The Lafayette Trail

08/08/2026

During his stay in Washington City in the winter of 1824 and 1825, General Lafayette made several excursions to nearby states. One of them was the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The state legislature had invited him to visit Harrisburg.

On January 29, transiting via Baltimore, Lafayette proceeded to York. The next day, on January 30, on his way to Harrisburg, he was welcomed in Middletown, where he dined, accompanied by a committee from York.

The visit occurred at an important time in the timeline of the tour, being just over a week before John Quincy Adams would be selected as president by a house vote on February 9. Visiting Pennsylvania, Lafayette was able to see firsthand the rampant political animosity surrounding the presidential election of 1824.

We were thrilled today to memorialize Lafayette’s visit to Middletown for posterity with the formal dedication of our newest Lafayette Trail marker. You can see the new sign at the NE corner of E Main and N Union Streets.

This marker was donated to the Middletown Borough by The Lafayette Trail, Inc., with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

Numerous Middletown Borough officials attended this historic event, including Mayor Angela Lloyd, and Councilor Jenny Miller. We were pleased to welcome Freemasons from the general Harrisburg area also. District Deputy Grandmaster Stephen L. Kiessling provided greetings on behalf of the fraternal order, and emphasized in his remarks the significance of Lafayette’s friendship with George Washington, a fellow Mason.

As with every event sponsored by The Lafayette Trail, the public function was entirely free of charge and open to the general public. Congratulations, Middletown, and welcome to the national Lafayette Trail!

For more Lafayette250 events, please visit our live calendar of events at lafayette250.org/events

07/23/2026

Thank you, William G. Pomeroy Foundation!

07/15/2026

What a stunning evening at the residence of the French ambassador to celebrate Bastille Day! Attendees were able to walk though the residence and take a look at the newly decorated rooms, some of which feature Lafayette memorabilia!

The performance from the Chasseurs alpins band was one for the ages.

07/13/2026

On June 9, 1825, at 4:30 am, General Lafayette arrived at Onondaga Court House, where he was addressed by General Wood and greeted local residents in assembly. The reception, reported by the Onondaga Register, emphasized how Americans regarded Lafayette in 1825. The Frenchman was praised for the “meritorious services” he “rendered our infant republic”.
The language used by Onondaga officials celebrated the truth and triumph of natural rights over British usurpation and despotism.

Countyhood emanated from Revolutionary War victories, in particular in this part of the country against the nations of the Haudenosaunee allied with the British, and Lafayette epitomized the sacrifices of the founding generation, who fought for their rights secure such rights for posterity.
Today, at the Onondaga Free Library, we dedicated our latest Lafayette Trail historical marker in collaboration with the board of directors of the library.

Dedicating a new marker is always special, but doing so at a place cultivating the education of the general public is even more meaningful, as it taps into Lafayette’s strong belief that an educated citizenry was essential to the long-term prosperity of the United States.

We would like to thank Susan Morgan, director of the Onondaga Free Library, Scott Lipkowitz, assistant director, and Yvonne Slate, Onondaga Free Library board of trustees president.

Susan Morgan and Yvonne Slate provided greetings from the Onondaga Free Library. Julien Icher presented the national Lafayette Trail and gave a brief overview of the meaning of Lafayette’s visit to the US in 1824-25. Natalie Williams-Dardaris, Town of Onondaga Historian, shared remarks about Lafayette’s visit to Onondaga. Finally, Anastasia Sopchak brought greetings from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, with its founder Bill Pomeroy in attendance for the occasion.

The new marker design honors the national colors of France and the U.S. and is #206 on our national series. To find more information about our national system of historic markers and upcoming semiquincentennial activities, please visit lafayette250.org.

The marker was donated by The Lafayette Trail, Inc. to the Onondaga Free Library with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. The program was entirely free of charge and open to the general public.

Congratulations, Onondaga Free Library! Welcome to the Lafayette Trail!

Onondaga Historical Association Lafayette250 Celebration - Onondaga, NY Jessica Dapson for Onondaga County Legislator Town of Onondaga

07/12/2026

On June 8, 1825, at 4 pm, General Lafayette was greeted at the county line off the Cayuga Bridge by the Cayuga County committee of arrangement led by Captain Cox. He was addressed by Judge Enos Throop and escorted to the Mr. Woolsey’s Hotel. From its piazza, the Frenchman addressed the crowd.

Traveling on a barouche provided by W.S. De Zeng of Geneva, NY, Lafayette and his entourage left Cayuga at 5 pm, heading east towards Syracuse. In a manner consistent with other public honors tendered the Frenchman across the US, Lafayette was referred to as a “venerable Guest”.

Rather than an invitation to worship Lafayette religiously, the use of the word “venerable” in this case suggests a US admiration for Lafayette’s inspirational life story, calling for Americans to respect, honor, and learn from the Frenchman’s achievements.

