Norfolk, 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.

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 7, 2026

1. Lafayette's Tour Marker

Inscription. On Oct. 22, 1824, General Lafayette, an outspoken abolitionist, visited Norfolk. An arch was erected near this site to welcome him.

Erected 2022 by William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 51.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Lafayette’s Farewell Tour series list. A significant historical date for this entry is October 22, 1824.

Location. 36° 50.755′ N, 76° 17.324′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is at the intersection of East Main Street and Commercial Place, on the right when traveling west on East Main Street. Marker is just west of the Commercial Place Fountain. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 400 East Main Street, Norfolk VA 23510, 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: Commercial Place (here, next to this marker); Col. Samuel Leroy Slover (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); East Main Street (about 500 feet away); Old City Hall and Courthouse, 1850 (about 600 feet away); Main Street (approx. 0.2 miles away); Town Back Creek and Stone Bridge (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Bombardment of Norfolk, 1776 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elizabeth River (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norfolk.

Also see . . . Lafayette's Four Visits (Norfolk Historical Society). Excerpt:

Lafayette visited Norfolk four times during his last triumphant visit to the United States in 1824-25. On the first occasion he was the official guest of the borough. The other
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 7, 2026

2. Lafayette's Tour Marker
View facing west, E Main Street at the right.
times he was just passing through on his way to other places.

Lafayette left Alexandria aboard the steamboat Petersburg on his way to Norfolk for his official visit on October 17, 1824. On the way he stopped over at Yorktown for a two-day gala celebration of the forty-third anniversary of the surrender of Cornwallis, at which General Robert Barraud Taylor of Norfolk was one of the principal speakers. Proceeding to Jamestown by way of Williamsburg, Lafayette was met on the morning of Friday, October 22, 1824, by a delegation from Norfolk. And after "a sumptuous collation was served" aboard the Petersburg, the party left for Norfolk.

It was a never-to-be-forgotten day in the borough, and thousands had come from miles around to welcome the hero of the Revolution. At 5 p.m., a lookout who had been posted for the purpose sighted the Petersburg. And as soon as the signal was given, Norfolk's inner harbor resounded with salvos of artillery.

Anchoring in midstream, the Petersburg was met by an elegantly decorated 18-oared barge in which the Nation's Guest and his suite were rowed to the foot of Market Square that was brave with the
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, June 7, 2026

3. Lafayette's Tour Marker
View east, with Commercial Place Fountain in the background.
colorful uniforms of the local military and the bright Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes of the people who crowded every available foot of space, peered from every window, and perched precariously on rooftops to get a glimpse of the old hero.

Lafayette was welcomed to the borough, under a specially constructed arch at the head of Market Square, by Norfolk Mayor John E. Holt, after which he was driven to Mrs. Hansford's boarding house at Main and East streets where suitably elegant quarters had been prepared for him. That evening the borough was ablaze with candles, lamps, and transparencies, while forty-two bonfires turned night into day along the waterfront.

On Saturday morning, Lafayette held a "levee," after which he and three hundred invited guests dined at the Exchange Hotel to the music of the Mozart Amateur Band. Then, when the last toast was drunk, Lafayette accompanied General Taylor to his home, "where he supped in company with a numerous party." On Sunday morning, Lafayette attended services at Christ Church on Church Street, and that afternoon he left for a visit to Fort Monroe….

(Submitted on June 24, 2026.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 23, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.