About 40 people attended the W3R Garden Party fundraiser for W3R-US on August 27 in Franklin Township NJ, at the Black Horse Tavern, now privately owned, where the Marquis de Chastellux stayed en route to Yorktown in 1781. Rarely opened for events, the tavern is marked on the Louis-Alexandre Berthier map from the 1781.
Homeowners Eric Dutaud and Laura Strong, a Franco-American couple, gave tours of the historic tavern. Dr. Iris de Rode lectured about the biography of Chastellux, and George Washington (aka John Koopman) relied on Dr. De Rode’s research to give a “personal testimony” about his friendship with the Marquis.
W3R-US Director Brad Fay organized the event with the homeowners, with help from Executive Director Ellen von Karajan, who attended.