The Living History venue of The Caledonian Club of San Francisco’s Scottish Gathering and Games is a recent site. The participants were once intermingled in The Clan Tent area. However, as a consequence of the needs of the participant groups and organizations, they were provided with their own site. Presently, we are located in the north-west corner of the Games, just next to the MacTarnahan Stage 3 (please consult the map on the overleaf of the Games Program). This interactive theatre and exhibit site promises to become even more popular as their existence at our Games and the Bay Area become better known.
The Scottish People, as we are known modernly, have been ten thousand years in our evolution as a distinct, ethnic group. Hollywood and Television’s representations have projected an image of us that corresponded to all the "strange" hype of former historians, literary critics, and politicians. From the time of the Roman historian, Livy, to critics as Gordon, Lord Byron, of Robert Burns’ poetry, as well as English Monarchies, such as the Plantagenent Edwards to the current House of Windsor, and their Prime Ministers, the English have made an effort to purge Scots’ culture and language from what is commonly, and modernly, known as The British Isles. As a consequence, few non-Scottish-Americans have any accurate information of who we are, where we are from, and what we do. For these and other reasons, this site attempts to bring the more colourful and heroic characters and information of Scottish Living History to our growing audience of Scottish-American kinsmen of these traditional Scottish Games.
The priority presentation of Living History must be our brand new Museum of Scotland Project. However, we cannot bring this five story edifice and its collections of ten thousand years of cultural evolution of the Scots to Pleasanton. Consequently, we of the Living History Committee only inform you of its existence in Edinburgh (pronounced: Ed-in-burr’ro). Occupying the prominent spot of volcanic rock at the southern shoulder of Edinburgh Castle, both are the ever-vigilant sentinels of our Scottish Pride! These monuments alone would be worth the price and effort of a visit to Mother Scotland. The founding Clansmen of The Caledonian Club, in 1866, had as their noble and stated purpose, the patronage of Scots’ culture and heritage. The Club and our Chairman were early supporters of this project as Steward Members. The names of Steward Members have been chiseled into the wall of "golden Clashach sandstone from Morayshire" of the Museum entrance. Clansman Brill was honoured with an invitation to attend The Grand Opening Presentation by Her Majesty, The Queen, and His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle and The Museum of Scotland are the preeminent repository of the treasures of Scottish Culture and Heritage; however, the Museum houses the archeological, intellectual, literary, and scientific scholarship of our People, now all within a hundred yards of each other, for the walking public. Please e-mail the Museum directly for complete and specific details of exhibits and membership at: http://www.nms.ac.uk
No Scottish Living History venue would be complete without our National Bard, Rabbie Burns, occupying a prominent presence. Although the Honorable Secretary of the Burns Federation, Mrs. Shirley Bell, was not able to attend this year’s Games, a representative of the Burns Federation will at a Games in future. The Federation now offer individual memberships, and all the details are available through Chairman Brill at Living History headquarters. Also available will be a copy of The Burns Chronicle for 1998, in which his article of his pilgrimage to The Mother Club, in Greenoch was published.
For those of us not born to nobility, and without adequate genealogical data to trace our family tree back to Scotland, our Games’ Living History guests will be pleased to know that Mrs. Beth Gay, Editor, The Family Tree newspaper, from The Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library of Moultrie, Georgia, has your Clan Records! Mrs. Gay is the Honoured and Special Guest who will be available at Living History to discuss her role, as well as that of the Odom Library’s, in searching your Scottish-American family genealogy back to Scotland.
Participant Information
Our list varies from year to year. For details regarding fees, waiting list, if your organization would like to apply for future Games, and other information, e-mail the Chairman of Living History, Paul Hardstone
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