Jeffersonville part of Lafayette's bicentennial celebration

Oct. 11—JEFFERSONVILLE — Jeffersonville is set to be part of a nationwide celebration honoring Marquis de Lafayette's trip to America nearly 200 years ago.

Lafayette was a Frenchman who volunteered to fight in the Revolutionary War under George Washington and returned home to France after.

"I am excited about the bicentennial and all that happened, because in 1824 President Monroe asked him to come back to America as the last living Major of the American Revolution," said Bonny Wise, an organizer of Jeffersonville's celebration of the Lafayette Bicentennial.

Lafayette visited many parts of America during the 13 months of his tour, including a stop Jeffersonville on May 12, 1825. Bicentennial events will start taking place next year nationwide.

Although Jeffersonville's celebration technically takes place in 2025, Wise said the wheels are already in motion for events leading up that day.

As part of his tour, Lafayette visited 24 states and even had an issue with the steamboat he was traveling on in the Jeffersonville and Louisville area, Wise said.

"We really only had him for one day," Wise said. "He spent part of a day in Jeffersonville, and they had, everywhere he went, the mayor and the governor and throngs of people came to meet him. I compare it to like, if Taylor Swift came to town. It was that big of a deal, and if there were any revolutionary war soldiers alive, they came to meet him."

Lafayette was an abolitionist, which is one of the key aspects of his legacy being highlighted over the Bicentennial.

For Jeffersonville's celebration organizers have two major goals in mind.

The first is to place a historical marker in the city to memorialize Lafayette's trip here.

Wise said the plan is to have the historical marker placed along the Ohio River.

The second goal is to go to Clark County elementary schools to share a book about Lafayette.

"I'm a member of the organization called the American Friends of Lafayette, and so they decided to celebrate the bicentennial, so what they are doing is encouraging the communities in which he stopped to celebrate somehow on the day 200 days later," Wise said. "Our day is May 12, 2025. We've got time, we wanted to get the marker and wanted to get the books in the elementary schools."

The Hazel and Walter Bales Foundation provided the grant for the marker in Jeffersonville.

"They've been a wonderful kickstart for us in Jeffersonville to help get our celebration off the ground," Wise said.

The books are also ready to be distributed to local schools, with special plates made to go into the front covers about the event.

Plans for a dinner dance cruise on the Belle of Louisville are also in the works, Wise said.

"All these communities, throughout the 24 states, are planning all kinds of activities to celebrate, commemorate and educate (about Lafayette)," Wise said.

Those who are interested in joining in on the celebrations can go to https://lafayette200.org/ and https://friendsoflafayette.wildapricot.org/