The annual meeting gives members an opportunity to learn about the organization’s highlights over the past year. The event will also feature a program by Maxwell Walters, curator of the Barker Museum in Fredonia, who will share details about General Lafayette’s visit to Fredonia 200 years ago in 1825.

The business portion of the historical society’s annual meeting will begin at 10 a.m. when Jason Sample, Chautauqua County Historical Society board president, provides the organization’s annual report. Other trustees will offer updates on the McClurg Museum, its exhibits, and the society’s collection, among other items. Walters’ presentation will start at 10:45 a.m.

No reservations are required and the event is free and open to the public. Coffee and doughnuts will be provided. Historical society members are encouraged to attend to participate in the election of board members and to meet the 2025 officers.

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, known simply as “Lafayette” in the U.S., was a French nobleman and military officer who volunteered to join the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, in the American Revolutionary War. Lafayette was ultimately permitted to command Continental Army troops in the decisive Siege of Yorktown in 1781, the war’s final major battle that secured American independence.

Maxwell Wlaters, curator of the Barker Museum in Fredonia, will share details about General Lafayette’s visit to Fredonia in 1825 when he speaks at the Chautauqua County Historical Society’s annual meeting on Saturday, April 12.

President James Monroe and Congress invited Lafayette to visit the U.S. in 1824 and 1825, in part to celebrate the nation’s 50th anniversary. During his tour of the still young nation, Lafayette’s travels brought him to Chautauqua County and, specifically, the village of Fredonia.

Walters’ lecture will provide details on Lafayette’s life and his historic visit to Western New York and Fredonia. He will also share details on what the Barker Museum and the village have planned to celebrate the bicentennial of Lafayette’s visit during the first week of June.

Walters has served as the curator of the Barker Museum since February 2020. He studied history, archaeology, and museum science at Central Michigan University, and went on to focus on museum collections and curatorial practices at Johns Hopkins University.

He worked previously for the Ukrainian American Museum of Detroit, the Historical Society of the Tonawandas, and Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire. He lives in Fredonia.

For more information on the event, call 716-326-2977 or email cchs@mcclurgmuseum.org.