“Guest” refers to a show of hospitality and the justification for such honors and expenses. More precisely, it refers to the duty of gratefulness that was incumbent upon all Americans. Feeling grateful towards Lafayette cemented national unity around the founding story of the young republic.

Showing gratitude to Lafayette equated honoring the founding generation but also affirming the international standards of the young republic on the global stage, especially in relation to the European monarchies with established public honor ceremonies for their military champion.

By honoring Lafayette, Cayuga was demonstrating in practice that it shared in the national celebration going on across the country. It also contributed to affirming in the eyes of the rest of the world that the culture of the new world was not inferior to the European one, and that the US was very much capable of honoring its champions like European monarchies were. Not caving to fears of European retaliations, especially accusations of meddling in French domestic affairs, the U.S. pressed on with honoring Lafayette, thereby affirming its total independence from Europe. The celebration taking at Cayuga was fully on par with the patriotic republican spirit seen elsewhere across the country.

Today, at Harris Park, in the Village of Cayuga, we had the great honor of unveiling a new marker celebrating Lafayette’s connection to Cayuga and the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. We would like to express our most sincere appreciation to Don Wilson, Jr., mayor of the Village of Cayuga, for his support of this Lafayette initiative in his community.

The program included several speakers. Susan Hughes, former senior historian at the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, emphasized how the collaboration with the Lafayette Trail empowered communities across the nation to narrate their unique local history. Village of Cayuga Mayor Don Wilson, Jr. stressed the importance of celebrating American history and cultivating a spirit of civic engagement. Julien Icher, founder and president of the national Lafayette Trail, provided greetings on behalf of the nonprofit organization and shared remarks about the meaning of Lafayette’s “Farewell Tour” and some historical details about Lafayette’s time in Cayuga on June 8, 1825.

This new marker will stand for decades as a material reminder of Lafayette’s visit and the pride Cayuga took over 200 years ago in receiving Lafayette. The new marker is #184 on our national series. Its design honors the national colors of France and the U.S. and Lafayette’s role in our two national revolutions. Our next program will be held tomorrow, July 13 at 2 pm at the Onondaga Free Library.

To find more information about our national system of historic markers and upcoming semiquincentennial activities, please visit lafayette250.org

The marker was donated by The Lafayette Trail, Inc. to the Village of Cayuga with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. The program was entirely free of charge and open to the general public.

Congratulations, Cayuga! Welcome to the Lafayette Trail!

Cayuga Museum of History and Art & Case Research Lab Happenings in Village of Union Springs, NY Onondaga Historical Association

07/04/2026

For our French friends, to be published in Le Progrès this Sunday!

https://www.leprogres.fr/societe/2026/07/04/independance-des-etats-unis-la-fayette-l-auvergnat-toujours-heros-americain

William G. Pomeroy Foundation French Embassy in the U.S. Julien Icher

Né à Chavaniac, en Haute-Loire, Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette demeure l’un des Français les plus célèbres aux États-Unis. À l’approche des ...

07/04/2026

Last month at Mandeville House in Garrison, attendees ate French fromage and drank Perrier and Champagne. Dressed in Revolutionary War garb, Mark Forlow wielded a scabbard to slice open a bottle of V***e Clicquot with a clean cut through the glass instead of popping the cork.

“You have to suspend the neck in ice for an hour or so,” he says. “I’ve seen people do this with a butter knife.”

The French-themed fête on June 13 paid homage to the Marquis de Lafayette and the pivotal assistance from France during the Revolutionary War. Julien Icher, founder of the Lafayette Trail, a Maryland-based nonprofit, installed a marker a half-mile south from the intersection of Route 9D and Route 403 at the former site of loyalist Beverley Robinson’s home. (It burned down in 1892.)

George Washington, Lafayette, and a who’s who of big names stayed and strategized there and at Mandeville House, built in 1737.

Full article available at:

https://highlandscurrent.org/2026/07/03/house-of-heroes/

Mandeville hosted a revolution

07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July and 250th to the USA 🇺🇸!

06/15/2026

On October 9, 1784, General Lafayette visited the hallowed battleground at Saratoga during a celebratory sojourn engineered to validate the newly acquired US independence from Great Britain. Today, along with Town of Saratoga History and Battles of Saratoga 250, we dedicated a new marker honoring the Frenchman’s visit.

This new sign adds another layer to the interpretation of the French connection to the Saratoga narrative inside the story of the nation’s founding.

Many thanks to all involved, including the crew that operated the two cannon salutes. The marker was donated by The Lafayette Trail with funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. A wreath was laid by Saratoga Chapter DAR following the unveiling of the sign. The event was free and open to the public.