The ScotlandShop American Dream Part 2: Re-location to Glenville, NY

From November 4th, ScotlandShop USA is re-locating from Latham to Glenville, NY, and some of our lovely customers might be wondering why? Many reasons, but always at the forefront is making sure we have a beautiful space to display our fabulous tartans woven in Scotland, an easily accessible location, with lots of free parking and of course some Scottish history to share.

There are many Scottish connections between Scotland and Glenville, New York, and there is one particularly strong historical link. Glenville itself is named after a Scot, Alexander Glen. Alexander Lindsay Glen (1605–1685) was a Scottish settler from Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland. (The region of Fife sits just over the Firth of Forth, nestled between our Edinburgh and Crieff shops). In the 1650s he acquired land along the Mohawk River in what is now the Glenville/Scotia area. Glen named his estate Scotia, meaning Scotland, reflecting his Scottish origins. The present-day Village of Scotia is within the Town of Glenville. Could this be any more on brand?

Besides being descended from the noble Lindsay clan, Alexander Lindsay Glen is most famous for having founded Scotia -- not to be confused with the Canadian Province, though. Originally, he did call his land Nova Scotia, meaning ‘New Scotland’, but the village was later simply called Scotia. The village lies actually lies within the town of Glenville, which as you may have guessed by now was also named after Alexander. It’s no wonder he decided to name the area surrounding his new home after his beloved homeland. After all, he was a Highlander at heart, even long after leaving, as most Scottish expatriates tend to be. Alexander was born near Inverness sometime in the early 17th century. As we mentioned, he was a relative of Clan Lindsay, which were one of the most illustrious clans during this time, having held the Earldom of Crawford, among other peerages. During the mid 17th century, Alexander found himself in some political trouble and fled Scotland with his wife. After passing through Holland, they eventually came to New Amsterdam.

Fun fact: Did you know that New Amsterdam was actually a Dutch settlement in the Southern tip of Manhattan? All of New York City was actually called the New Netherlands in the 17th century, but despite this, more Scots than Alexander were traveling over to the Big Apple during this time. Can you see where we’re going, here?

Map of Scotia & Schenectady County

Having made the trek to New Amsterdam, Alexander became employed by the Dutch West India Company at Fort Nassau, which was actually the very first Dutch settlement in all of North America. The Swedish West India Company was a rival of the Dutch during this time in this area, with both vying for control over the same water trade route. As a result, Alexander was unable to settle there, which we assume would’ve been most convenient for him, but then of course, we wouldn’t have this story to tell, would we? Eventually, he moved to the area of Gravesend on Long Island and then in 1658, he acquired lands quite close to Schenectady, having received title from the Mohawks. He received a patent for the land in 1664 and, of course, has evolved to become the well known village of Scotia today.

Glen-Sanders House

As if leaving behind an entire village inspired by Scotland wasn’t enough, the Glen-Sanders House of the 18th century is another item of historical significance that visitors to this area have the opportunity to experience. The house was built in 1713 by Captain Johannes Glen, the youngest son of Alexander. While this, of course, isn’t Alexander’s original house, his son actually used much of the original stone of the 1658 building. What is so significant about this house is that it is the longest recorded family occupancy in the area, and one of the longest occupancies in all of the United States, with the Glen-Sanders family having owned it for 266 years by the time it was 1924. Over the years, the house was rather protected from violence because of the cordial relationship between the family and the Mohawks, which meant that the house was often safe from destruction and could instead experience expansion. However, we’ve found that a large stone addition to the house had been torn down at some point, with it having acted as a slave quarters from 1713 until the abolishment of slavery in New York State in 1827. Just next to the site of the original House, today lies Glen Sanders Mansion, an exclusive wedding and events venue on the banks of the Mohawk river.

Fun fact: In recognition of this legacy the Scotia-Glenville High School also holds its junior-senior prom at the historic Glen-Sanders Mansion pictured above.The school district's "Tartans" mascot also draws on this Scottish heritage, with the mascot represented as a Highland bagpiper. 

We have also been exploring a few of the Scottish-associated street and place names in Glenville and Scotia. While we sadly aren't located on this street we have Glen Avenue which connects directly to the previously mentioned Alexander Lindsay Glen. “Glen” means a narrow, deep valley with steep sides, and derives from the Scottish Gaelic word gleann. We also found an Aberdeen Court (Aberdeen is a city in the north of Scotland), and Shetland Avenue (the Shetland islands are in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean, about 110 to 130 miles north of mainland Scotland). 

Scotch Bush Road is named after the early Scottish immigrant families who settled in the upland and rural regions north of Burnt Hills and Glenville during the 18th and 19th centuries, and farmed the heavily wooded, brush-filled outlying areas (historically referred to as a "bush" or thicket). 

Since we planted our flag in Albany, we have enjoyed visits from members of the Capital District Youth Pipe Band, which was formerly the Scotia-Glenville Pipe Band. The band was founded in 1991 and it wasn’t until 2016, that the band’s name was changed to the Capital District Youth Pipe Band. The new name was chosen to reflect the diverse geography of the band members as well as the organization’s unique focus on youth. To honour Scotia's founder the band wear the Clan Lindsay tartan and the Lindsay crest which features a swan and the motto Endure Forte, which means “endure bravely”. Today the band teaches Scottish Highland piping and drumming and has competed in Scotland, including at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.

Glenville is located in the north-west end of Schenectady County bringing us even closer to the Schenectady Pipe Band who we were very honoured to have pipe for us at the opening of the Albany store. There is nothing like the skirl of the pipes and I'm not sure Latham had ever seen (or heard) such a sight! You can listen to our interview with Bill Munro for the history of the Schenectady Pipe Band and more stories, however we should also mention that not only do the band play to a fantastic standard on their bagpipes but their contribution to the local Scottish community should be noted, when in 1978 they took on the challenge of re-establishing the Capital District Scottish Games. This has been hugely successful and the Games are now a favourite in the regional calendar, and for us here at ScotlandShop, the highlight of the year. Our tent full of tartan has been present since we first arrived in the USA, and it is always fun to see local customers and meet those that have travelled from afar to enjoy a field brimming with Scottish culture.

We are also very excited to be just a few doors along from Thistle Be Perfect Too, another store run by a Scot, full of beautiful yarns featuring special wool from Scotland's Knit Rennie and Ginger Twist Studios. Described as "Glenville's Original Local Yarn Shop filled with yarns, fibers and notions for all your fiber arts needs." our love of colour, pattern and texture is definitely piqued by their vibrant collection.

Of course tartan is always a great pairing with whisky and we look forward to tasting some of Glenville’s finest from our new local, Murray's Fools Distilling Company, where they produce WolfJaw Single Malt Whiskey on nearby Amsterdam Road.

If you live, work or run a business in the Glenville area we would love to hear from you. And if you know of any other Scottish stories or connections please share. We look forward to welcoming you to our new store from November.