Lafayette (interpreter Ben Goldman) will traverse the Seacoast towns on Sunday,
September 1, 2024, in a horse and buggy, just as he did 200 years before, for a
whirlwind tour of Hampton Falls (9:00 am), Hampton (10:30 am), North Hampton,
Greenland (12 noon) and Portsmouth (2:30 pm). In Portsmouth, the General will be
greeted at the Langdon House, which served as his headquarters for his Farewell Tour
visit.

The ceremonies at Langdon House will include a reenactment of his reception by town
officials, including excerpts from the speech by town father William Ham and Lafayette’s reply.
There will also be a three-gun salute provided by the Sons of the American Revolution. The public is invited to attend and welcome Lafayette on his return to Portsmouth after a 200-year absence.

You will have the opportunity all day Sunday to tour the Langdon House, the nearby
Warner House, and/or the John Paul Jones House.

At 5:00 pm, there will be a ticketed dinner at Strawberry-Banke, where our Lafayette will
be regaled by keynote speaker, AFL member Peter Reilly, who will present “Lafayette as
Superhero: the Farewell Tour in Context.” The ticket will include free admission to the Langdon
House, the Warner House, and the John Paul Jones House.

The National Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour and Historic Trail Marker
Dedication comes to Hampton Falls and Seacoast, New Hampshire

Lafayette’s Tour Through the Seacoast
Hampton Falls is honored to be the first Seacoast New Hampshire town to greet Lafayette in the Granite State on the reenactment of his historic Farewell Tour on Sunday, September 1st. The Bicentennial of the Farewell Tour is sponsored in 24 states by the American Friends of Lafayette. The Hampton Falls Historical Society is hosting “Tea With the Marquis” where croissants and Paris tea will be served in vintage china as in 1824(This event is currently sold out.) In a public event, Lafayette, played by Ben Goldman, arrives by horse-drawn carriage at the Hampton Falls Town Common, 1 Lincoln Ave, Hampton Falls NH at 9:00 am where he will be welcomed and honored during our public dedication of a new Lafayette Trail Marker. The SAR Color Guard will accompany the carriage and provide a military salute on the Common. State Representative Susan Porcelli will read a Proclamation announcing Lafayette Day in Hampton Falls.

Lafayette will then travel North to two more stops on the NH Seacoast on his way to Portsmouth. Stopping in Hampton at Meetinghouse Green at 10:30 am (Tuck Museum, 40 Park Ave, Hampton, NH), the Marquis will be welcomed by the Hampton Historical Society and their “Jubilee of Liberty” program after his carriage rounds Founders Park to flag-waiving residents. The SAR Color Guard, French coffee, and pastries mark the celebration. Lafayette then proceeds through North Hampton to Greenland where he will be greeted at the Lafayette Trail Marker at the Greenland Parade Common at 12 noon (484 Portsmouth Ave, Greenland, NH). Following the celebratory receptions in these three towns, Lafayette then resumes his Tour by heading to Portsmouth where he will be greeted at the historic Langdon House at 2:30pm (143 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, NH) and attend a gala dinner at Strawbery Banke that evening.

Lafayette Educational Events
The Hampton Falls Historical Society will also welcome Dorothea Jensen, an award-winning historical fiction author, to their Museum on Sunday afternoon, August 25, where she will present her engaging program on Lafayette.

The Hampton Falls Free Library is offering Alan Hoffman, President of the American Friends of Lafayette, presenting “Lafayette and Human Rights” sponsored by NH Humanities on August 28. In addition, a family craft session to create wearable cockades, and a book club discussion of Vowell’s Lafayette in the Somewhat United States will be held at the Library in August.

REGISTER NOW FOR THE PORTSMOUTH BANQUET He’s back! Lafayette (interpreter Ben Goldman) returns to Portsmouth to reprise his 1824 triumph in which he wowed the citizenry, young and old. On Sunday, September 1, 2024, two hundred years to the day after his Farewell Tour visit, the pageantry of Lafayette’s arrival ceremony and banquet will be recreated – with you in attendance! Lafayette will arrive in a horse-drawn carriage at 2:30 pm at the John Langdon House, accompanied by the New Hampshire Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard. After welcoming speeches and Lafayette’s reply, at the pavilion behind the Langdon House, and a three-gun salute, Lafayette will reminisce about his role in the American Revolution and answer questions from the citizenry. Lafayette arrives following a grand welcome that morning in three Seacoast towns who have planned educational and celebratory events in his honor. Please see details regarding the morning events: HERE As part of the banquet ticket price (see below), you will be able to tour the John Langdon House, the Warner House, and the John Paul Jones House. Your pass will be valid all day Sunday at the Langdon House; on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Warner House; and both Saturday and Sunday at the John Paul Jones House.  More details can be found by clicking on the three links below… 1. Langdon House 2. Warner House 3. John Paul Jones House The banquet honoring Lafayette in 1824 was held at Jefferson Hall, which no longer stands, so our banquet will be held at the Strawbery Banke Visitors Center at 5:00 pm. There you will enjoy Lafayette’s company at a wonderful buffet supper. Lafayette will be sure to table-hop and greet you all personally. He may be embarrassed by the speech which Peter Reilly of the American Friends of Lafayette will offer: “Lafayette as Superhero: the Farewell Tour in Context.” We will then offer toasts to Lafayette, in true 1824 style. There will be a contest with a prize for the person who can give the best toast to our superhero. The cost of the banquet – $100 – includes admission to three historic houses and an experience that will come only once in a generation, if not a century. The banquet hall holds only 75 people, so register soon by clicking: HERE

For more information:
Hampton Falls: teawiththemarquis.org
American Friends of Lafayette: friendsoflafayette.wildapricot.org
Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: lafayette200.org