Program

Lafayette Trail

Subject

Event, People, Site

Location

125 E Niagara St, Tonawanda, NY 14150, USA

Lat/Long

43.021760693241, -78.873673150727

Grant Recipient

The Lafayette Trail, Inc.

When America declared its independence on July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies were pulled into a conflict with one of the world’s most formidable powers, Great Britain. The colonies’ actions against Great Britain inspired a young French aristocrat and military officer, Marquis de Lafayette, to depart his native France to fight in the American Revolution. Lafayette served as a commander with the Continental Army throughout the war and helped secure French support for the American cause. This support played an integral part in securing American victory during the war.

Celebrated as a hero in the U.S. and France, Lafayette eventually returned to his home country. In 1824, Marquis de Lafayette was invited to visit the United States for the first time in 41 years. As an American hero and one of the only surviving commanders from the Revolution, Lafayette’s visit to the U.S. was highly anticipated and met with a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement. Lafayette’s Tour extended from 1824 to 1825. During this time, he visited Washington, D.C., as well as major cities and small communities across 24 states.

On June 4, 1825, Lafayette and his retinue arrived in Buffalo, NY as they travelled eastward. The next morning, on June 5^th, after having breakfast and saying farewell to the people of Buffalo, he was brought to the new steamboat wharf where he 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 waterfalls and expressed his awe, and then had lunch at the nearby Eagle Hotel. Lafayette then returned to Tonawanda where he was received by citizens, and he spent the night at Lewiston before reboarding the Seneca Chief the next day to continue travelling east.