Marquis de Lafayette to commemoration to take place in Harrisburg this weekend

The Lafayette da Marqis Bicentennial commemoration is taking place all throughout the country. However, this weekend, there’s a special event taking place in Harrisburg and York this weekend. According to Elizabeth Zucker, with the Historical Society of Dauphin County, says Lafayette’s visit to Harrisburg was not originally planned.

“He had been invited to come to the U.S., and he met with the governor of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, and that was Governor Andrew Schultz. Governor Schultz said to him, this was September 1824, we have this brand-new Capitol in Harrisburg. We just built it four years ago. We'd love to show it to you. And General Lafayette, being the very hospitable, kind, and warm person that he was, said, sure, I'll come to Harrisburg, “said Zucker.

Lafayette kept his word and came to Harrisburg. He even stayed at the Governors mansion.

“At that time, it was a residence that's still intact today, 27 North Front Street. It's now part of the Dauphin County Library System, the Riverfront Library. And we're very excited because we're going to get to revisit that spot, that very spot-on Saturday with the General Lafayette reenactor.”

Chuck Schwam, Executive Director of the American Friends of Lafayette says his visit to the United States 200 years ago was significant.

“I feel is that Lafayette was here when we decided that all people were created equal. And when he came back in 1824, he saw that maybe our country wasn't exactly doing those things, creating people equally. And Lafayette was an abolitionist. He was a feminist, and he was a friend of the Native Americans. And he showed these feelings right open to the American public. And it was very important in 1824 and 1825 to see the last living continental American general do these things, hug African Americans, treat women like intellectual equals that they are. Seek out to have conversations with Native Americans. These were things that Lafayette did in 1824 and 1825, and Americans watched him do it. And we feel it really did help heal the nation a little bit and bring back some more patriotic feelings, “said Schwam.

Here is what is taking place this weekend in Harrisburg and York.

“So we have some what we think are very fun events planned. As I mentioned, we have a wonderful reenactor for playing General Lafayette, who will be in town all weekend, starting with a photo op in front of the state capitol. During General Lafayette's visit 200 years ago, he spent most of his visit with the governor, the governor's administration and the House of Representatives and Pennsylvania Senate. And so we thought it would be very fitting to start this commemoration with a trip back to the capitol. This is a new capitol, the capitol he visited, of course, unfortunately burned down, but we're going to have a photo op. It's open to the public. Come meet General Lafayette, take a picture, post it on social media, bring a very family friendly kind of event at four o 'clock on the state capitol steps right there at State Street and Third Street. That evening, we're going to have what we're calling a bicentennial reception commemorating the Marquis de Lafayette's historic visit to Harrisburg. It will start at six o 'clock at the Dauphin County Library, the McCormick Riverfront Library. This is a chance to mingle with Lafayette himself. We'll also have the reenactor that plays John Harris Jr. on whose land the capitol was built, as we know, and who himself was instrumental in making sure that Harrisburg was the state capitol of Pennsylvania, “said Zucker.

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