Lafayette in Fairfield

Friday, August 20^th, 10:30 PM — 11:30 PM

[At the time of Lafayette’s visit to Fairfield, the town was the county seat of Fairfield County.]

In 1824, the present-day Fairfield community of Southport was known as Mill River village, a small community on the Mill River. The Boston Post Road bridge which crossed the Mill River offered a view of the harbor where coastal vessels were anchored. Crossing this bridge on the night of August 20^th, Lafayette and his cavalcade caught sight of the boats in the harbor which the captains had decorated with colorful flags in his honor. 

At about 10:30 at night, Lafayette’s entourage arrived in the central part of the village of Fairfield. A reporter from a New York City newspaper, The Commercial Advertiser, reported that over a thousand people had gathered to greet the General earlier in the day. The women and girls were arranged on one side of the green and the men and boys on the other side. By dark only a small crowd remained as the inhabitants had given up all hope of seeing Lafayette.  

Due to the late hour, Lafayette was not able to address the general population of the town, however, it had been arranged that he should dine with a group of prominent men of the town at Mr. Knapp’s Hotel. The Commercial Advertiser described the meal as follows: 

“An elegant table was spread at Mr. Knapp’s Hotel – the young ladies of Fairfield having done themselves the highest honour by the taste as well as patriotism they exhibited on the occasion……The dishes were quite enveloped with the ever-greens and scattering flowers; and the due proportions were observed in the succession of viands, as well as in the harmony and contrast of colours, which maintained a kind of silent correspondence from the opposite sides of a splendid cone that occupied  the center……The table was like the bed of some fairy’s enchanted garden, so entirely did the decorations over-shadow and conceal the rich collation beneath. When this verdant veil was removed, the scene was changed as suddenly as at the dissolving of a spell and the company could not repress their surprise.”

Seated amongst the men being served by the ladies, Lafayette, who believe in equality for women, supposedly “expressed his gratification at this specimen of female taste, but regretted that it should be so quickly destroyed to gratify that of the gentlemen.”

Samuel Rowland, Esq. presented a speech welcoming Lafayette, in which he reminded the General of the day in 1779 when Fairfield was burned by the British. Lafayette mentioned that he remembered passing through Fairfield a year before the village was burned. After about an hour of dining and speech making, Lafayette returned to his carriage and was escorted to Bridgeport where he would spend the night. 

Knapp’s Tavern was located on the NE corner of Beach Road and the Old Post Road. The building was destroyed by a fire in 1835 and a new hotel was built about five years later.  The Knapp’s Tavern was run by James Knapp and his wife, Cynthia, with the help of their children and African-American servants.  

At the tavern, Samuel Rowland was given the honor of welcoming Lafayette to Fairfield with a prepared speech. The grandson of Colonial Governor Thomas Fitch, Rowland was a Yale educated lawyer in Fairfield and turnpike surveyor from Fairfield to the New York line. At the time of Lafayette’s visit he was town clerk of Fairfield.