Macon remembers Lafayette’s visit, 200 years later

Townspeople lined the street, cheering over artillery signaling the arrival of Marquis de Lafayette, who dismounted from his horse-drawn carriage and boarded a ferry to cross the Ocmulgee River to Macon 200 years ago.

Then-President James Monroe had invited Lafayette to visit the United States in 1824. As the French aristocrat toured cities across the country, a Macon Masonic Lodge leader formally invited him to visit this city on March 24, 1825. Lafayette arrived March 30, according to Telegraph archives. 

A long procession of people moved from the river to a hotel on Mulberry Street, where the distinguished guest entertained ladies and shook the hands of “every citizen who wished to shake hands with him,” according to The Telegraph. At the time, about 2,000 people lived in Macon.

During the roughly two and a half hours he visited, Lafayette made this toast: “The town of Macon: May its prosperity continue to be one of the strongest arguments in favor of republican institutions.” 

Later this month, a sort of reenactment of that scene will mark the bicentennial anniversary of Lafayette’s visit to Macon.

On March 28, Macon-Bibb County will recognize the nobleman’s visit with a parade on Poplar Street starting at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and ending at City Hall, where Mayor Lester Miller “will greet General Lafayette on the portico,” according to the Cherry Blossom Festival’s write up of the planned event.

Color Guards of Sons of the American Revolution will present flags and fire a musket volley. Speeches by Lafayette and James Armistead, an enslaved person who spied for American forces and politicians, will be read and classical music will be played. 

The public parade and ceremony will be followed by a ticketed lunch at the Historic First Baptist Church of Christ, which was founded within months of Lafayette’s visit. 

The lunch features fried chicken and entertainment by The Atlanta Historic Dance Co., which will have its performers donning 1800s-era attire and demonstrating dances popular in that period. 

The parade starts at 10 a.m. Tickets to the luncheon cost $22 plus a $1 processing fee. 

The lunch is organized by the Georgia Committee of the American Friends of Lafayette to commemorate his tour of the south nearly 40 years after the Revolutionary War. Then-President James Monroe invited Lafayette to visit the United States 

Lafayette’s tour of America left an indelible mark as dozens of cities across the country were named in his honour. While in Georgia, Lafayette also stopped in Savannah, Milledgeville, Milner and Augusta before traveling west to Montgomery and Mobile, Alabama, according to historical accounts in the state’s archives. 

Lafayette, a dear friend of President George Washington, was appointed a major general in the Continental Army at age 19. He fought in Revolutionary War battles, commanded armies and is credited with helping trap British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, a feat that helped force the British army to surrender in 1781. 

To purchase a ticket to the luncheon, visit: https://forms.gle/niGDJajYeCXHX76t7