The pipes aren't calling

The number of residents here who claim Scottish heritage has fallen by about 25 percent in the past 10 years. But it's far from Scot-free.

By LEON M. TUCKER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 3, 2002

DUNEDIN -- There's not all that much plaid running through Dunedin's veins.

The latest U.S. Census figures show the number of people in this city of 35,926 who claim Scottish heritage has dropped by almost 25 percent since 1990.

In that year, 1,874 people claimed Scottish ancestry. Ten years later, in the 2000 Census, those claiming kin to Scotland had dropped to 1,413.

"That doesn't come as a complete surprise because there are a lot of people coming in from other areas such as South America and Mexico, so I can understand how that would change," said Dunedin Mayor Tom Anderson.

But that doesn't mean the link to Scotland doesn't remain strong.

"I do see just as many people interested in the Scottish activities and attending Scottish events and that doesn't necessarily mean there is a large percentage of Scottish people in the area," said Anderson.

In fact, scores more Dunedin residents claim Germany as the root of their ancestry, with 7,645. But that number, too, is down from 9,278 10 years earlier.

Dunedin's ties to Scotland dated back to 1872 when immigrants John Douglas and James Somerville moved from their native Scotland to a community known as Jonesboro.

Six years later, the two men received authority to operate the first post office there. With that came the right to formally name the city.

They asked that the town be called Dunedin, which is Gaelic for Edinburgh -- a city in Scotland -- instead of Jonesboro. The request was granted, and Jonesboro became Dunedin in 1878.

But according to local historian Vinnie Luisi, the city's regular tributes to kilts, bagpipes and pole tossing are not the result of mass immigration of Scots to Dunedin, but a marketing move by the Chamber of Commerce in the early 1960s.

"They thought it would be a nice concept to capitalize on," said Luisi, who is also director of the Dunedin Historical Museum.

"Then in '64 they started the sister-city relationship with Sterling, Scotland, and during that same period they started the Scottish (Highland) Games," he said.

Nowadays, chamber officials say, the city relies on more than just its Scottish heritage to attract visitors.

"We've got so much to offer and this Scottish heritage is a very important part of it," said Lynn Wargo, president of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. "But it's a part."

This year's 34th annual Dunedin Highland Games featured athletes heaving a 28-pound, lead-filled ball and chain, throwing a 56-pound box weight into the air and swinging a bamboo shaft that weighs 16 pounds.

Scottish heritage also regularly shows up during special city events when members of the Scottish American Society of Dunedin and the Dunedin High School band showcase their piping abilities.

Despite the dwindling Scottish heritage in Dunedin, Sandy Keith, president of the Highland Games and Festival committee, believes it is here to stay.

"I think it was much stronger today than it was then," he said. "The games themselves are much bigger, and the people involved are bigger than it was then because I think there is pride here."

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