INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM
INTERVIEW WITH: Colonel Arren Calvin Buchanan, Jr.
INTERVIEWER: Jim Sweeney
DATE: January 19, 1985 PLACE: Air Force Village, San Antonio, Texas
TITLE: The Scots in Texas
Clan Buchanan (Society in America, Inc.)
[Music is playing at the beginning of the tape: bagpipes.)
S: Colonel Buchanan, I understand you are of Scottish descent and also a third generation Texan. Now that's quite a combination. Would you mind telling us a little bit about that?
B: Yes, I'll be happy to, Jim.
My great-grandfather, James Buchanan of Alabama,
came with Stephen F. Austin's fifth colony, 1835, to what
became Washington-on-the-Brazos. He was a farmer and built a
log cabin down in Montgomery County. And he then was drafted
into the Texas Army with General Sam Houston; and was
subsequently killed in the Battle of the Alamo. And you
will find his name, James Buchanan, of Alabama, on the
north wall of the Alamo.
His widow was given a grant of l a nd in 1844 by the
Republic of Texas; and the grant was signed by Presiden t
Sam Houston. My father was born on this grant of land,
below Caldwe ll, in 1862, the son of James Houston Buchanan, BUCHANAN 2 B: the grandson of James Buchanan.
So, therefore, we have roots that go back into early
Texas history. Many of the Stephen F. Austin's colonists, as you see this was the fifth colony, were Scottish that carne across from the Ea st Coast.
Another important colony which should be mentioned is
the Sterling C. Robertson colony that colonized central Texas
in the lS40's, also, with a grant from the Republic of Texas,
which extended for nearly 200 miles. And, eventually, 33
counties of Texas carne from the Robertson grant; of these
22 are of Scottish names. So a large proportion of the
Sterling Robertson colonists in the lS40's were of Scottish
descent: such as, Bell County, McLennan County
extending way on up into North Texas.
My grandfather, James Houston Buchanan, born lS36,
lived through and actually fought in the Civil War in the
Battle of Galveston . My own father , born in lS62, c arne
to central Texas from Caldwell when he was lS years of age ,
when the founding of Temp le, in Bell County, first occurred, lSSO-Sl, when the Santa Fe Railroad (and subsequently the M.K. and T. Railroad) carne through Temple.
My mother, Pearl Pace Buchanan, was born there on
the land, north of Temple; and , subsequently, married my
father there.
Do you have some other questions about the
Scottish activities, Jim? BUCHANAN 3 S: Yes, Colonel, I'd like to know and have heard rumors, maybe you can confirm it to me, about the masons who built
the State Capitol , the Texas State Capitol, were Scottish masons?
B: Yes, that's true, Jim. We think of so many other Scottish activities; early Texas artistry . Many were silver
smiths, doctors and lawyers, who helped to write the Constitution
and Declaration of Independence for Texas .
The State Capitol itself was built by Scottish stone
mason s , imported from Aberdeen , Scotland, t o build the Capitol
of Texas with red granite from Marble Falls, Texas. The
97-odd Scottish stone masons actually built it with such
precision to a fraction of an inch that it is still standing
today in perfect condition, nearly 100 years old .
S: What sort of stone i s that that was used?
B: The red granite was particularly located at Marble Falls,
Texas, which is fairly close to Austin; so that it did not have
to be brought l ong distances before all the railroads were
completed in the area. The stone masons were well known for
cuting stone and granite near Aberdeen, Scotland.
S: Well, did t hey actually cut the stone that was used in the
building?
B: Yes, they actually cut the stone out of the native rock and granite near Marble Falls , Texas; close to Austin.
S: And were any of the Buchanans involved in that work?
B: Not that I am aware of ; there may well be because there
were many other f amilies that had come in that we are not BUCHANAN 4 B: directly related to. The other Buchanans o f Bryan, of Dallas, allover the State. S: Have you , your family, the Buchanans--I gather from what you say, you mentioned the Alamo, that each generation had
contributed a person to the military forces. Am I right in that? B: My father, born in 1862, was too young for the Civil War;
and he was too old for World War I and II. However , my older
brother, David Houston Buchanan, was in the Navy in World War I;
and I originally volunteeered in 1942 for the Medical Corps
in World War II. And then serve d some 28 years active in
three wars.
