Lafayette Tour Marker, Lockport, New York (NY-106)

President James Monroe invited the Marquis de Lafayette to visit the United States, his adopted country. Lafayette’s tour of all 24 states in 1824 and 1825 drew large crowds and sparked a renewal of patriotism. During the American Revolution, Lafayette’s intense advocacy of the American cause convinced King Louis XVI of France to send troops and ships, which proved crucial to the American victory at Yorktown. 

Lafayette departed Fort Niagara early in the morning and traveled eastward, escorted by committees and citizens along the Ridge Road. Arriving in Lockport on June 6, 1825, he was greeted by 70–80 citizens on horseback. As he entered the village, workers quarrying rock for the canal staged a dramatic salute: hundreds of powder blasts erupted simultaneously, sending fragments of stone into the air amid cheers. Following a dinner with Col. Asher Saxton, a Revolutionary War veteran, Lafayette toured the nearly completed locks. After the festivities, Lafayette boarded the canal boat Rochester to continue his journey along the Erie Canal toward Albany.

Learn about Revolutionary War Combat Strategy. Watch the Revolutionary War Animated Map. For a summary, read An Overview of the American Revolution.