Lafayette Trail Marker Is Dedicated in Wheeling
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WHEELING - French nobleman Marquis de Lafayette was a hero of the American Revolutionary War, and his historic tour in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United States is being remembered in Wheeling - one of the cities he visited in 1825.
The Wheeling Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, along with the Woodburn Chapter and other DAR chapters, held an unveiling and dedication ceremony on Wednesday of a new marker honoring Lafayette’s celebrated visit to the city - then still Wheeling, Virginia.
"We honor not only the historic journey of Gen. Lafayette to the United States, but also the enduring spirit of friendship and freedom that he embodied," said Lisa McNeil, Wheeling Chapter Regent for the DAR. "The Lafayette Trail serves as a reminder of the path that he forged and invites us to reflect on the importance of courage, service and the community."
Officials from the city of Wheeling and representatives from DAR chapters from near and far - as far as South Carolina - joined local history buffs in Wednesday’s ceremony at Heritage Port.
Lisa McNeil of the Wheeling Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution welcomes guests during the dedication of Wheeling’s official marker along The Lafayette Trail on Wednesday at Heritage Port. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
"Unfortunately the person that is most responsible for this event is not here," McNeil said, noting that her predecessor had spearheaded the effort to get a local marker established. "Debi Smith laid all of the groundwork to have the marker placed here in Wheeling - she made all of the contacts. Sadly, Debi passed away earlier this year, so we are dedicating this ceremony to Debi’s memory."
Joan Gibson, Woodburn Chapter Regent of the DAR, provided a summarized history of Lafayette’s legacy. Born in 1757, he was well educated in both academics and the military, and he supported the cause of the American Revolution. In 1777 at just 19 years of age, he came to America and would emerge as a prominent figure in the war.
He was an aristocrat, carrying the full name of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette.
Soon after his arrival, he met with the commander in chief of the Continental Army - Gen. George Washington - and by all accounts, they immediately developed a bond, Gibson said.
"Washington was impressed by the young man’s enthusiasm," Gibson said, noting that he volunteered to serve the Continental Army. "Lafayette received a commission as a major general in the American Army - not the French, the American Army. So he was an American major general."
He fought in the Battle of Brandywine - the first of many battles during the Revolutionary War. He also hunkered down with Washington and the troops during the brutal winter of 1777-78 in the encampment at Valley Forge.
Joan Gibson of the Woodburn Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution speaks during the dedication of Wheeling’s official marker along The Lafayette Trail on Wednesday at Heritage Port. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
"This was a man who understood the American Revolution and understood the ideals for which it stood," said Julien Icher of the Lafayette Trail Inc., keynote speaker during Wednesday’s ceremony. "And he developed a public identity to preach the greatness of America for the rest of his life - sometimes to the peril of his own life, putting his own family in danger."
Lafayette became a renowned war hero in America for fighting against the British during the United State’s infancy in its struggle to become a free and sovereign nation.
"The key with Lafayette’s popularity today was because he was the only French aristocrat back during the Revolution that truly understood the democratic equality and the New World matters of American republicanism," said Icher, a native Frenchman who heads efforts to preserve the story of Lafayette’s unique place in history. "He didn’t come to judge you because you were a nascent nation. He was treating Americans as equal, and that went a long way back then, and it continues to do so today."
Ahead of a national celebration, then President James Monroe invited Lafayette in 1824 to return to the United States from France. Lafayette was the last surviving major general of the American Revolutionary War, and he eagerly accepted the invitation to be an honored guest of the United States during the 50th anniversary of the country’s founding. Over the course of two years, the war hero and international celebrity traveled more than 6,000 miles across the U.S. and eventually visited all of the states - 24 at the time. This included Virginia - and what is now West Virginia, with a stop in Wheeling.
Officials unveiled the maker at Heritage Port, which boasts the shared colors of both the American and French flags - red, white and blue. The marker details Lafayette’s visit to town.
Julien Icher of The Lafayette Trail Inc., a native of France, speaks during the dedication of Wheeling’s official marker along The Lafayette Trail on Wednesday at Heritage Port. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
He was welcomed with great fanfare at Beymer’s Landing, then escorted to Simm’s Hotel. He attended a grand ball held at Mr. Graham’s Inn, according to the text on the marker. Officials said the text was based on research by local historian Margaret Brennan.
"Baymer’s Landing was on Ninth Street in North Wheeling," Brennan explained. "He came up Ninth Street, which is right next to where the firehouse is. Then he came down south on Main Street."
The visits to the hotel and the ball took place at locations downtown. An original invitation to the ball he attended - one of the few physical artifacts from this event - is actually on display at Oglebay, officials noted.
"We honor today with this monument not only just a man, but what he believed in, which is that freedom should remain institutionalized at all cost," Icher said. "We cannot afford lose freedom from one generation to another. We have to pass it along to future Americans, and I think it’s very important that we have physical reminders and physical monuments that are going to tell the story long after each and every one of us are leaving this ceremony today."
The William Pomeroy Foundation helped provide funding for makers along the Lafayette Trail. The Wheeling marker is now No. 137 of what will be more than 150 markers commemorating Lafayette’s tour. Icher said there are two more states along the trail that still need makers - Missori and Rhode Island - and they still need supporters in those areas for this cause.
"We want to tell Lafayette’s story to as many Americans as we can," Icher said. "He matters because he was preaching a message of equality.
The Lafayette Trail Inc. has an interactive map of the trail on its website at www.thelafayettetrail.org. There are also 27 episodes of Follow the Frenchman on YouTube available that tell the story of Lafayette in a different way.
Julien Icher of The Lafayette Trail Inc., a native of France, speaks during the dedication of Wheeling’s official marker along The Lafayette Trail on Wednesday at Heritage Port. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
Guard members of the Sons of the American Revolution post the colors during Wednesday’s ceremony at Heritage Port. (Photo by Eric Ayres)