Lafayette’s 1825 Visit To Greater Western New York (Part II)

Lafayette’s 1825 tour through Western New York was a last-minute triumph. Chautauqua County’s welcome was hastily planned yet heartfelt. Why did his route spark such chaos and devotion? Click below for this week’s episode of The State of Greater Western New York Report to uncover Lafayette’s historic journey.\

In the first half of the show, host Chris Carosa, author of an upcoming book on post-Revolutionary Western New York, reveals the unplanned nature of Lafayette’s Chautauqua County route. A local businessman, Walter Smith, funded the visit, turning a chaotic steamboat dispute in Erie, Pennsylvania, into a grand land journey through Westfield (then Portland), where eager crowds gathered.

In the second half, Carosa describes the emotional receptions in Westfield and Fredonia, with bonfires, cannons, and heartfelt speeches despite rugged roads and late-night delays. Lafayette, greeted by veterans and stylish locals, was moved by the region’s warmth. Discover how this frontier welcomed a Revolutionary War hero.

Our guest happily answered questions from the live audience. In fact, these are probably some of the same questions you had. Would you like to be a live audience member so you can ask our guests questions? Click here to join the growing number of members who share your feelings on StateOf.GreaterWesternNewYork.com, because then we can automatically send you the link to watch our shows live.

Theme music by “mansardian” courtesy of FreeSound.org under Creative Commons License Attribution 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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