Arsenal House Soiree
Don't Miss This Event!
June 9th, 2025 7 to 9 p.m. Rome Arsenal House, 514 Dominick Street, Rome, NY 13440
Please join us for a Soiree to commemorate the bicentennial of General Lafayette's reception at the Rome Arsenal House. This festive occasion will feature speakers, food, live music and other attractions. Period attire if convenient.
The Rome Arsenal House, a National Historic Registry structure, built in the Adam style, is the third oldest Federal Arsenal in America. Built under James Madison's first war appropriations bill in 1812, strategically on the ancient carry between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek, it was the site of the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Erie Canal on July 4, 1817 when its cannons marked the occasion and festive reception of General Lafayette on the evening of June 9, 1825. Commandants in residence included those with close connections to the Revolution, George Washington, West Point, and the Civil War, for which the Arsenal made small arms munitions before it was decommissioned in the 1870's.
Rescued from neglect in November 2023, the Arsenal House has been brought back to its former glory to celebrate the Lafayette Bicentennial.
*Disclaimer: The interpreters presented on the website may or may not be the interpreters at Central New York State events.
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Re-enactment!
Follow the links below
Lafayette Returns 2024-2025*
On August 16, 2024, we will see the kick off this monumental Bicentennial celebration. The hundreds of events planned will trace Lafayette’s footstep on the exact dates and in the exact order he followed on his tour of America as the “Guest of the Nation” between 1824 and 1825. *
Lafayette200 Marquis Monday
Virtual Speaker Series
Hosted by the Lancaster, PA, Lafayette Bicentennial Committee
Calling all history buffs and Lafayette aficionados! Join us in celebrating Lafayette's Bicentennial with Marquis Mondays, a virtual speaker series featuring authors of books related to the Marquis de Lafayette! This free series is scheduled from January through June 2025. These events will take place online, so you can join from the comfort of your own home.
Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn and engage with fellow history enthusiasts!
Please see the complete list of dates and authors below.
Thirteen in all!!
You can register for the free lectures by clicking: HERE
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Jan 6 - Alan Hoffman Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Journal of a Voyage to the United States; Intro Chuck Schwam
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Jan 20 - Diane Shaw A True Friend of the Cause: Lafayette and the Antislavery Movement
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Feb 3 - Bruce Mowday Lafayette at Brandywine: The Making of an American Hero; Lafayette: America’s Young Hero and Guest
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Feb 17 - Jeff Finegan My Dear General: The Extraordinary Relationship between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette
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March 3 - Jenny Cote The Lafayette Series The Voice, the Revolution, & the Key; The Marquis, the Escape & The Fox; the Declaration, the Sword & the Spy
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March 17 - Lloyd Kramer Lafayette in Two Worlds: Public Cultures and Personal Identities in an Age of Revolutions
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April 7 - Selene Castrovilla Revolutionary Friends: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette
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April 21 - Tim Grove The World Turned Upside Down: The Yorktown Victory
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May 5 - Susan Joy Nantucket Cheese for Lafayette
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May 19 - Norm Desmarais The Road to Yorktown: The French Campaigns in the American Revolution
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June 2 - Anne Supsic The Bookmark
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June 16 - Stephanie Dray The Women of the Chateau Lafayette
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June 30 - Tom Chaffin Revolutionary Brothers: Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Friendship that Helped Forge Two Nations
The Nation's Guest, Lafayette Bicentennial Book Tour
Christopher Carosa presents:
Chris Carosa lives in Mendon, NY. He's an award-winning author, journalist, and researcher. He serves as Deputy Public Historian for the time of Mendon and has written a series of books about the Greater Western New York Region. His latest effort chronicles Lafayette's 1825 visit to our region, where he paints a picture of what life was like and who the people were as Western New York was on the cusp of ending its frontier phase.
For list of book tour venues see calendar below
The Lafayette Bicentennial Commemorative Pin
1.5" hard enamel lapel pin with printed logo, gold plating and 2 military clutches
Shipping NOW!
The Lafayette Bicentennial Commemorative Pin
Lafayette Returns
Courtesy of the Media Collections of he Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Disclaimer: The interpreters presented on this website may or may mot be the interpreters present at Central New York events.
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Lafayette Farewell Tour Events in Central New York
Events on the calendar are color coded. Click on the color dot on the calendar for more information about the event.
RED events are Central New York Events
ORANGE events are locations of the Lafayette Banners
GREEN events are out of state events or virtual events
Lafayette Returns
Courtesy of the Media Collections of he Colonial Williamsburg Foundation