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The Scottish American History Club Newsletter
October
2002
Stanford White
 The architect Stanford White was born in 1853 and
died in 1906. He studied under Henry Hobson Richardson
of Scottish descent who designed the home of John J.
Glessner on Prairie Avenue in Chicago. White was
influential in founding the firm of McKim, Mead and
White, and all three men were apparently of Scottish
descent. Stanford White was most active in New York City
where he designed the Washington Square Arch, the
Century Club, and a lavish Madison Square Garden on
whose rooftop he was murdered in 1906. His killer was a
jealous husband, Harry K. Thaw, whose wife’s affection
White had once enjoyed. From the trial came the epithet
the “girl in the red velvet swing.”
Recently the
“Standing Lincoln” statue in Lincoln Park was designated
as Chicago’s 200th landmark. The towering sculpture of
Lincoln standing before an ornate chair, deep in
thought, clasping his lapel and stepping forward as if
to speak to a waiting crowd was sculpted by Augustus
Saint-Gaudens. The face and hands are based on life
casts by sculptor Leonard W. Volk, but Saint-Gaudens had
also seen Lincoln in person, once in life and again when
his body lay in state. The sculpture is widely
considered to be his most significant work. When it was
unveiled in 1887, 10,000 people watched as Lincoln’s
grandson, Abraham Lincoln II, dedicated the
sculpture. The pedestal was designed by Stanford White.
Astor Street
 Astor Street in Chicago started as the heart of
Chicago’s Gold Coast area beginning in the 1880's. The
street was named for John Jacob Astor, and the earliest
house is still the residence of the Catholic Archbishop
of Chicago.
The largest house on Astor Street is at the
north-west corner of Burton and Astor. The house was
commissioned in 1892 by Chicago Tribune publisher Joseph
Medill as a wedding gift for his daughter and
son-in-law, the Robert Pattersons. The next owner was
Cyrus Hall McCormick II. The designer of this finely
proportioned example of Renaissance revival was Stanford
White.
See more pictures at
Chicago - Architecture & Cityscape
Dennis Swenie
Dennis Swenie was the only Captain who lost an engine
during the Great Fire of 1871. “That was old No. 14. She
was a good engine and never ought to have been lost, and
never would have been had I had my way.” It appears,
after trying to read the old newspaper article, that a
mistake in communications allowed someone to stop the
flow of water to No. 14, and she was lost in an alley at
Clinton and Polk. The engine house on Chicago Avenue was
also burned, and Chief Swenie says 29 citizens lost
their lives around the engine house because they thought
it would not catch fire. According to Swenie, the city
only had 200 firemen, 17 engines and 34,000 feet of
hose. (Not much for a city its size.) He continues,
“there was no system for anything. Fire alarm boxes were
stuck around wherever they could find a post to hang one
on. There might be three to a block, or one to four
miles, you never knew which...”
D. J. Swenie was
born in Glasgow, Scotland, July 20, 1834. He came to
Chicago in 1849 and started to manufacture fire hoses.
In the same year he joined Hose Company No. 3, and later
Niagara No. 3. In 1852, he became assistant foreman of
the Red Jacket Engine Company No. 4. That was his first
step from the ranks. “Chief Swenie was the organizer of
the paid steam Fire Department. In this work he
encountered the most violent opposition, but he
triumphed and lived to see the Chicago Fire Department
the best in the world.”
The Chicago Journal,
Oct. 9, 1893
More information is at the
Chicago Metro Fire Department
General John McArthur
“Someone You Should Know”
 The
Clan McArthur was the dominating clan of Scotland from
A.D. 300 to 1750. This clan crowned and uncrowned the
kings of Scotland for more than a thousand years. In
addition, they were the keepers of the Stone of Destiny
for 600 years. The legend is that this is the stone upon
which Jacob rested his head when he saw the vision of
the angels upon the ladder, ascending and descending
from heaven.
John McArthur was born on November
17, 1826 at Erskine, Scotland. During his childhood, all
the great stories of clannish traditions and valorous
ancestors were told to him over and over, and it is said
he never knew the meaning of the word “fear.” He was a
soldier born. John finished all 14 years of parish
schooling and was offered a scholarship at the
University of Edinburgh on condition he would prepare
for the ministry. He refused and became an apprentice in
his father’s blacksmith shop. With his bride, Christina
Cuthbertson, he sailed for America in July, 1849. It
appears he was attracted to America by reading accounts
of the Mexican War. Eight children were born to John and
Christina.
After arriving in New York, this
descendant of such a powerful race came to Chicago. He
was a sturdy Highlander, six feet in height, broad
shouldered and vigorous. In Chicago, he became a
mechanic and learned the construction of engines and
boilers. In 1851, he formed a partnership with his
brother-in-law, Carlile Mason. The firm of Mason &
McArthur, builders of heavy machinery, was located on
Randolph Street, between Clinton and Jefferson. In 1855,
the firm built a larger shop at Canal and Carrol.
In 1856, McArthur became connected with a military
organization known as the “Chicago Highland Guards.” It
was composed almost entirely of Scotsmen and under his
leadership they became one of the most disciplined
heavy infantry groups at that time. “They wore tall
bear-skin caps, the kilt of the clan McArthur, and with
their bare legs and brawny shoulders, they were the
pride of the city and the state.” When President Lincoln
called for volunteers the Highland Guards enlisted
almost to a man. They were ordered to Springfield and
became the nucleus around which the Twelfth Illinois
Infantry was formed and mustered into the United States
service on May 3, 1861. McArthur was elected Colonel of
the regiment.
