Rochester, New York (NY-186)

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 June 7, 1825, his arrival in Rochester was announced with cannon and gunfire, as well as drums. At 6 p.m., he arrived and was met by a flotilla of twelve boats, each carrying flags, with a band playing on one. The General visited each boat, greeting them with individual salutations. The boats then fell into a line, with the General in the middle, and then proceeded through Rochester. Citizens gathered on bridges to watch him pass by, and they had built a stage on the aqueduct. The General was received by a delegation, and a speech was given by the Hon. W. B. Rochester, at the time an Eighth Circuit Court Judge and son of Nathaniel Rochester, the founder of the city. The General continued on to Canandaigua later that evening.

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