Frog Hollow in Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Marquis de La Fayette
A true friend of Liberty, who served as a Major General in the Continental Army with “all possible zeal, without any special pay or allowances” until the American colonists secured their freedom, and whose frequent visits to this State, as Aide to Washington, as Liaison Officer with supporting French troops, and in the pursuit of freedom, are gratefully remembered.
This Plaque is dedicated by the Connecticut La Fayette Bicentennial Committee in the Bicentennial Year of the birth of this great Frenchman, September 21, 1957.
Erected 1957 by Connecticut La Fayette Bicentennial Committee.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1863.
Location. 41° 45.746′ N, 72° 40.911′ W. Marker is in Hartford, Connecticut, in Hartford County. It is in Frog Hollow. Marker is at the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Washington and Lafayette Streets, in the median on Capitol Avenue. Monument is across the street from the state capitol building. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hartford CT 06106, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker); Columbus (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Confucius (about 400 feet away); Col. Thomas Knowlton (about 600 feet away); Trinity College (about 600 feet away); Joseph Roswell Hawley (about 700 feet away); Andersonville Boy (about 700 feet away); Orville Hitchcock Platt (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hartford.
Also see . . . Wikipedia Entry for Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. “After Lafayette offered to serve without pay, Congress commissioned him a major general on 31 July 1777. Lafayette’s advocates included the recently arrived American envoy to France, Benjamin Franklin, who by letter urged Congress to accommodate the young Frenchman. General George Washington, commander in chief of the Continental Army, came to Philadelphia to brief Congress on military affairs. Lafayette met him at a dinner on 5 August 1777; according to Marc Leepson, ‘the two men bonded almost immediately.’ Washington was impressed by the young man’s enthusiasm and was inclined to think well of a fellow Mason; Lafayette was simply in awe of the commanding general. General Washington took the Frenchman to view his military camp; when Washington expressed embarrassment at its state and that of the troops, Lafayette responded, ‘I am here to learn, not to teach’.” (Submitted on July 30, 2016.)
Additional commentary.
1. About the Statue
“The sculpture is a replica of the Lafayette sculpture outside the Louvre, in Paris. After completion of the Paris sculpture, the artist, Paul Wayland Bartlett, gave the plaster model to the State of Connecticut, where it was placed in the State Capitol. In 1930, Frances B. Storrs donated $20,000 to make a bronze cast for the City of Hartford. The casting and dedication took place in 1932.”
There is a small turtle under the horse’s left rear hoof. “The meaning of the turtle is not known, but it reportedly may allude to the lack of speed in which the artist was paid, or the slow progress the artist made toward completion of the work.” The original plaster of the statue was completed in 1907 but it was not cast until 1932.
“The sculpture was originally placed at the intersection of Washington Street and Capitol Avenue, but in 1979 it was moved to facilitate traffic patterns. ” — From the Art Inventories Catalog of the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System
— Submitted November 30, 2007.
Additional keywords. Lafayette Harford Revolution Washington
Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2007, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. This page has been viewed 4,224 times since then and 173 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 30, 2007, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 2. submitted on February 3, 2014, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 3, 4. submitted on November 30, 2007, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. 5. submitted on November 7, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 6, 7. submitted on February 1, 2012, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.