American Friends of Lafayette Visit Historic Tappan Sites

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — June 11 was General Marquis de Lafayette Day in Orangetown, and more than 80 members of the American Friends of Lafayette visited to tour colonial heritage sites in Tappan and eat afterward at the Old '76 House.

"The group honors the memory of General Lafayette, without whom there would probably be no United States of America," said member Anne Putko, a Piermont resident. "When I learned that the organization was going to hold its annual meeting in June at West Point, I invited them to our area, where, as you may know, Lafayette joined General Washington and many other patriots during the war years."

The owner of '76 House plans to start raising funds to replace a missing historic marker about Lafayette's visit to Tappan.

"Several reliable sources indicate that a marker existed in the vicinity of Lafayette Street and Western Highway that attested to the General’s stay at the Bogart Farm in 1780. The marker is not there and no one at the library or Tappantown Historical Society seems to know what happened to it," Putko told Patch.

Putko is also concerned that Tappan will be left out of the Bicentennial Celebration of Lafayette’s Grand Tour of the United States, which will take place in 2024-25. During the bicentennial year, the AFL, among many other groups, will retrace Lafayette’s steps on his final tour of the United States. There will be many stops in New York State, including Westchester and West Point.

None are planned for Rockland County because there is no historical evidence of his visit here during 1824-25, she said.

"It would be a shame for our county, and for Orangetown, in particular, so rich in colonial history, to be left out of the commemorative activities. It would be a missed opportunity for businesses, as well as a lost educational opportunity for school children, who more than ever, need to be reminded of the greatness and sacrifice of the individuals who risked their lives and fortunes in order to create a free and independent United States of America," she said.

She is urging the Orangetown board to consider supporting a program of commemorative activities during the bicentennial year that will be complementary to those being celebrated in other communities across the Hudson River Valley.

"This could include a Lafayette Day, with fireworks and a parade or colonial re-enactment of an important event," she said.