The most famous visitor to Azilum was Louis Philippe, who visited in 1796 and would later become the last king of France. While Marie Antoinette was unable to escape France and went to the guillotine, her home was used by the French settlers for lavish parties and to host dignitaries.

The community grew and prospered for several years. Settlers started coming to the settlement in the fall of 1793. There was also a large home built, called “La Grand Maison,” which was said to have been built for Queen Marie Antoinette and her children, had they been able to escape France. All told, French Azilum was designed to accommodate hundreds of refugees from France. The entrance to French Azilum near Towanda, Pennsylvania. The community came to be known as French Azilum. They cleared wilderness from roughly 300 acres and set up an entire community, including a town square, shops, a chapel, and even a distillery. They bought a large tract of land in Luzerne County (now Bradford County) along a bend in the Susquehanna River. Several prominent Philadelphians, including Robert Morris and Steven Girard, were sympathetic to the French aristocrats and saw a chance to both help them and profit financially. However, that doesn’t mean that the United States did nothing. However, in the case of France, it was the debt they accumulated helping the United State during our revolution that created this burden on the French citizens.įor a variety of reasons, though, the United States did little to help the French aristocrats during their time of need. Much like the American Revolution, the French Revolution was partially the result of taxes brought on by war debt. However, the American involvement in the French Revolution and its effect on a hidden corner of Pennsylvania is little-known even in France. The French involvement in the American Revolution is well-known, even by young school kids. We will make a small commission from these links if you order something at no additional cost to you. Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links.

A Refuge Assured by Jocelyn Green