On June 21, a reenactor will retrace the Marquis de Lafayette’s 1825 visit with a horse-drawn carriage procession through Main Street, honoring a moment of local and national history
Reading, MA — Did You Know? General Marquis de Lafayette came to Reading in 1825. He returns to Reading this year on Saturday, June 21, two hundred years later!
A reenactor with horse and carriage will travel up Main St. from Green St. or Chapin Ave. with a police escort to the Latham & Latham Building on the corner of Pleasant St., arriving at about 9 am.
In 1825, Reading people flocked to the site of an old tavern to hear Lafayette address the crowd.
How did the locals hear about his tour? There was no local newspaper at the time. There were no telephones, internet, etc., but there was “Word of Mouth”! Perhaps, it was at the church at the Common that was the scene of the news and gossip.
Lafayette travelled along the ‘Andover–Medford Turnpike’ northward to make 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?
You can participate in a present-day acknowledgement of Lafayette’s visit to Reading when the reenactor drives his horse-drawn carriage up Main Street on Saturday, June 21, at 9:00 am.
Alan Hoffman, president of the American Friends of Lafayette, is undertaking this project to remind people of the historic activity that occurred within our town some 200 years ago.
