Augusta is set to step back in time on Sunday, March 23 as the city commemorates the bicentennial of the Marquis de Lafayette’s Farewell Tour, mirroring his grand reception in 1825. The day will include historical reenactments, dedications and public events honoring Lafayette’s contributions to the American Revolution and his 1825 visit to Augusta.
Organized in part by John Trussell of the American Friends of Lafayette, the events begin at 9 a.m. at the Riverwalk dock. Organizers plan to recreate Lafayette’s arrival by paddleboat, reflecting his 1825 journey on the Altamaha alongside Georgia Gov. George Michael Troup.
The original event featured an impromptu race on the Savannah River, which Trussell says organizers will attempt to replicate.
“We’re actually going to try to duplicate that a little bit on the city dock,” Trussell said.
After the arrival, a parade will move to the Jessye Norman Amphitheater, where local leaders will deliver speeches as they did at the time of Lafayette’s visit. The Georgia Sons of the American Revolution color guard and militia will perform a musket salute, and weather permitting, Georgia State Patrol helicopters will conduct a flyover.
At 11 a.m., a historical marker will be unveiled at Augusta Municipal Building, near the Augusta Founders Monument. Former commissioner Jerry Brigham, with the Sons of the American Revolution, emphasized the significance of this commemoration and Augusta’s connection to the nation’s founding.
“It’s a reenactment of a historical event that actually happened,” Brigham said. “I think we will see many events like this this year because it’s the 250th anniversary of the shot heard around the world. Augusta is fortunate that it has two of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (buried) here.”
The event will also feature a reenactment of Lafayette’s reunion with James Armistead, an enslaved African American who provided critical intelligence to the Continental Army while working with Lafayette. While the actual meeting took place in Virginia, the reenactment highlights the contributions of Black Americans to the Revolutionary War effort.
“We’re reaching out to everyone who helped fight for America’s freedom,” Trussell said.
Lafayette originally came to America as a 19-year-old volunteer in the Continental Army. By 1825, at age 67, he was the last living general of the American Revolution, traveling 6,000 miles in an open-air buggy to revisit key locations. In Augusta, he stayed at the Planters Hotel, which no longer exists.
A luncheon at the Joseph Lamar House will take place at 12:30 p.m. with tickets available for $40. The historic home, now the headquarters of Historic Augusta, Inc., was previously owned by philanthropist Emily Tubman and later housed Supreme Court Justice Joseph Rucker Lamar.
At 2 p.m. Meadow Garden, the former home of Declaration of Independence signer George Walton, will be open for free public tours, hosted by the Georgia State Society Daughters of the American Revolution. While Lafayette did not visit Meadow Garden in 1825, he had personal connections to Walton.
On Monday morning, March 24, the commemoration will continue in North Augusta, near where Lafayette historically visited the town of Hamburg.
