Picture Tolland: A Marker For The Marquis

TOLLAND, CT — The latest installment of the Picture Tolland series takes a look at a visit from the famed Marquis de Lafayette on Sept. 4, 1824.

The American Friends of Lafayette recently contacted the Tolland Historical Society to say its research shows that Marquis de Lafayette visited Tolland that day, as part of his return trip to America.

Lafayette met with soldiers who had served with him during the Revolutionary War.

Tolland Historical Society archivist Barbara Cook, along with other members of the society found "secondary sources" that indicated the Lafayette stopped at Smith's Tavern on the Tolland Green, near the Old Tolland County Court House, on his way to Hartford that September day.

The American Friends of Lafayette decided to include Tolland on the Lafayette Trail and donated a marker to reflect our town's part in Lafayette's journey.

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Picture Tolland is a periodic series looking at images of the town, past and present.