Two hundred years ago, hundreds of Upper Valley residents gathered in their communities to welcome a Revolutionary War hero with pomp and circumstance.

French Gen. Marquis de Lafayette visited the region as part of a “farewell tour” of the 24 states that then comprised the United States during a 13-month period in 1824 and 1825.

Now, those communities are recreating Lafayette’s visit as part of a bicentennial celebration organized by the American Friends of Lafayette — a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving Lafayette’s legacy — which started last August.

“It’s one of these projects that had we known how much work it was going to take we probably wouldn’t have done it, but we’re glad we’ve done it,” said Alan Hoffman, a Londonderry, N.H., resident who is president of the nonprofit organization.

Events will be held on Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28, starting in Bradford, N.H., Newport, Claremont, Cornish, Windsor, Hartland, Woodstock, Barnard and ending in Royalton.

Each event will feature a Lafayette historical reenactor provided by the Friends group. Gatherings also will include speech reenactments and presentations about the famed general’s life.

Lafayette was born in 1757 to an aristocratic family in France, according to a timeline of his life on the Friends group’s website. He joined the French military and — after learning about the plight of the American colonists — decided to enlist with the Continental Army.

He arrived in the United States in 1777, where he commission as major general. He also was instrumental in gaining France’s support for the Revolutionary War and because of that, in part, he was viewed as a hero in the United States.

Nearly every historical society and other like-minded organization the American Friends of Lafayette approached about participating said yes, leading to hundreds events; in addition to tour stops, there also have been lectures and other presentations.

“Our philosophy was if we provide the Lafayette free of charge to … whoever we’re partnering with, they will create the event around it,” Hoffman said.

When historical reenactor Michael Halbert, as Lafayette, makes his stop in Woodstock beginning at 11 a.m. June 28, he is scheduled to participate in an interactive Q&A hosted by the Woodstock History Center, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the First Congregational Church of Woodstock.

Jennie Shurtleff, director of public engagement at the History Center, said she hopes those in attendance will ask questions about all aspects of Lafayette.

“Often we think of Lafayette as more of a war hero and he was certainly that,” Shurtleff said, describing his contribution to the American Revolution as “profound.”

But he was more than a war hero: He was a champion for human rights, including causes such as women’s rights and the abolition of slavery.

Part of the appeal of participating in this celebration is “having people learn about this era of history and having it in an engaging way that hopefully will capture people’s attention,” said Shurtleff.

Another Upper Valley event involving Halbert as Lafayette is a crossing of the Cornish-Windsor covered bridge in a carriage, which begins at 7:30 a.m. June 28.

“I don’t think we would have chosen 7:30 in the morning if it wasn’t his actual schedule,” West Windsor Historical Society President Karen Diop said with a chuckle.

The West Windsor group will co-host the event with the Windsor Vermont Historical Association. It’s historically accurate for West Windsor and Windsor groups to jointly host the gathering because the two communities were still one town in 1825.

This spring, both towns held programs about Lafayette so that people could learn more about him before the bicentennial celebration.

“I think what surprised me the most and what surprised people … (was that) there still was a major Revolutionary War general still alive,” in 1825, Diop said. “We forget that he was so young when he became a general and was part of the revolution. He was only 19 years old.”

Hoffman emphasized the lessons in Lafayette’s life and career that apply to the present day.

“Wherever he saw oppression, he was there to try to eradicate it,” Hoffman said.

Lafayette supported the rights of Native Americans and women, Hoffman said. He was an abolitionist, supporter of religious freedom and advocate for prison reform.

In the last years of his life, he supported the Polish Revolution. Hoffman connected Lafayette’s support of Poland and its refugees during the revolution against Russian influence in 1830 to the Ukraine war today.

Lafayette also got — and promoted — the smallpox vaccine in the 1790s when it was new.

“He would have been in favor of vaccines to prevent disease,” Hoffman said. “If you look at his life it’s really an example in many respects to live by today.”

For more information about the Lafayette Farewell Tour Bicentennial events, visit lafayette200.org. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.