General Lafayette's Triumphal Visit to St. Louis as 'Guest of the Nation'

A little over 200 years ago, on April 29, 1825, General Lafayette, the last surviving of the Revolutionary War generals, visited St. Louis. It was said to be the greatest and grandest event ever to occur in St. Louis up to that time, and that Lafayette was “the most extraordinary, beloved and venerated hero that ever set foot on Missouri soil.” He was on a 13-month tour of the United States, 1824-1825, at the invitation of the President James Monroe and the United States Congress, the purpose of which was to celebrate one last time Lafayette’s immense contribution to the nation’s independence and to give him a first-hand view of what the nation had become.  It was, in fact, the splendid prelude to our nation’s golden anniversary, 1776-1826. Join us for this special America 250 presentation by longtime SHSMO Board of Trustee and Senior U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr.,