Fredericksburg is now officially part of The Lafayette Trail.
Long after the parties and celebrations commemorating the bicentennial of the Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824 visit to Fredericksburg are over, the marker unveiled in front of the Fredericksburg Area Museum on Thursday will remain.
A historic marker is a physical anchor to the past, which to Sam McKelvey, president and CEO of the museum, was the “far-away place” that inspired him as child, the way other children are inspired by fantasy worlds.
Speaking to a small crowd gathered for the unveiling Thursday afternoon, McKelvey said he hopes the city’s newest historic marker will inspire today’s children to learn about the past, which is all around them in downtown Fredericksburg.
Lafayette, who left France to fight in the American Revolution, was embraced by Americans at the time because his endorsement of their cause, even as a noble, confirmed “that something unique was going on,” said Julien Icher, founder and president of The Lafayette Trail.
The organization’s goal is to erect a marker in every city Lafayette visited during his 1824 tour of all 24 United States. Counting the Fredericksburg marker, there are now 142 markers in 22 of the 24 states, Icher said.
The William Pomeroy Foundation assists with funding the Lafayette Trail markers, Icher said, and each one must be supported by primary sources.
David Durham, who co-chairs the Fredericksburg Lafayette Bicentennial Commemoration, with his wife Lisa, said it was unique for Lafayette to have visited such a small town as Fredericksburg was in 1824.
The population was only about 2,000 people, he said, but the town was special to Lafayette because it played a role in the lives of many people who were important to him—especially George Washington.
During his visit, Lafayette was welcomed to town in front of the building that now houses the Fredericksburg Area Museum—then the city hall.
The city will recreate many of the events of his visit during the official Commemoration Weekend, November 23-24. There are also numerous lectures and events planned in the months leading up to November. Visit fxbg.com/lafayette for the complete schedule.
