LAFAYETTE'S BALL
Celebrating 200 Years of Lafayette's Return to Chester County
Celebrate the Marquis de Lafayette, hero of the American Revolution, a great friend to George Washington, and his return to Chester County in 1825. After visiting the fields of the Battle of Brandywine the morning of July 26, 1825, the Marquis and his entourage traveled to West Chester, where they participated in a parade through the town and stopped just east of the Friends Meeting to review the troops. Later, Lafayette was taken to the Court House, where Eber Worthington, proprietor of the adjacent Turk’s Head Hotel, provided an excellent dinner.
The Chester County History Center will host an homage to the original dinner that Lafayette enjoyed in 1825. Guests will be encouraged to dress in period attire, though not required. They will enjoy drinks and refreshments that would have been served in 1825. Musicians will provide live period music on harpsichord, flute, and violin, while dancers demonstrate popular dances of the time and encourage attendees to join in. Guests may also explore a selection of early craftspeople, who will be demonstrating the arts of the early American period.
Lafayette’s Ball will be an immersive experience, celebrating not just the impact of the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, in which the Marquis was wounded, but the sounds, sights, smells, and tastes of his return in 1825. From sampling recipes from the past to hearing the dulcet tones of a 19th-century harpsichord, guests will enjoy a full-sensory historic experience that honors not just the Marquis de Lafayette’s influence on our nation but Chester County’s place within that story.
Music by Early American Music and Arts
Dancing by Tapestry Historic Dance Ensemble
Silhouettes by Lauren Muney
Lacemaking by Liberty Lacers
https://mycchc.org/lafayettes-ball/
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