200 Years Ago: Lafayette Marches Through North Central Connecticut
NORTH CENTRAL, CT — It was 200 years ago this week that the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who helped the America cause during the Revolutionary War, made a triumphant return to the United States and north central Connecticut.
Stops on his tour included a night in Stafford and and a romp through Vernon and Tolland where he was greeted as a celebrity at two of what were then THE places to hang out — King’s Tavern and The Mansion House.
Several monuments mark his journey, including a plaza in Vernon and a colorful sign in Tolland.
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According to the website Today In Connecticut History, on Sept. 3, 1824 after stopping in Worcester, the Marquis spent the night at the Springs Hotel in Stafford.
The following day, he made stops at the south end of the Tolland Green and The Mansion House. The house was built by Col. Elijah Smith in 1788 and operated by he and his wife for more than a half-century as Smith’s Tavern and hostelry. He also stopped at King’s Tavern near the Tolland-Vernon line, where he was met with a great deal of fanfare the following day.
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He was escorted from there to Hartford by the 1st Company of the Governor’s Horse Guards, according to the Today In Connecticut History account.
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Although fifty years had passed since the close of the Revolutionary War, Lafayette was still revered by Americans and was greeted by thousands of citizens hoping to get a glimpse of the hero as he traveled through the state, according to the account.
In all, Lafayette visited many towns in Connecticut during the tour, including Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Westport, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Stratford, Milford, New Haven East Haven, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Wesbrook, Old Saybrook, Old Lyme, East Lyme, New London, Norwich, Jewett City, Plainfield, Stafford, Tolland, Vernon, Hartford, Cromwell and Middletown.
Daughters of the American Revolution members from Vernon, Tolland and other sports in the state elsewhere gathered Wednesday morning along Route 30 just east of Grove Street in Vernon, at the Lafayette stone monument, to pay tribute to the bicentennial.
See the full schedule of Lafayette bicentennial celebrations here.
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