News Release

Lafayette Returns to Peace field after 200 Years

Date: August 16, 2024
Contact: Hilary Miller, 617-773-1177

QUINCY, Mass. —Join the National Park Service at Adams National Historical Park on Sunday, August 25, for a full day of special programming to mark 200 years since the Marquis de Lafayette visited John Adams at Peace field. Enjoy the opportunity to meet John Adams and Lafayette and learn more about their extraordinary lives and long friendship.

Special guided tours of the Old House at Peace field will be held at 10 am, 12 noon, and 2 pm. Get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Adams household’s preparations for Lafayette’s visit. Visitors may even catch a glimpse of John Adams as he awaits the arrival of his old friend! Capacity is limited on these tours, and reservations and entrance passes are required. Entrance passes and tour reservations can be acquired in advance online at recreation.gov or on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event at the Adams National Historical Park Visitor Center, located at 1250 Hancock Street, Quincy.

Ranger talks about Lafayette, his popularity, and the excitement surrounding his 1824-1825 Farewell Tour will take place at 10:45 am, 12:45 pm, and 2:45 pm outside of the Carriage House at Peace field. Recount the triumphant return of Lafayette to the United States and learn about the significance of his year-long journey through the young republic 200 years ago. These talks are free to the public and do not require reservations.

Ranger talks focused on Lafayette’s crucial role in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War will be held outdoors at the Adams Farm at Penn’s Hill (the John Adams and John Quincy Adams Birthplaces) at 11 am and 1 pm. Learn how Lafayette’s military actions and commitment to the ideals of liberty and freedom cemented his legacy in the United States. These talks do not require reservations and are free to attend.

A special reunion between John Adams and the Marquis de Lafayette—200 years in the making—will take place at 3:30 pm outside of the Carriage House at Peace field. Listen in as Adams, portrayed by Peyton Dixon, and Lafayette, portrayed by Mark Schneider, catch up and discuss their lives and friendship. They will reflect on the American Revolution and the founding of the United States that had taken place 50 years prior to Lafayette’s visit. This program is free to the public and does not require reservations.

A Lafayette exhibit will be on display at the Carriage House at Peace field from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday, August 21, through Sunday, August 25. The Life and Legacy of The Marquis de Lafayette exhibit tells the important stories of Lafayette’s life and legacy including his American Revolution participation, his critical role in cementing the Franco-American Alliance, and his lifelong passion for human rights. Viewing the exhibit does not require reservations and is free to the public.

Public restrooms are not available at the Adams Farm at Penn’s Hill but will be available during the event at the Carriage House at Peace field at 135 Adams Street, Quincy, and the Adams National Historical Park Visitor Center at 1250 Hancock Street, Quincy. Free, validated parking is available at the Visitor Center through the Presidents Place parking garage at 44 Saville Avenue, Quincy. Limited street parking is available at the Adams Farm at Penn’s Hill (141 Franklin Street) and the Old House at Peace field (135 Adams Street). The park provides a free trolley to transport visitors on a loop between the Visitor Center, the Adams Farm at Penn’s Hill, and the Old House at Peace field. Visitors using the trolley should leave ample time to travel between park sites as the trolley schedule may not precisely coordinate with special programming. Programs may be modified or cancelled in the event of extreme weather conditions.

Lafayette’s appearance at this program and the traveling exhibit are presented by the American Friends of Lafayette (AFL), an historical and patriotic non-lineage-based society dedicated to the memory of Major General Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafayette and to the study of his life and times in both America and France. The AFL’s present efforts are devoted to recreating and celebrating the Bicentennial of Lafayette's Farewell Tour which will begin with great fanfare in New York City on August 16, 2024, and end in Washington, D.C. in September 2025. Please visit www.lafayette200.org for more information.

The Adams National Historical Park Visitor Center and historic Adams homes are open Wednesdays through Sundays, May 1 through October 31. Guided and self-guided tours are available. Access to the interior of the historic homes requires an entrance pass. Entrance passes and tour reservations can be acquired in advance online at recreation.gov or on a first-come, first-served basis daily at the Visitor Center. Park grounds are open daily dawn to dusk and are free to visit. For information regarding tours and programming, call the Visitor Center at 617-770-1175 or visit the park website.

About Adams National Historical Park. Adams National Historical Park includes the birthplaces of the second and sixth presidents of the United States, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, along with the Old House at Peace field, home to both presidents and four generations of their distinguished family.