Saturday, April 5 – 3:30 pm – Cleveland Public Library Main Library
On Saturday, April 5, at 3:30 pm we are hosting a tour of our hame at Cleveland Public Library’s Main Library with rare and unique Scottish-related materials from the collections on display throughout the tour.
Some items attendees will see include:
- The two-volume Clans of the Scottish Highlands (1847) with illustrations by R.R. McIan
- A centenary volume of Robert Burns poetry (1896)
- Historical photographs of Cleveland-area residents in Scottish dress and/or participating in traditional pastimes (circa 1920s to 1960s), including a photo of the Scottish Old Folks Home
- Maps showing geographic information from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, as well as tartan and crest maps
- Items from the library’s Scottish chapbook collection from the early 18th century
- You can visit the library’s Digital Gallery to see an example: The Life of Robert Bruce, King of Scotland (1812)
- …And more!
Tour participants are invited to wear their kilts and tartan if they wish!
National Tartan Day honors the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath on April 6, 1320, which asks the pope to recognize Scotland’s independence and to acknowledge Robert the Bruce as the country’s lawful king. There are stirring words in the declaration, an excerpt of which appears in the image above.
Ohio’s Scottish literary heritage includes Leclaire Alger. Born in 1898 in Youngstown, Alger worked for many years at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After her retirement, she took the Scottish Gaelic pseudonym Sorche Nic Leodhas (Claire, daughter of Louis) and began to write and publish Scottish folktales and legends for children. Her prolific output included nine books over ten years!
This event is being held in collaboration with the Scottish Heritage Association of Northeast Ohio and the Ohio Scottish American Society.