Meeting House Green Plaque Commemorates Lafayette’s Visit to Ipswich

The recently installed plaque on N. Main St. commemorates the visit by the Marquis de Lafayette to Ipswich in 1824 courtesy of the Lafayette Trail organization and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

When the First Provincial Congress met in Salem Massachusetts on Friday, October 7, 1774, Ipswich was represented by General Michael Farley. At 56 years of age, Farley was “too advanced in years to take the field” but rendered great services to the town and the new country throughout his life.

In 1777, nineteen-year-old Marquis de Lafayette left France and volunteered to serve in the Continental Army. He arrived in Boston on the French frigate Hermione, and in 1780 he returned to Boston from France to again assist with the Revolutionary War. When he visited Ipswich, perhaps after the Rhode Island campaign, he was met by General Michael Farley who removed his hat to salute the noble Frenchman, but in doing so accidentally removed his wig as well. Other members of the welcoming party quickly removed their wigs in respect to Mr. Farley. Writing home, Lafayette remarked that the people of Ipswich were so polite that they not only bowed with their hats off but “with their wigs off as well.”

Major General Michael Farley died June 20th, 1789, and is buried in the Old North Burying Ground on High Street. His gravestone reads, “With a mind open, honest and generous, With a heart alive to humanity and compassion, he served for many years, in various stations, private, public and honorable, his friends, his neighbors, and his Country with such integrity, zeal, and diligence, as merited an extensive approbation and rendered his death justly regretted.”

Lafayette’s tour

In 1823, General Lafayette received an invitation from President James Monroe to come to the United States in celebration of our first half-century. He sailed for the United States on July 13, 1824, and citizens of Ipswich heard with “unfeigned pleasure” that General LaFayette, “the undeviating defender of rational freedom and the rights of man, the illustrious friend of America” would be passing through our area. The town issued a proclamation that read, “We view his exalted character with profound respect and are desirous of manifesting our heartfelt gratitude and attachment to him and ardently hope he will honor this town with his presence.”

At a Town meeting on August 24, 1824, it was “Resolved, that the citizens of Ipswich have heard with unfeigned pleasure of the recent arrival in this vicinity of Gen. LaFayette, the undeviating defender of rational freedom and the rights of man, the illustrious friend of America, who came to our relief and Gallantly devoted his early life, his talents & his fortune to the cause of American liberty and independence, and that we view his Exalted character with profound respect and are desirous of manifesting our heartfelt gratitude and attachment to him and ardently hope he will honor this town with his presence during his visit in the U. S.”

On August 31, 1824, the town had prepared the most elaborate tribute the town had ever paid to a visitor. Many of the soldiers of the Revolution still survived and their grateful appreciation of his great services lent a personal note to the public greeting. A flagstaff was erected on Windmill Hill and a flag was displayed for the great day of Lafayette’s visit. Veterans of the Revolution lined the streets, flags were posted along the roads and a decorative arch spanned the Choate Bridge. A cannon was provided for the salute. Musicians, guards, a horse troop, and the Denison Light Infantry were assigned to escort Lafayette. An elaborate banquet was planned at Treadwell’s Inn (aka the Agawam House).

A driving rainstorm delayed the General until 7 pm. Hour after hour passed, the military drawn up in line, with the reception Committee waiting at their post. The weather was then so bad that he suggested to the Captain of the Horse Company which met him that he dismiss his men at once. When finally the General’s entourage reached the South Green, LaFayette immediately recognized Nathaniel Wade in the soaked crowd and grasping his hand, said:

“My Dear Sir, I am rejoiced to see you. It is just such a stormy night as we had when I met you in Rhode Island“.¹

*On August 11, 1778, the American troops under the leadership of Gen. Sullivan, Lafayette, Col. Wade, and Col. Joseph Hodgkins of Ipswich had been caught in a terrible storm in which all of their tents were blown down, and a couple of ships were lost.)

Upon the General’s arrival, the inhabitants of the town of Ipswich assembled in the South Parish Meeting House, facing the South Green, and on his entrance, he was greeted with great exultation and joy. Nathaniel Lord Jr. of the Committee of Arrangements addressed the General:

” General La Fayette, Accept from the people of Ipswich, their cordial congratulations on your arrival in their country and within their own borders. To this ancient town, sir, we bid you a joyful welcome. Having devoted to our beloved country, in her weak and critical situation, the vigor of your youth and the resources of a mind intent on the cause of freedom and humanity, and committed to a common lot with her, your own destinies, — that country can never forget the services you rendered, and the sacrifices you incurred, for her defense and protection, when assailed by overbearing power.

“We rejoice in having an opportunity of presenting ourselves in this house, consecrated to the worship of the God of our fathers, who has kindly raised up friends and patrons of the cause of our country and of liberty, to pay to you our grateful respect for your eminent labors. Most of those who acted in, or witnessed the great scenes in which you bore so conspicuous a part, have now descended to the tombs of their fathers. The present generation can rehearse only what they have heard with their ears, and what their fathers have told them.

