Olde Towne in Portsmouth, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Lafayette's Tour

Mapping the Farewell Tour

— The Lafayette Trail —

Lafayette's Tour Marker image. Click for full size.

By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 11, 2025

1. Lafayette's Tour Marker

Inscription. On Oct. 25, 1824, General Lafayette was greeted by artillery salute near here and proceeded to navy yard to view USS North Carolina.

Erected 2020 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 23.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lafayette’s Farewell Tour, and the William G. Pomeroy Foundation series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1824.

Location. 36° 50.252′ N, 76° 17.843′ W. Marker is in Portsmouth, Virginia. It is in Olde Towne. It is on Glasgow Street east of Crawford Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker stands in Marquis de Lafayette Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 407 New Mill St, Portsmouth VA 23704, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally,

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it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients (here, next to this marker); Shopmates Memorial (here, next to this marker); The Coast Guard (within shouting distance of this marker); U.S. Lightship No. 101 Portsmouth (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Virginia Ship Repair Association (about 300 feet away); The Pass House & Gardens (about 400 feet away); Spanish-American War 1898-1902 (about 400 feet away); Francis Grice 1789 - 1865 (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portsmouth.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 11, 2025

2. Lafayette's Tour Marker

Lafayette Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, October 18, 2025

3. Lafayette Park

The marker is within Lafayette Park, a pocket park constructed by the city in 1976 for the US Bicentennial. The arch at the entrance to the park is significant, as it was constructed to reference an arch built in 1824 to welcome Lafayette to Portsmouth. This is not the original location of the 1824 arch - that is memorialized by a marker at its former site on the corner of Crawford and High Streets. The memorial arch was designed by Mary Ramsay Brown Channel and features bricks with the years 1776 & 1976 flanking a silhouette of the Marquis de Lafayette. The lion’s head keystone came from the demolished American National Bank Building.

Lafayette Park Commemorative Bricks image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, October 18, 2025

4. Lafayette Park Commemorative Bricks

Credits. This page was last revised on February 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 191 times since then and 35 times this year. Last updated on January 9, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 20, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4. submitted on February 10, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia.