A celebration in Vermont (Windsor, Woodstock, Royalton, Montpelier, Burlington and more) of the Marquis de Lafayette's two day visit to Vermont, the last official stop on a 24 state visit that took more than a year. A Lafayette character actor will appear at each event planned by the towns along the original tour route.
All events free and open to all. The Lafayette actor’s visits will be part of the town events, but now, as then, Lafayette will keep to a schedule as best he can and may need to travel on to the next stop!
Windsor—7:30am
Hartland—9:00am Lafayette travelled in a carriage, or barouche, provided by David Sumner of Hartland. Sumner was a businessman who built a beautiful home where Lafayette may have stopped to pay his respects on the way from Windsor to Woodstock. The current owners of the Sumner mansion will sponsor a reception honoring the visit. Town histories mention that Hartland schoolchildren all learned about Lafayette’s visit for many years afterward.
Woodstock—10:30am In Woodstock, Vermont, there will be a Lafayette celebration on the lawn in front of the Woodstock History Center, which is located at 26 Elm Street. The event will begin around 11 am with brief historic speeches by re-enactors portraying Titus Hutchinson and the Revolutionary War hero Lafayette, followed by “toasts” for all with non-alcoholic, historic drinks, such as cider and switchel. For children and the young-at-heart, there will be a craft activity where they can decorate a cup using the same imagery and designs that were on the cup used by Lafayette when he visited Woodstock and had a drink at the local tavern, Barker’s Hotel. There will also be a small pop-up exhibit about Mary Grace Canfield, a Woodstock historian who wrote a book about Lafayette’s Vermont tour in 1934, 100 years after his death in 1834. Her thorough research has provided the basis for many of the Lafayette bicentennial activities that will be taking place this year in Vermont.
There will also be opportunities for attendees to interact and socialize with “Lafayette” and ask him questions about his life and tour through America. For those wishing to see firsthand the sites that Lafayette visited while in Woodstock, the History Center will distribute a self-guided walking tour map, replete with historic photographs. Additionally, the Woodstock History Center will have its museum open, free of charge, so that guests can view the museum’s collections, including a new exhibit that features samplers that have connections to the Revolutionary War.
East Barnard—12:45pm
Royalton—1:30pm In Royalton, Lafayette was met by 103 members of the Tunbridge Cavalry Company to escort him to town. At the current Lafayette marker on Route 14, Royalton will welcome General Lafayette; in case of inclement weather the meeting will be in the former St. Paul’s Episcopal Church building next to the marker.
Brookfield--2:15pm Lafayette passed through Brookfield, East Randolph and Randolph Center on his way to Montpelier. This part of the journey will be celebrated at Hippo Park near the floating bridge in Brookfield, located on Sunset Lake on Vermont Route 65.
Barre—3:00pm Lafayette stopped in South Barre to change horses and escort for his evening in nearby Montpelier at a tavern owned by Major Ira Day who also co-owned the turnpike to Williamstown that Lafayette travelled on. The exact location of the tavern is in question, but the Barre History Center and Library will receive and welcome General Lafayette at the historic Spaulding school building at 60 Washington Street (Rt 302) in Barre, The public is invited to visit and view the new research and exhibition gallery which contains hundreds of items, including mementos from Lafayette’s 1825 visit!
Montpelier—4:00pm Montpelier will welcome General Lafayette in front of the Vermont Supreme Court, which was the site of the first statehouse (1808). The welcome will include re-enactments of the speeches given in 1825 and a brief history by curator David Schutz of the first statehouse, where Lafayette spoke from the balcony of the old wooden building. Invitees include Governor Scott and US Senator Peter Welch to address Lafayette. The welcome will be followed by a reception next door at the Vermont History Museum, featuring a talk by historian Alan Hoffman, who translated the original detailed account of the farewell tour from French to English that was published by Lafayette’s secretary August Levasseur. Lafayette will then receive a private tour of the current statehouse, which will be open along with the museum during the day for public enjoyment.