Auburn has officially joined the Lafayette Historical Marker Trail, commemorating the bicentennial of General Marquis de Lafayette’s celebrated tour through the United States.
On June 8, a new historical marker was unveiled in Exchange Street Plaza—exactly 200 years after Lafayette visited Auburn in 1825. The marker is the 157th in the Lafayette Trail series and was funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
To mark the occasion, members of Auburn Masonic Lodge #124 and the Owasco Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution held a reenactment of the original welcome speeches delivered to Lafayette on that historic day. The marker project was led by the Seward House Museum in partnership with The Lafayette Trail, Inc., and installed by the City of Auburn’s Department of Public Works.

The celebration continued with a performance by the Auburn Civic Band playing Revolutionary War-era music in the gardens of the Seward House Museum. The American Friends of Lafayette followed with period pageantry and performances, and the event concluded with an open house at the museum. All activities were free and open to the public.
The Lafayette Trail program commemorates the general’s Farewell Tour of 1824–1825, when Lafayette, one of the last surviving commanders of the Revolutionary War, returned to the U.S. after 41 years. His visit drew national attention and widespread admiration as he traveled to Washington, D.C., and across 24 states.