At Shiloh, Colonel McArthur led his
brigade; and when General W.H.L. Wallace was killed,
McArthur was selected to take his place. He remained in
command of the division until he was so severely wounded
that he had to be carried from the field. His wound
became badly inflamed and for a time it was feared he
would lose his leg. After a leave of absence, he
returned to duty, but was unable to walk. At the siege
of Corinth, after being made a general, he was assigned
command of the Sixth Division. His battles are too many
to mention but he was involved in the Battle of Corinth,
Vicksburg, Atlanta Campaign, and the desperate battle
for Nashville on December 15, 1864.
It is said
that McArthur “never disappointed his superiors in
command or took his men off the field of battle in
confusion.” He was the idol of the people of Chicago and
there is barely a newspaper article from 1861-1865 that
did not contain something of his military achievements.
Upon his return to Chicago he was made the Commissioner
of Public Works until President Grant appointed him
Post-master. John McArthur was president of the Illinois
Saint Andrew Society from 1869-1871. He was president
when the Great Fire happened in Chicago and presided
over the Anniversary Dinner on November 30, 1871, when
George Anderson presented our ram’s head (Old Bailey) to
the Society.
In The Scots and Their
Descendants in Illinois, Thomas C. McMillan says:
“In his residence of nearly three-score years in
Chicago, he was the recipient of many honors at the
hands of his fellow citizens. When he died on March 16,
1906, his passing was considered as a public
bereavement.” His death certificate shows his place of
death as 504 W. Monroe and states “hardship and injuries
sustained during service which greatly impaired his
constitution.” General McArthur was 80 years at death
and is buried at Rosehill. The McArthur plot is quite
large and contains the bodies of 28 individuals. Note:
Much of the information in this article was contained in
the Memorials of Deceased Companions located at
the Chicago Historical Society.
Vicksburg National Military Park
In searching the Internet for information about the
12th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and General John
McArthur, I came across the site of the Vicksburg
National Military Park.
After the Civil War, 30 states constructed memorials
in Vicksburg. Several items about the Illinois State
memorial are interesting. The memorial was dedicated on
October 26, 1906 and was transferred to the United
States by Governor C. S. Deneen. Governor Deneen also
accepted the Robert Burns Monument in Garfield Park in
1906. The monument stands sixty two feet in height and
has forty-seven steps in the long stairway, one for each
day of the Siege of Vicksburg. Inside are sixty unique
bronze tables that name all 36,325 Illinois soldiers who
participated in the siege. The portico features a golden
one-ton bronze eagle which was cleaned and re-gilded in
gold leaf in 1996. Private funding for the
re-gilding was provided by the Civil War Roundtables
from the greater Chicago area.
The memorial and its base of Stone Mountain (GA)
granite was erected by the Culver Construction Company
with William B. Mundie contracting the designers and
sculptors. The design was by W.L.B. Jenney, and the
sculptor was Charles J. Mulligan. William Mundie, as
most of our readers know, was the architect for the
Scottish Home in 1910 and again in 1917. Many of the
older trees on our property were planted as the result
of a fund-raising effort conducted by William Mundie.
Sadly, Mundie and his wife are buried at Rosehill in
what appears to be an unmarked grave.
Newspaper Advertisement
The Chicago Daily Tribune on November 4, 1910,
contained the following advertisement:
“There are
places where and times when a man hasn’t the chance to
finish a Robert Burns 10¢ Cigar and must throw away his
half-smoked cigar. Therefore, the Little Bobbie 5¢
Cigar. Exactly the same as his ‘father’ only half the
size, so one half the price. Keep a box of both at hand.
There’s no difference except in the savings. Same
tobacco - same workmanship - same mildness - same aroma
- same dealers sell both.
Best & Russell Co.
Chicago, Illinois
Greetings on St. Andrew’s Day
Colonel Walter Scott of New York, wired the
following: “Fraternal greetings to all assembled under
your auspices tonight. Once more the offspring of dear
Auld Scotia gather to observe Saint Andrew’s Day. Once
more we proclaim our pride in the bonnie little land of
song and romance and our love of its traditions and
ideals. Once more we realize the glorious heritage it
has bestowed upon us, and in so doing aspire to loftier
standards which make us worthier citizens of the land of
our adoption. And amid our peace and plenty, let us
remember our Saint Andrew motto, ‘Relieve the
Distressed,’ and do all in our power to minister to the
dire need of our kith and kin in the land beyond the
seas who are still suffering from the effects of the
part they played in the great struggle.” Saint Andrew’s
Day, November 30, 1922.
NOTE: This year, St.
Andrew’s Day will be celebrated with a great banquet in
the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier on November 23, 2002.
Full details are on the web site at
www.chicago-scots.org. You may also call 708.447.5092.
From The Editor
Last spring, Representative William O’Connor
introduced a bill in the Illinois House of
Representatives to adopt a State tartan. The bill was
overwhelmingly approved in the House and sent on to the
Senate. Unfortunately, the Illinois Senate considered
the bill as frivolous and it was never introduced for a
vote. This means that the process must start over again.
If anyone is interested in working on this project,
please give us a call. I believe that more than 30
states have now adopted a tartan and Illinois should do
the same.
If you look on page 118 of
The
Scots of Chicago, you will see a picture of a young
child playing the drums. That child is now grown but
continues to play the drums in a local pipe band. Ian
Baker is also interested in the 12th Illinois Volunteer
Infantry and is looking for individuals to reenact the
American Civil War. His e-mail address is sidedrum@ivillage.com.
We are now completing almost seven years of the
History Club Newsletter and we are trying to assess its
value to the local Scottish-American Community. The cost
of postage has continued to rise and mailing
requirements have added to the cost. My age is also
playing a factor. It has been very enjoyable to collect
these stories, but it may be time to stop. Your comments
are very much appreciated.
Be sure to read
America’s Founding Secret—What the Scottish
Enlightenment Taught our Founding Fathers, by
Robert Galvin, retired CEO of Motorola.
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