L’Hermione and the French in Newport

For the last month, L’Hermione, the replica of the ship that carried the Marquis de Lafayette (back) to the U.S. of A. in 1780, has been working its way up the coast to New England. There have been conferences and exhibits in Virginia and New York, and soon it will be our turn.

L’Hermione will reach Newport, Rhode Island, on 8 July. The Newport Historical Society is hosting an exhibit called “Fraternité: The French in Newport,” in two parts:

• At the Colony House on Washington Square, the society has already opened a display about “French participation during the American Revolution in Rhode Island.”
• Debuting on 8 July at the Museum of Newport History, on the second floor of the Brick Market at 127 Thames Street, a second display will highlight the relationship between Daniel Lyman, a Continental Army officer from Newport, and Lafayette.

The “Fraternité” exhibit will run through October. Admission is free on weekdays, though donations are welcome. On weekends and holidays, the display at the Colony House is part of that site’s regular tour, which costs $8 for people not already members of the Newport Historical Society.

On Thursday, 9 July, the society will sponsor “Illuminating the American Revolution,” a free living-history program focused on preparations for the illumination that took place after the arrival of French troops in July 1780. Newport officials required residents to light candles in their windows to welcome those allies. However, many New Englanders were still suspicious of the French after decades of enmity under the Crown. This program will take place 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at the Colony House.

Finally, on Saturday, 11 July (after L’Hermione will have sailed on), the society is offering a walking tour on “The French in Newport.” Roughly 12,000 French soldiers and sailors passed through and lived around the port during the late Revolutionary War, and that force was crucial to American independence. This tour will depart from the Brick Market at 11:00 A.M. It costs $15 per person, $10 for Newport Historical Society members. To register, call the museum at 401-841-8770.