When the Marquis de Lafayette (the young French hero of the American Revolution) returned to the United States in 1824 for a country-wide, 15-month tour of all the states, commemorative
items were churned out in varieties and amounts that would rival any rock star tour today. Methodist University holds the largest collection of such memorabilia south of Philadelphia.
Two hundred years later, in 2024-25, cities across the nation reenacted that “Farewell Tour” and commemorative items were once again at the forefront of the festivities. Join us on Sept. 11
at 7 p.m. as we look at tour merch, then and now, in the MU Lafayette Collection. Alan Hoffman, president of the American Friends of Lafayette, will discuss the spectacle of the 1824-25 tour and explain why Lafayette’s visit is still significant today.
The reception prior to the program (6:30 p.m.) will feature appetizers inspired by recipes from the first cookbook published in the United States, Mary Randolph’s 1824 “The Virginia House-Wife”. Lafayette certainly would have been served dishes out of this book two hundred years ago – but what might those dishes look like in 2026? Join us to find out!
