The FurnitureIn recognition of the Marquis de Lafayette's 250th birthday and his historic friendship with George Washington, we have created this unique collection of dining furniture. French Inspired…American Made, the Marquis de Lafayette Collection combines casual elegance and authentic craftsmanship. Each piece is hand-made from solid, Appalachian maple and is signed & dated by the person who built it. Staining and distressing is also accomplished individually by hand. This process concludes with a Worry-Free finish that will hold up to most spills and chemicals in your home, from water to wine to fingernail polish remover. It requires no waxing or oiling; just use a soft cloth. The HistoryMarquis de Lafayette was born into wealth and nobility in southern France and orphaned two years later. At age 18, he sailed to America at his own expense and against the will of his family and King to join the American Revolution. Commissioned as a major general by Congress, he fought alongside George Washington and became a life friend. Lafayette served along side Washington during the arduous winter at Valley Forge, the victory at Monmouth, New Jersey and in the decisive battle at Yorktown in October 1781. George Washington had no children of his own and looked upon Lafayette as an adopted son. He later helped raise Lafayette’s son at Mount Vernon. Upon his return to France, Lafayette joined the French Revolution and helped draft the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. On July 14, 1789, Lafayette ordered the destruction of the Bastille, the infamous French political prison, and later sent the key to the Bastille to George Washington as a symbolic gesture. That key hangs today in the central passage of George Washington’s Mount Vernon home. Mount Vernon Ladies' AssociationFollowing the death of George Washington, Mount Vernon passed through three generations of the family and ultimately fell into disrepair. The great-grand nephew of George Washington eventually asked the federal government and Commonwealth of Virginia to purchase the historic home. Both Governments refused. In 1853, Ann Pamela Cunningham founded the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association to purchase and restore the historic home. The Association is the oldest national historic preservation organization in the country and a pioneer in the practices and methods of restoration. It operates without financial assistance from state or federal governments and is funded in part, from sales of licensed products, like the Marquis de Lafayette Dining Collection. For more information about George Washington's Mount Vernon, please visit http://www.mountvernon.org. | | 
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