Lafayette Tour Marker, Tonawanda, New York (NY-209)

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 5, 1825, Lafayette boarded a canal boat called the Seneca Chief. The boat was towed through the harbor in front of the Village of Buffalo and up the Niagara River to the western terminus of the Erie Canal. Many boats filled with citizens followed in a procession. They proceeded to Tonawanda, where Lafayette disembarked and was received by the Committee of Niagara County. They escorted Lafayette in a carriage up to Niagara Falls, where he viewed the falls, then returned to Tonawanda, and spent the night at Lewiston before reboarding the Seneca Chief the next day to continue traveling east. 

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