Lafayette in Tolland  

Saturday, September 4^th, 1824, 7:00 AM — 7:30 AM

The inclement weather on the morning of September 4^th did not stop Lafayette and his companions from waking early and departing Stafford Springs. They traveled about ten miles along the Post Road leading to Hartford, arriving in Tolland at about 7 o ‘clock. There they found a crowd already assembled and excitedly awaiting their arrival. 

No newspaper reports can be found offering firsthand information concerning Lafayette’s short stay in Tolland, however an account of the event was written sixty-four years later by J. R. Cole in History of Tolland County. Because the account was written so many years later and there is no mention of where the author acquired the information, it must be taken with a grain of salt. According to the History of Tolland County. Lafayette’s entourage stopped at Elijah Smith’s Tavern in Tolland where the General met with Revolutionary War veterans from the area. Solomon Eaton, one of the veterans who met with Lafayette, supposedly said while shaking his hand, “I wish you a healthy and happy journey through this land of independence.”  Lafayette is said to have replied, “God bless you and your land of liberty.” Solomon Eaton was a private, serving three years in the Continental Army. 

The known facts, according to newspaper articles of the day, are that Lafayette and his entourage traveled to Hartford from Stafford which would have taken them through Tolland on the Post Road.  And, although he was expected to pass through a day earlier, word would have been relayed, either by mouth or by messenger, letting the citizens of Tolland know when the General’s cavalcade would be coming through. What we can speculate, from similar circumstances along the route of Lafayette through Connecticut, is that, although Tolland was not an officially scheduled stop on the route to Hartford, perhaps his carriage did pull aside for a few minutes while he greeted the people assembled at a public place in the town, such as a tavern.