PORTSMOUTH, Va. — I recently visited the Hill House Museum to learn about the history of the home and the connection to the Revolutionary War hero Lafayette.
"You need to come see this treasure box, this time capsule, peel back the curtain of history and come see this beautiful home," says Hill House Museum board member Julie Dunn.
Built in 1825, this Victorian-style house was the home of the Hill family for almost 100 years.
"We know that the woman of the house in the 1870s really went to great lengths to make it impressive," said Dunn.
One of the impressive items in the Hill House collection is this white and gold checkerboard tea set. A tea set used by military hero Marquis de Lafayette.
"He's a celebrated hero up and down the country with parades and balls and dinners, and he lands here in Portsmouth and Norfolk at the end of October," said Dunn.
Dunn continued, "Everyone in the city would have been here to see him get off the ferry, go through town in his carriage, end up at the city arch. It was just celebratory for all the town."
Lafayette was a French nobleman who volunteered to join the Continental Army, led by George Washington.
"He was given an invitation to come to the United States in 1824, by President Monroe, and he returned a hero because he had served valiantly in the Revolutionary War. Without his help and the aid of the French, we might have been in a different position today," Dunn explained.
The Hill House Museum is located on North Street in Portsmouth.
Click HERE for a list of Lafayette events happening throughout the city of Portsmouth.
More Lafayette events HERE.