S: Now, in so far as the Scottish people are concerned now,
you are active in their Societies, is that correct?
B: Yes. I had grown up with the Buchanan Tartan on the sofa
in my home as a youngster in Temple, Texas ; my mother and father
had gone to Scotland on their honeymoon in 1914. And they had
come back from Paris on the last ship out before World War I
ended Trans-Atlantic Passenger Service.
Before I retired from the military, I was stationed in
Fort Lee, Virginia, and became quite active with the new
Clan Buchanan Society in the United States, which had been
formed in 1970, approximately , at Grandfather Mountain,
Highland Games near Linville, North Carolina.
On going to the games there each July, I subsequently
became President of the Clan Buchanan Society in America;
because we had Canadian and other nationality Scots that
desired to belong to our Society. BUCHANAN 5 S: Is the Clan Buchanan Society very large?
B: At that time there were just ten or twelve original members and now there are over four hundred family members throughout the entire United States, including both Coasts. They are represented in various Scottish Games : over eighteen Highland Games are sponsored by the Clan Buchanan Society in
America.
S: Well now, you say Clan Buchanan, exactly, what is a
Clan here in the United States? Could you explain that?
B: The Clans are designated as Societies in the United
States rather than the formal Clans of Scotland. Since we are
a social organizatian __ eBtirely , without actually owning lands
per se for the Clan Buchanan Society. The Clan Donald is
p r obably the largest Clan Society and one of the earliest
formed in the United States. The Clan Campbell is also
probably the second largest and oldest formed in the United
States. These may have their hereditary Chieftains as guests at the larger games such as Grandf ather Mountain in North
Carolina; there are usually over 150 of the Clan Donald,
over 100 of the Clan Campbell, and more recently the Clan
Buchanan has become the third largest representative with
a 100 registered at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games.
Incidentally, Grandfather Mountain is not the oldest
Scottish Games in the U.S.A.; but it is probably the largest
on an annual basis of approximately 65,000 Scots attending
(about 110 Clan Societies and other Scottish Organizations
are circling the meadow) . BUCHANAN 6 B: The oldest Games held are at Santa Rosa, California, where there have been 125 uninterrupted annual Games: they have approximately 15 t o 20,000 from the San Francisco area,
Clan Buchanan Society is represented there in Clan tent (30 clan tents). S: Do you have any ideas as to how many true Scotsman there are in the United States?
B: There are probably many more than are in Scotland.
S : Is that right?
B: Because of the migration of Scots after the Battle of
Culloden in the mid-1700's, and the loss of property and the migration to Northern I reland , colonists came to America , to
Panama, to New Zealand , and allover the world . But, yes , there ar1probab1Y several million of Scottish descent here , more than are in Scotland today.
S: The national meeting you mentioned in Grandfather
Mountain, is that held in that location every year?
B: Yes, this will be the thirtieth year, annually, the
second weekend of July each year at the same place above
Linville, North Carolina, near Boone, North Carolina; the
mountains there are known as Grandfather Mountain National
Park.
S: Why has that particular location been selected?
B: That is probably the area or greatest a ggregation of
Scottish descent anywhere because the country side is like
the Highlands of Scotland. Coming from the coast of Virginia
and the Carolinas, there are more Scots who display the BUCHANAN 7 B: arts and artistry of Scotland. S: Well now, you mentioned Santa Rosa Highland Games in
California, and you have also mentioned Grandfather Mountain
Highland Games in North Carolina.
B: Yes. S: So there are two separate, different ..
B: Highland Games?
S: .. National. . Highland Games?
B: No. Highland Games are held allover the U.S.A. by
local/regional Scottish Societies sponsorship.
S: Highland Games. Now, do you have an international
championship as, for instance, do the champs of the Grandfather
Mountain go to some one spot to meet the Santa Rosa champs
in a final .?
B: Not per se, but many of the champion athletes of these
athletic events--will compete in games in Aberdeen, Scotland.
It is one of the most famous ones, but there are several games
throughout Scotland in which they will compete.. Particularly,
not only athletic events, but the pipers that go to Scotland
to compete. One of our own here in Texas had won a gold medal
just last year in Scotland.
