Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House will commemorate the close of Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824-1825 farewell tour of America with a daylong event Sept. 7.
“Farewell to Lafayette: A Bicentennial Tribute,” organized in collaboration with the American Friends of Lafayette, will take place during the final weekend of bicentennial celebrations honoring Lafayette’s historic visit to the United States.
Lafayette visited Woodlawn multiple times during his tour, using the home of Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis and Lawrence Lewis as “a place of refuge and reflection as he reconnected with members of the Custis and Washington family,” according to organizers.
“Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House is honored to host one of the final events of Lafayette’s bicentennial tour,” said Elizabeth Reese, senior manager of public programs and interpretation. “At a time of deep national division, Lafayette’s 1824 visit united Americans on the eve of the nation’s 50th anniversary.”
The Sept. 7 program will feature several events throughout the day:
Open house tours of Woodlawn will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., allowing visitors to explore the historic 1805 mansion at their own pace with interpreters available to share insights about the site.
A specialty presentation titled “Lafayette at Woodlawn” will run from 11 a.m. to noon, focusing on Lafayette’s visits to the property and his relationships with the Custis and Lewis families.
From 1:30 to 3 p.m., a panel discussion called “Embodying Lafayette” will feature three Lafayette historical interpreters: Mark Schneider, Michael Halbert and Benjamin Goldman. The panelists will share insights about portraying the marquis during the bicentennial year, followed by a moderated Q&A session.
Tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Woodlawn, located at 9000 Richmond Highway, was originally part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. The Federal-style mansion was designed by Dr. William Thornton, architect of the U.S. Capitol, and completed by enslaved people around 1805 for Lawrence Lewis and Eleanor “Nelly” Custis Lewis, Washington’s nephew and step-granddaughter.
In 1846, the Lewis family sold the property to Northern Quakers who subdivided it for purchase by free Black families and other anti-slavery families. The site became the first public historic property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the 20th century.
More information is available at woodlawnpopeleighey.org.
