On Saturday, July 19, at 10:00 am CDT (11:00 am EDT), Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society will host its summer quarterly program in downtown Lafayette, Alabama. Last summer, we held our first-ever off-site meeting in downtown West Point’s outdoor pavilion alongside the Chattahoochee River. An informational and entertaining program on the history of West Point was followed by a walking tour of historic downtown. According to CVHS President Jason Williams, “We had so much fun we decided to make our summer meeting an annual off-site event! This year our program will be held at “The Venue,” located at 9 Alabama Ave E, on the northside of the Courthouse Square. We so appreciate owner Kim Langley for hosting our upcoming meeting and supporting historic preservation in Chambers County.”
Larry Krumenaker will be presenting the program this quarter, focusing on the life of the most famous French aristocrat to ever visit the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette, for whom the county seat of Chambers County is named. An expert on this subject, Krumenaker’s research is the basis for his book, “Nine Days Traveling: Lafayette’s 1825 Alabama Tour, Today’s Historical Road Trip”. Copies of his publication will be available for sale at the meeting.
Lafayette was only 20 years old when he sailed across the Atlantic to the “colonies” to volunteer his services to General George Washington, who was impressed with the young Frenchmen and his love of liberty. After the war Lafayette returned to France, taking part in the French Revolution. Fast forward to 1824, when Lafayette-the last remaining Revolutionary War general- was invited by President James Monroe to return to the United States to tour all 24 states. It was during this period that Lafayette traveled through the current state of Alabama.
By the spring of 1825, Lafayette crossed the Chattahoochee River at Columbus, Georgia, into Creek Indian territory. Even though Alabama had become a state in 1819, a portion of the land between the state of Georgia and Montgomery had been delegated to the Creeks as a reservation. A busy but primitive “Federal Road” ran from Columbus to Montgomery, and for nine days the Marquis de Lafayette and his entourage made their way westward. This intriguing chapter in Alabama and Native American histories is often overlooked.
Afterwards, CVHS newsletter editor Ron Williams will lead a walking tour around Courthouse Square, talking about the courthouse and the early days of the city of Lafayette. CVHS members and the general public are invited to attend both the program and walking tour.