Almost 198 years ago, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Cincinnati. The Revolutionary War hero was touring the country to say farewell, and to remind Americans why they fought for their independence. His visit is now commemorated with a Lafayette Trail plaque along the riverfront. The marker was dedicated Wednesday.
— Bill Rinehart (@BillGRinehart) May 3, 2023
Lafayette Trail founder Julien Icher says he hopes when the anniversary comes, Cincinnatians and Americans will celebrate. "He visited more than 320 communities. He did a journey of over 6,000 miles," Icher says. "I've been personally to all of these towns, to try to get them excited, to try to welcome a marker, to try to do a little talk on Lafayette."
Icher says he hopes the markers will inspire more people to learn about Lafayette's role in American history, and lead to a local celebration when the actual anniversary of the Cincinnati visit happens in 2024.
"We have the bicentennial of the tour starting next year, so we're going to do a lot of travels, and come back to all of these cities. We're going to help them come together, commemorate," Icher says. "We have empowered these communities by equipping them with all of these markers."
He says Lafayette embodies the partnership between France and the United States, and he's hoping the anniversary will inspire communities to plan big events and draw tourists.
"And that's the thing that I'm noticing as a Frenchman in the United States. People, communities, they have a lot of autonomy, independence in this country. They can come up with something on their own," he says. "There's excitement, there's a ubiquitous excitement in the United States about Lafayette."
The Cincinnati marker is number 111 out of 120 so far. Icher says he hopes to place 175 across the country.
