On March 4, 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Fayetteville, a town named for him in 1783. staying at home of Duncan McRae, on site of present courthouse.
Lafayette was a close confidant of George Washington and one of the great heroes of the Revolutionary War. He returned to the United States at the age of 68 on a celebratory tour, and although he originally planned to only visit New England and the mid-Atlantic, he extended his trip to the southern states as well, including North Carolina. While in North Carolina, Lafayette was hosted by his namesake town, Fayetteville, for one night. He stayed at home of Duncan McRae, on the site of the present day Cumberland County Courthouse.
Before arriving in Fayetteville, Lafayette stayed at the Indian Queen Inn in Murfreesboro, visited at the Rocky Mount home of Henry Donaldson and attended a banquet at the Eagle Tavern in Halifax. He also traveled to Raleigh where he visited the Governor Hutchins Burton and William Polk, a veteran of the Revolutionary War.
Fayetteville, incorporated in 1783, was one of the first towns in the newly independent United States named for the Marquis de Lafayette.
Image from Bequest of Marcus L. Dudley in memory of George V. Porter