Lafayette's Visit, 1825
Murfreesboro, Hertford County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Lafayette. On his American tour Lafayette spent night of Feb. 26, 1825, at Indian Queen Inn which stood two blocks north.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
On the night of February 26, 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette lodged at the Indian Queen Inn, which once stood two blocks north of this Murfreesboro marker. The aging Revolutionary War hero was then near the end of his grand tour of the United States, greeted by adoring crowds in nearly every town he passed. His journey rekindled national memory of the Revolution as its founding generation was passing away.
Why it matters
Lafayette's triumphal 1824β25 tour was a moment of shared national reverence, binding a young, quarrelsome Republic to the ideals and sacrifices of its revolutionary birth.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- Β· Marquis de Lafayette
Related events
- Β· Lafayette's Grand Tour of the United States
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Murfree House
Murfreesboro, NC
The Murfree House was home to William Hardy Murfree, a North Carolina legislator who went on to serve in the U.S. Congress from 1813 to 1817 and cast a ballot as a presidential elector in 1812. He belonged to the founding generation of leaders who steered the young republic through its early decades. The nearby town of Murfreesboro bears his family's name.
Masonic Lodge
Halifax County, NC
Chartered in 1767, this Halifax Masonic lodge erected its building in 1769, making it one of the oldest in North Carolina. Buried there is Joseph Montfort, appointed "Grand Master of America" β a title of unusual reach across the colonies. The lodge stood at the center of colonial Halifax's civic life on the eve of the Revolution.
North Carolina Constitution of 1776
Halifax County, NC
On December 18, 1776, months after the Declaration of Independence, delegates meeting at Halifax adopted the first constitution of the independent state of North Carolina, together with a declaration of rights. It established the framework of state government for the newly sovereign state. Halifax was already a hotbed of Revolutionary sentiment, having earlier produced the Halifax Resolves calling for independence.
Washington's Southern Tour
Halifax, NC
In the spring of 1791, President George Washington undertook a grand tour of the Southern states to strengthen unity in the young nation, and on April 16-17 he stopped in the historic town of Halifax. Crowds turned out to greet the president, who recorded his travels in his diary. The visit tied this Roanoke River town to the nation's first chief executive.