Lafayette Marker Dedication & Summer Party, Friday, August 22, 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM

LAFAYETTE MARKER DEDICATION

AND SUMMER PARTY

AT THE MIDDLESEX COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2025, 5:00 – 7:30 PM

Please join us for an end-of-week party and official unveiling of the Historical Society’s splendid Lafayette Marker on Friday, August 22, 2025 from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm (house opens at 5 PM, dedication ceremony at 5:30 PM). This program is part of our commemoration activities celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and all that bold proclamation set into motion.

PLEASE RSVP HERE

The event will begin with the unveiling and an address by Julien Icher, founder and president of  The Lafayette Trail, Inc. A cocktail party with Franco-American theme will follow.

A little history…On September 4, 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette made a brief stopover in Middletown, Connecticut as he paid a farewell visit to all twenty-four states to see how the new country was faring almost fifty years after his participation in the Revolutionary War. To read more about Lafayette’s stay in Middletown, click HERE to see the Middlesex County Historical Society’s contribution to the Connecticut Lafayette Trail’s website.

In 1776 the wealthy young French nobleman had been so captivated by what he had heard about the colonists’ pioneering spirit and resistance to tyranny that he had set sail for America, defying the orders of Louis XVI, at whose court he served. Arriving in July 1777, the twenty-year-old, who came from a long line of military officers but had no prior experience in combat, plunged into the War. The close relationship he formed with George Washington, his strategic acumen, and his success in persuading the French government to send troops and naval vessels under Count Rochambeau made him a hero to the Americans.

The House will be open beginning at 5:00 pm; the dedication ceremony starts at 5:30 on the sidewalk, and the party follows immediately in the backyard of the General Mansfield House.

Everyone is welcome; bring a friend. Light hors d’oeuvres and libations will be served.

Tickets for the party are only $20 for Members and $25 for Friends, and there is no charge for children under 12. We very much appreciate you registering and paying in advance with a credit card- at the link below- but you will not be turned away if you show up and pay cash at the door.

PLEASE RSVP HERE

This is a rain or shine event; in case of bad weather, we will host the party inside.

During the party you are welcome to take a self-guided tour of our Outdoor Museum, inaugurated last summer. Informative brochures and signage will show you the way.