Jump To Section:
Why Loudon Road?
By now, you might be familiar with the connection between Albany and Scotland. After all, the Gaelic word for Scotland, Alba, can be found within the name. Not to mention the Duke of Albany, for which the city was also named. We thought you might still be wondering if there’s any Scottish connection between Scotland and Loudon Road, the very road on which our beautiful new building is located. Well, keep reading to find out…
You may have noticed that our new store is actually located in Loudonville, a suburb just outside of Albany. While this name might not sound quite as Scottish as Albany, don’t be so quick to imagine that we’ve not found a connection. To discover how it all started, let us first introduce you to John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun.
John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun
John Campbell was born in 1705 and is most well known as an historical Scottish nobleman and army officer. The year of his birth was significant as it was just two years before the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain which, of course, would lead to much turmoil between the British government and future Jacobites. It just so happened that John’s father, Hugh Campbell, 3rd Earl of Loudoun, had an important role in the creation of Great Britain and in 1731, when John inherited his father's estates and peerages, also becoming Lord Loudoun, he also inherited his father’s support of the government.
Lord Loudoun and the ‘45
During the famous rebellion, which is largely remembered today as a romantic tragedy for the Scottish Highlanders who fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie, Lord Loudoun acted on the side of the Hanoverian government. He raised a regiment that consisted of twelve companies in which he served as colonel. Fun fact: another John Campbell, who later became the 5th Duke of Argyll, served alongside him as lieutenant-colonel… It's a good thing our John was already Lord Loudoun at that point, or things might’ve gotten confusing. While he wasn’t so successful at Prestonpans, the government did eventually win out over the Jacobites at Culloden.
Loudoun’s move to North America
It was 1756 and though the United States of America hadn’t yet officially been declared, Loudoun was sent to North America as Commander-in-Chief and Governor General of the colony of Virginia. This is where we see him begin to establish himself in what would be America and, like us, after gaining some clout, he moved on over to New York during the Seven Years’ War. Eventually, Loudonville, NY (and the road) would be named after him. The area was originally a 19th-century summer resort for some of Albany's wealthiest residents and, as such, Loudon Road is lined with several historic Jeffersonian mansions and even a charming, old schoolhouse building.
There you have it! Now that you’ve discovered just how Scottish our new American location is, we can’t wait for you to come and visit. Let us know if you love our new store as much as we do.
