Reenactor Retraces Revolutionary Hero’s 1825 Journey Through Town
Reading, MA — Did You Know? General Marquis de Lafayette came to Reading in 1825. He returned to Reading two hundred years later, on Saturday, June 21, 2025.
A reenactor with a horse and carriage traveled up Main Street from Green Street or Chapin Avenue with a police escort to the Latham & Latham Building on the corner of Pleasant Street, arriving at about 9 a.m.
In 1825, Reading residents flocked to the site of an old tavern to hear Lafayette address the crowd.
Photos by Kenan Cooper
Video from RCTV
How did the locals hear about his tour? There was no local newspaper at the time—no telephones, no internet—just “word of mouth”! Perhaps it was at the church on the Common where news and gossip spread.
Lafayette traveled along the Andover–Medford Turnpike northward, making many stops on his tour.
Did You Know? The Andover–Medford Turnpike is still traveled upon today. Did You Know? Reading has acknowledged Lafayette’s visit with a commemorative sign near the site of the old tavern. Additionally, a granite paver in the sidewalk marks the event. And finally, Did You Know that there is a Reading roadway that bears his name?
Residents participated in this present-day commemoration of Lafayette’s visit to Reading as the reenactor drove his horse-drawn carriage up Main Street on Saturday, June 21, at 9:00 a.m.
Alan Hoffman, president of the American Friends of Lafayette, undertook this project to remind people of the historic activity that occurred within our town some 200 years ago.
