Bethany Church, 115 Main St, Montpelier

Montpelier — 8:30 am Due to the late hour of Lafayette’s arrival the night before, a meeting with the ladies of Montpelier was postponed until the next morning. It might not have happened but for the persistence of Sarah Isham Watrous, who may have been one of only two women to have formally addressed Lafayette on the entire tour. Their moving words will be re-enacted at the Bethany Church on Main Street, site of the original meeting. Although the old brick church from 1820 is gone, the current church retains a Paul Revere bell, also dating from
1825. The public is invited to the morning meeting, but now (as then), only the women will be offering their welcome to General Lafayette before he leaves for his next stop on the way to Burlington. This meeting was the beginning of the last day of the official visit, which had begun in June of 1824!