LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, will host a panel discussion, "An Adopted Son of America: Perspectives on the Marquis de Lafayette," on Thursday, March 20. Doors will open and a reception will begin at 5 p.m. The panel discussion will start at 5:30 p.m. The presentation will also be livestreamed via Zoom.

Fifty years after fighting for the American cause in the Revolutionary War, the Marquis de Lafayette returned to the United States, visiting all 24 states on a 13-month farewell tour that included three days of festivities in Lancaster. Four local historians will explore who Lafayette was, what he believed, and what he did in central Pennsylvania when he passed through in July 1825.

Bruce Mowday, an author and newspaper reporter, will give an overview of the life of Lafayette before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. Louise Stevenson, a professor emerita of history and American studies at Franklin & Marshall College, will discuss the statements of human rights that Lafayette borrowed from the founding documents of the U.S. Ben Webber, a civil engineer and local historian, will trace Lafayette's travels in Lancaster County when he visited during his farewell tour. Sarah Alberico, curator at Historic Rock Ford, will highlight the objects to be included in Rock Ford's upcoming exhibit, "1825: Lafayette in Lancaster."

To commemorate 200 years since Lafayette's American farewell tour, the American Friends of Lafayette's Bicentennial Project has planned hundreds of events to trace Lafayette's tour on the exact dates and in the exact order he visited in the 1800s. LancasterHistory will host the panel discussion with the Lafayette200 Bicentennial Planning Committee of Lancaster and Western Chester Counties.

This event is also part of LancasterHistory's Regional History Colloquium Series, which features historians and other scholars presenting research on issues related to southeastern Pennsylvania and its wider borders.

This program is free and open to the public. In-person attendance requires advance registration in order to guarantee a seat. Due to capacity restrictions, tickets may not be available at the door. Virtual attendance requires advance registration in order to receive the Zoom link. To register, visit http://www.lancasterhistory.org or call 717-392-4633.