“But the name of La Fayette is not confined to any generation; While the liberties of America shall endure, it will descend from father to son, associated with those of the immortal Washington, and other heroes and sages of our revolution, as the friend of our country, of liberty, and of man. Illustrious benefactor, may the blessing of Heaven ever attend you, and may your remaining days be as happy, as your past have been perilous, useful, and honorable.”

To which the General made the following reply :

”Sir, The attentions paid to me by my American friends I receive with inexpressible gratitude. I regret that so many of my friends here should be exposed on my account to this storm. I have ever considered it my pride and my honor, that I embarked in the cause of Independence in this country; and I rejoiced when I found myself again landed on the American shores. You, kind sir, the people of this town, and all who are assembled in this solemn place, will please to accept my thanks for this expression of your attachment, and receive my best wishes for your individual prosperity and happiness.”

In Lafayette’s address he alluded to the most unusual form of courtesy displayed by the late General Farley on his previous visit.

Approximately 100 ladies and others were introduced to Lafayette. General Lafayette was then escorted to Treadwell’s Inn on Town Hill where he was entertained, after which he continued on his journey to Newburyport. A reporter for the short-lived Newburyport Union recorded the following exchange between the two old soldiers during dinner at Treadwell’s Inn:

“The General was near the head of the table. When in the act of taking his second glass of wine, Col. Wade was introduced to him by one of the Haverhill committee. The cordial embrace of these two veteran companions in arms was affecting beyond description. The occasion was patriotic and triumphant; the recollections of youthful and heroic achievements in which they had both been engaged, were vivid and animating; their meeting was but momentary, their parting was soon to be eternal. Under the circumstances so proud, so tender, with bosoms swelling with patriotic exultation and now melting into the most affectionate expressions of kindness, these Revolutionary chiefs held the following dialogue, during which their hands were never separated:

“O my dear Colonel!” exclaimed the Marquis; “you remember Rhode Island, and the night of August 12, 1778, when you and I lamented the misunderstanding of d’Estaing and General Sullivan?” “Indeed I do,” Wade returned, “and never can forget it. It was a dreadful storm, and the soldiers had no shelter; my duty required me to be out to watch the enemy, and you insisted on walking the rounds with me all night, although I urged you to go to your tent.” Lafayette replied, “I was too anxious to sleep and I thought it my duty to conciliate the American officers, as the French admiral seemed to insist too much upon punctilio to the injury of our common operations. We did not mind the rain, although we were drenched through and through.” “No indeed,” returned Wade. “Had d’Estaing assisted us, I always thought we should have compelled Gen. Pigot to surrender; we missed a fine opportunity. But, my dear General, do you remember West Point?

“Gen. LaFayette: O my dear friend, I do! And when Gen. Washington first heard of the defection of Arnold, he asked, ‘Who has the immediate command?’ On being told that it was you, he said: Col. Wade is a true man, I am satisfied!‘ Gen. Green and myself immediately repaired to the garrison. Do you not recollect seeing me riding rapidly in from the northeast corner when we took the Division up to King’s Ferry? “Here the feelings of the two Heroes became too strong for utterance; they hung upon each other.”

After about an hour and a half, around 9:00 PM he continued on attended by members of the Committee of Arrangements and others in carriage. Col. Wade, Col. Hodgkins, and other members of the committee escorted Gen. Lafayette to Newburyport. In one account, Lafayette requested that all other escorts be dispensed with. In a different account, he was escorted by a battalion of cavalry. He took the route through Rowley over Parker River. The houses along the road were illuminated. He reached Newburyport a little past ten o’clock, only to be roused at sunrise with a reveille by an over-zealous drummer.

Sources:

• New England Historical Society
• The Memoirs of Lafayette
• Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
• Lafayette Trail, Inc.
• This Glorious Cause, the Adventures of Two Company Officers in Washington’s Army, by Herbert T. Wade and Robert A. Lively
• Ipswich Local News: Twice a Revolutionary
• The Reading Post–General Lafayette, The Nation’s Guest, Comes to Boston and Stops for Lunch in Reading

The Lafayette Sign on the North Green

The Lafayette Trail, Inc. is incorporated in the U.S. state of Maryland as a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code with the mission to document, map, and mark General Lafayette’s footsteps during his Farewell Tour of the United States in 1824 and 1825. It aims to educate the public about the national significance of Lafayette’s Tour and to promote a broader understanding of Lafayette’s numerous contributions to American independence and national coherence in preparation for the 2024-2025 tour bicentennial celebrations.

The William G. Pomeroy Foundation began in 2005 when Founder and Trustee Bill Pomeroy was fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia and his survival was in doubt. Fortunately, he was matched with a donor and received a lifesaving stem cell transplant. Bill felt that, should he survive, he would help others in a similar situation. The idea became the genesis for the Foundation’s first initiative: to diversify the bone marrow donor registry so that anyone, from any ethnic background, can find a matched donor. We have many incredible partners who are involved in advancing this lifesaving work. Our other initiative is helping people to celebrate their community’s history. We meet this by providing grants to obtain signage in the form of roadside markers and plaques. Since 2006, we have funded over 1,500 signs across the United States, all the way to Alaska. We have grown to offer six signature marker grant programs in addition to marker programs funded through partnerships with non-profit, municipal, and academic organizations.

Related posts: