NASHVILLE, Tenn. – February 25, 2025 – Welcome Lafayette, Friend of Liberty is now open in the Tennessee State Museum’s Corridor Gallery on the second level of its Nashville location. This temporary display highlights artifacts related to the Marquis de Lafayette’s stop in Tennessee during his farewell tour of the United States and the impact of his visit on Tennesseans. Artifacts from the Tennessee State Museum collection and other institutions are on view through June 15, 2025.
The Marquis de Lafayette of France served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. His service became a symbol of the alliance between France and the developing United States. Lafayette became a star, recognized as a trusted army officer and valued friend of George Washington. Between 1824 and 1825, he returned to the United States for a 13-month tour stretching from New England to Louisiana, with stops in Nashville and Clarksville, Tennessee.
“Welcome Lafayette, Friend of Liberty” was one of the first signs Lafayette saw when he arrived at the Nashville Public Square on May 4, 1825. With Andrew Jackson as his guide, Nashville hosted the famous Frenchman for two days. “He was welcomed by ringing church bells, firing cannons, and…’throngs of joyous citizens upon the shore’ all raising ‘loud and frequent huzzas,’ as Candice Candeto, senior curator of fine and decorative art, notes in a post about Lafayette on the Museum’s Thousands of Stories blog. “Objects saved to remember his time here are today stewarded in the museum’s collection, a testament to the importance of Lafayette’s visit to Tennesseans.”
Lafayette also made a quick stop in Clarksville upon seeing the crowds that gathered along the river to see him. The 30-minute visit was commemorated with a historic marker in 2022, spearheaded by non-profit group, The Lafayette Trail.
This temporary display is part of Lafayette 200 and presented in partnership with the American Friends of Lafayette Bicentennial Committee. Throughout 2024-25, the American Friends of Lafayette is hosting educational programming across the United States and in France to commemorate the Bicentennial of Lafayette’s return to America as the “Guest of the Nation.” Learn more at Lafayette200.org.
For more information on the Welcome, Lafayette temporary display, and images of artifacts featured, please visit: TNMuseum.org/Lafayette200.
About Tennessee State Museum
Celebrating its 88th Anniversary in 2025, the Tennessee State Museum, located at 1000 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. in Nashville, adjacent to Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street, is home to thousands of years of Tennessee art and history. Through six permanent exhibitions titled Natural History, First Peoples, Forging a Nation, The Civil War and Reconstruction, Change and Challenge and Tennessee Transforms, the Museum takes visitors on a journey – through artifacts, films, interactive displays, events and educational and digital programing – from the state’s geological beginnings to the present day. Additional temporary exhibitions explore significant periods and individuals in history, along with art and cultural movements. The Museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. For more information on exhibitions and events, please visit TNMuseum.org.
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