Lafayette Tour Marker, Middletown, Connecticut (CT-151)

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. 

By the time Lafayette reached Middletown, he had already experienced one of the most elaborate receptions of his entire Connecticut tour in Hartford earlier that morning. He departed Hartford at 4:00 p.m. aboard the steamboat Oliver Ellsworth, heading down the Connecticut River toward New York. Middletown was the first major stop on this southbound leg. Local officials and citizens assembled at the riverfront to greet him.

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