On Saturday, Aug. 31 from noon to 1:30 p.m., Marblehead Museum, in collaboration with the Lafayette 200 organization, will commemorate the 200th anniversary of Revolutionary War-hero Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Marblehead on Aug. 31, 1824 with an event in the Jeremiah Lee Mansion Gardens. 200 years to the day, a reenactor portraying Lafayette will arrive in a horse and carriage at the gates of the Jeremiah Lee Mansion, where he was feted by the town during his 1824 visit.
The event will consist of short speeches, a tribute by Glover’s Marblehead Regiment, and a reception, where light refreshments will be served.
The event is free and open to the public, rain or shine.
A French nobleman, Marquis de Lafayette joined the Continental Army led by Gen. George Washington in 1777. He fought with the American forces throughout the war and became famous throughout the new nation. In 1824, President James Monroe and Congress invited Lafayette to return to tour the United States on the eve of the nation’s 50th anniversary. The 66-year-old hero toured all 24 states in 6 months.
For more information about the Marblehead commemoration and others nearby, visit https://lafayette200.org/