Pictured are Mike Lee, portraying the Marquis de Lafayette and Jeff Crossley, Sons of the American Revolution.

This evening, Fredonia’s Barker Commons will host a festival and reenactment of General Lafayette’s visit.

No one in Northern Chautauqua County slept on the night of June 3, 1825. Instead, drums and cannons sounded, whiskey was spilled, candles were lit, coats and shawls were clutched against the chill of an early summer night that would be recounted through the years. 

It was the last chance to see a national hero, the last surviving general of the Revolutionary War, and the “Nation’s Guest”: The Marquis de Lafayette.

Lafayette arrived in Fredonia around 3 a.m., where he was welcomed with music, speeches, and a brief breakfast, before continuing on to Dunkirk Harbor where he sailed to Buffalo and toured the newly opened Erie Canal on his way back to the east coast.

Bearing an invitation from Congress and President James Monroe, Lafayette, then 67, was on his final visit to the former colonies of America whose independence he fought to secure. But those in Fredonia remembered him as the wealthy, disaffected and rebellious 19-year-old French aristocrat who, in 1777, defied family and king by joining the American Revolution. 

Appointed Major General due to his connections to French King Louis XVI, Lafayette was assigned to George Washington’s command and facilitated French support for the American cause. Lafayette served under Washington during the war; he was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1777, endured winter encampment at Valley Forge in 1777-1778, and commanded troops in the Siege of Yorktown where the British Army surrendered in 1781. 

Lafayette was a singular figure as the Revolutionary generation faded away and an extremely divisive election took place in 1824. A hyper-partisan press expressed a political divide along lines familiar today: urban vs rural, coastal vs middle states, with and without formal education. And one of the key issues that year was about tariffs. Yet all sides were caught up in the legendary life of Lafayette. It strains the imagination to think of a figure who could hold similar appeal today.

Residents of Chautauqua County eagerly followed Lafayette’s journey in the local newspapers as he toured New York City, New England, the Tidewater and Southern states, visited New Orleans, and traveled up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Lafayette was honored with toasts, speeches, and parades by all factions in a deeply divided America. Fredonia was thrilled to host him, even for just a few hours in the middle of the night. 

Citizens put candles in the windows, made speeches, fired guns, and played music. A story recalls how one of the candles set out for Lafayette, which “burned more eager than the rest,” tipped over and scorched the sill of a window overlooking the park from Leverett Barker’s house – today’s Darwin R. Barker Museum.

The man who gave the welcome speech was Reverend David Brown, first rector of Trinity Episcopal Church. The 39-year-old who spoke for Fredonia had lived in Fredonia for only two years by 1825. Lafayette then met the Revolutionary veterans and the ladies. He then had breakfast at Abell’s tavern, at today’s Park Place near Barker Commons. 

An eyewitness account by Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette’s companion during the 1825 tour:

“I shall never forget the magical effect that was produced at Fredonia. We were sleeping in the carriage notwithstanding the violent jolting occasioned by the trunks of the trees forming the road over which we were rapidly passing; on a sudden the startling explosion of a piece of artillery awoke us, and our eyes were immediately dazzled by the glare of a thousand lights, suspended to the houses and trees. We found ourselves in the middle of an avenue, formed on one side by men and boys, and on the other by young girls and women holding their infants in their arms. At the sight of Lafayette, the air resounded with joyful cries, all arms were stretched out towards him, the mothers presented their infants to him and begged his benediction on them, and warlike music uniting its sound to the din of artillery and bells gladdened all hearts… On a stage built in the centre of a large place, lighted by barrels of burning rosin, an orator was waiting to address him in the name of the people of Fredonia. It was three o’clock in the morning when, after having partaken of a collation [breakfast], we left Fredonia. The sun already began to gild the summits of the forests to the right, when we arrived at Dunkirk, a small port on Lake Erie, where the boat that was to convey us to Buffalo was waiting for us.”

One of the most entertaining eyewitness accounts of Lafayette’s 1825 visit came from J. E. Baldwin, Esq.:

“The militia were notified to be in Fredonia and responded with alacrity. The cows were milked early, and by 10 o’clock the military, the men, women, children, dogs, and horses were pouring into Fredonia like a mighty flood, with drums beating and fifes playing lively music; banners displayed in gorgeous array. Didn’t they all feel jubilant? I say they did. The good wives and daughters of the village, with their baskets filled with bread, butter, cheese, pies, biscuit, dried beef, etc. A barrel of whiskey and a barrel of crackers were rolled out; tin cups and every available thing out of which they could drink whiskey were brought into requisition, and all had an “o be joyful” time.

A candle was put behind each pane of glass in the front windows, a bonfire on the park, and other conspicuous lights around the town made a grand display, and Dr. White said the village of Fredonia looked so much better than it did in the daytime. It being nearly as light as day the streets were thronged with people of every age, sex and color. All was joy and hilarity.”

Today, Fredonia will reenact the event with similar “joy and hilarity,” with music, dance, speeches, food, and of course, a gun salute, in Barker Commons where the original event took place. Schedule:

— 5:15 to 5:30 p.m. — “Yankee Doodle” Vocal Performance by the Boys & Girls Club

— 5:30 to 5:50 p.m. — Ballet Performance by Infinity Dance Academy

— 5:50 to 6 p.m. — Drum and Fife Performance by Fredonia High School Band Ensemble

— 6 to 6:20 p.m. — Historical reenactment of Lafayette’s arrival on horse-drawn carriage and speeches. Lafayette will be portrayed by Mike Lee.

— 6:20 p.m. — Sons of the American Revolution gun salute with antique rifles.

— 6:30 to 8 p.m. — Period Musical Performance by Grange No. 1 Allstars Band (Folk)

Vendors from the Fredonia Farmers Market and food trucks will be at Barker Commons.  On Saturday, the Darwin R. Barker Museum opened a new exhibit for the bicentennial of Lafayette’s visit: “Night Scene at Fredonia”–Hosting the Marquis de Lafayette in June 1825, which includes items used at the Lafayette welcome, including a chair, shawl, and wine glass. 

On Wednesday, there will be an 1820s-themed dance with live music and guided instruction by Joe Kwiatkowski at Fredonia Grange No. 1 at 7:30pm.

Attendees to all events are encouraged to wear dress from the era. “Think Bridgerton,” said Barker Museum volunteer Diane Everett, dressed as Desire Barker at the exhibit’s Saturday opening.

“This exhibit and celebration are as much about the individual people and stories-some of which became legend and myth after two-hundred years of retelling-as it is about Lafayette,” according to Maxwell Walters, Curator of the Barker Museum and chair of the Lafayette Jubilee Planning Committee–a consortium of historical and cultural organizations led by the Darwin R. Barker Library & Museum. “We learn surprising details about the lives of our predecessors; how their daily routines were altered because of Lafayette’s visit, about what they ate, or how they played pranks on one another by sounding false alarms about Lafayette’s arrival.”

The Jubilee is made possible with the generous support of a grant from the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation.

“The Jubilee is more than a historical reenactment,” Walters added. “It is an opportunity to foster community engagement — with music, food, and celebration.”