Name: The Last Adieu: Book Talk & Discussion with Author Ryan Cole
Start: 2025-10-23T17:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-10-23T19:30:00-04:00
Location: 120 Sycamore Rd, Lexington, KY

The Last Adieu: Book Talk & Discussion with Author Ryan Cole

In the summer of 1825, Ashland welcomed the Marquis de Lafayette—revered Revolutionary War hero and “Nation’s Guest”—during his grand farewell tour of America. Nearly fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, Lafayette’s journey, arranged by Henry Clay himself, reunited the young republic with one of its most beloved champions. Citizens gathered in awe and gratitude, rallying around the living symbol of liberty and revolution.
Join us at Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate for a special evening with Ryan Cole, author of The Last Adieu. Drawing from eyewitness accounts, personal recollections, and Lafayette’s own reflections, Cole brings to life the pageantry, politics, and poignancy of this extraordinary chapter in American history. This lecture and book discussion will explore Lafayette’s triumphant return, his encounters with American leaders and everyday citizens, and the way his visit rekindled the nation’s revolutionary spirit at a moment of deep division and uncertainty.