America250 program relives Lafayette’s Farewell Tour

MEREDITH — Celebrations here and across the country this year celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. Similar celebrations two centuries ago featured visits by one of that war’s legendary heroes, the Marquis de Lafayette.

Historian Alan Hoffman will present a program titled, “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Granite State Salutes the Nation’s Guest” on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Meredith Community Center as the final offering in the Meredith Historical Society’s 2026 speaker series.

“On his fourth and final trip to the United States in 1824-25,” said Hoffman, “Americans in all 24 states welcomed Lafayette with unbridled admiration, gratitude, and love.”

In his talk, Hoffman will set the scene for the Farewell Tour and explore the causes of Lafayette’s rock star reception. Then, he will turn to Lafayette’s visits to New Hampshire cities and towns and describe how the Granite Staters added their voices to this national outpouring of affection.

Visits to Portsmouth on Sept. 1, 1824, and Concord on June 22, 1825, will be featured, as they were highlights of the General’s New Hampshire experience.  Hoffman will also describe Lafayette’s stops in the other New Hampshire towns that Lafayette visited on the tour.

Hoffman obtained a bachelor's degree in history from Yale University before earning a law degree at Harvard Law School. An avid reader of early American history, he “discovered” Lafayette in 2002 and spent two years translating Auguste Levasseur’s "Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825," the first-hand account of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour of America written by his secretary.

A recognized expert on Lafayette’s impact on early America, he currently serves as president of both the American Friends of Lafayette and the Massachusetts Lafayette Society. A resident of Londonderry, he is also the editor of The Gazette of The American Friends of Lafayette.

This program of the Meredith Historical Society is offered in partnership with the Meredith Public Library and is made possible through a generous grant by New Hampshire Humanities.

“Meredith has observed our nation’s 250th birthday this year with a variety of relevant programs and a grand Fourth of July parade,” said Meredith Historical Society President John Hopper. “Mr. Hoffman’s program is a perfect way to close out our year-long observance by learning how America celebrated a similar anniversary 200 years ago.”

Hoffman will present his program on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Meredith Community Center, at 1 Circle Drive. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments. The program begins at 7.

All programs of the Society are free and help fulfill the Meredith Historical Society’s mission to preserve, develop, and promote the knowledge and awareness of our town’s unique history.

For more information, visit meredithhistoricalsocietynh.org.