Lafayette Tour Marker, Brownsville, Pennsylvania (PA-88)

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 had convinced French King Louis XVI to send troops and ships, which proved crucial to the American victory at Yorktown. 

Lafayette was received on the west bank of the Monongahela River in the town of Brownsville on May 26, 1825. Brownsville was an important river and transportation hub at the time. He was greeted by 24 young girls dressed in white, representing the 24 states in the Union. He shook hands with veterans of the War of 1812 and was served a meal at the Brashear Inn. He then departed for Uniontown, traveling by carriage on the National Pike, the first federally funded highway (1811).

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