Lafayette maker of general’s historic tour unveiled in Brownsville
Mark Hofmann | Herald-Standard
Julien Icher (left), the president and founder of The Lafayette Tour Inc., Brownsville Mayor Ross Swords and former mayor Norma Ryan unveil the 88th marker for Marquis de Lafayette’s tour in Brownsville on Friday.
Mark Hofmann | Herald-Standard
Brownsville Mayor Ross Swords (right) presents a proclamation to Julien Icher, the president and founder of The Lafayette Tour Inc., at the unveiling the 88th marker for Marquis de Lafayette’s tour in Brownsville on Friday.
Mark Hofmann | Herald-Standard
A plaque in Brownsville, unveiled Friday, marked the borough as one of the places visited by Marquis de Lafayette in 1825.
Forty years after the end of the Revolutionary War, Marquis de Lafayette embarked on an extensive tour of America, visiting the 24 states then in the Union.
A May 1825 stop in Brownsville was among the French general’s destinations.
On Friday, Frenchman Julien Pierre Icher honored the local part of Lafayette’s journey, unveiling a marker commemorate his stop in the borough.
“I looked at (Lafayette’s) tour, and it was amazing,” Icher said, adding that it was a high point in history. “I’m really amazed how the memory of Lafayette is preserved in American communities in this country.
The marker notes the stop, reading: “Lafayette’s Tour on May 26, 1825, General Lafayette, traveling on the National Pike from Washington to Uniontown, was honored in Brownsville where he dined.”
“The National Pike was one of the first national projects,” Icher said.
He noted that Lafayette’s travels on what is now known as Route 40 spoke to uniting the geography of the county.
“It was a powerful sign of national unity,” Icher said.
The 28-year-old’s fascination with Lafayette started in 2015, when Icher was a student at William & Mary College in Virginia.
The Carcassonne, France native was there through an exchange program to collect research materials for his master’s degree when he saw a street sign in Williamsburg bearing the Lafayette’s name and wanted to know why.
“My first two (thoughts) were, one, he served for America, and he didn’t have to do that; second, his famous tour of 1824,” Icher said. “I saw immediately how Americans cherished Lafayette and why.”
In 2019, Icher founded the nonprofit The Lafayette Trail Inc. to recognize the French general’s contributions during the American Revolution, where he fought alongside American troops against the British. Through the nonprofit, Icher been installing markers in towns where Lafayette made stops. He’s acquired 97 markers so far, and has a goal of placing 175.
He said honoring Lafayette’s journey has been an amazing experience.
“I’ve met so many people, and I’m humbled how Americans have supported me and this project — they’ve come out in droves to support this Frenchman who died nearly 200 years ago,” he said. “This is Fayette County, one of the oldest in the nation, and a namesake to the Frenchman.”
Along with the project, Icher also hosts a YouTube series titled “Follow The Frenchman” where he visits the sites that Lafayette did and speaks about the impact he made on history.
“This was a dream of a young kid from France, and now I’m running my own nonprofit and I’m happy,” Icher said.
While The Lafayette Trail Inc. doesn’t receive funding from either the American or French governments, it does have a partnership with the William G. Pomeroy Foundation to help with costs of the markers. The foundation helps communities celebrate and commemorate local history.
Funding to sustain Icher’s nonprofit is also made possible by donations, which can be made on the website www.thelafayettetrail.org or through the organization’s social media pages.