Just when this park area took the name of Lafayette Park is not definitely known. As has been said, originally this area was a part of the President’s Park, and D. B. Warden, in his volume entitled “Description of the District of Columbia,” published in 1816, refers to it as such by saying, in connection with rates of fare for hackney carriages—
From the President’s Square to Greenleaf’s Point, and also to Hamburg Wharf, or to the western limits of the city, the rate is but 25 cents, and half the distance one-half that sum.
In his voluminous history of Lafayette Square, Gist Blair states—
Its name has come from the people and arose after this visit of Lafayette to the city in 1824.
THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
Again, speaking of the many social events held in Washington during this visit of Lafayette, Mr. Blair says:
Socially, the season of 1824-25 was the most brilliant Washington had seen, so it is natural to understand how everyone at this time may have started to call this square Lafayette Square.
In the office of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, there is a map dated 1852, on which Lafayette Park is shown to be separated from the White House Grounds. The first printed report of the Commissioner of Public Buildings, on file in that office, is of the year 1857. In that report there is a reference to Lafayette Square with an account of certain work being done there in that year.
During more than a quarter of a century past the grounds have been properly maintained as a park. To-day there are five notable monuments in Lafayette Park; namely, the Jackson, Lafayette, Rochambeau, Von Steuben, and the Kosciuszko.