S: Now you are talang about Clan Buchanan, a piper of
the Clan Buchanan?
B: I certainly am.
S: Uh huh.
(TAPE SHUT OFF) BUCHANAN 8 B: Michael Cusack o f Houston, whose mother is a Buchanan; wears the Buchanan Tartan at all our Scottish events, has been playing the pipes here in the States at least fifteen years because he piped for us at our Salado Garnes fifteen years ago.
Michael had studied the pipes in Edinburgh and Glasgow for years; and is now teaching piping and drilling the pipe band
at St. Thomas Episcopal School in Houston. This year he
competed, as a Buchanan, in the National Piping Contest in
Scotland and carne back with a gold medal. We are very proud
of our Michael Cusack.
S: You're talking about the National Competitrion, this is
in Aberdeen, Scotland, am I correct?
B: Well, there are other games in Scotland, too.
S: But, for instance , does your Clan or any of the
Clan Societies here in America contribute to Scotland directly?
Do you send them money? Or do you have scholarships for them?
B: Yes, there are scholarships which are sponsored by
several of the Clan Soci e ties , particularly those who wish
to study at Edinburgh University, and also study the piping
here and at Ba nner Elk College in North Carolina.
Let's see John Yo uel , Dr. John Youel, is a piper.
And his son is taking Scottish drumming each year at
Grandfather Mountain. They go for two weeks training before
the Garnes.
S: Well, now, Scotland has , I think, one of the finest
railroad systems in the world. Did they contribute anything
to the building of the American railroads? Over here? BUCHANAN 9 B: They certainly have. S: Could you tell us about that?
B: Well, not spe cifically, e xcept that they were the ha rdiest workmen in building the transcontinenta l r a ilroads throughout the United States, with the various railroad companies. I can't give you specifics other than that they were a large part of the railroad gangs in building the track lines. S: Did they contribute to the railroads in Texas? Railroads here in Texas were , of course , as we both know , very important, the development of them. Did they , say the Clan Buchanan, have any input in the development of the Texan railroads?
B: I can 't give you any specifics on that , except that some of the land was developed by the railroad companies from grants i n order to build the State Capitol, and helped to finance the building of railroads, throughout the State in much larger proportion than they could have financed otherwise . S : What? When they? As the various and sundry cla ns
developed, and I am talking specifically of Texa s, what did they ge t into? Were they f armers? Or , strictly stone masons? Or silver artisans? Or , specifically, what sort of work did they find themselves best suited f or?
B: I think you ' ll find that they added greatly to the culture; as you mentioned, in silverwork. But they were also
scholars who came as physicians. Some of our early physicians
were famous Scots, trained in Edinburgh . Many of them, also,
helped to establish Baylor Un iversity, which was originally BUCHANAN 10 B: down at old Washington (on-the-Brazos) and came up, subsequently, to Waco. Other university professors, many of them had their degrees from the University of Edinburgh. So
I would say that they contributed a great deal. And, also, in the musical line: the Scottish fiddlers and the early dancing of the reels from Virginia were originally from the
Scottish Country Dance.
S: They, of course, are famous for the bagpipe. Can you tell me how the bagpipe got started wiht the Scottish people?
Why did it become so endearing to the Scottish people?
B: Well, the bagpipe has a very ancient history. If you want to trace it back to the very rudimentary, bagpipe instru ments were back in Roman times. But more directly, it came through Ireland. You'll find many bagpipes in Ireland today.
Also, in a part of France: Brittany has a bagpipe that is quite similar to the Scottish bagpipes. But after the founding of Christianity, in ScotlaBd, which came over with St. Columbo
in say the third or fourth century/the bagpipes came over from
Ireland but were adapted more to the Scottish locale. They were used not only as acmeans of entertainment but of dancing
and then adapted to their culture of warlike activities , either
among themselves or against the English.
So "Ladies from Hell", kilted Scottish Regiments, became
famous for their bagpipes and their charges in World War I
and World War II. BUCHANAN 11 S: Well now , one other thing that to my mind, and I'm a
stranger, I've been to Scotland, but a stranger to the real
Scottish people, the heart of themi they are also famous for
Scotch Whisky. Now can you tell me why it is that Scotch
Whisky became so famous and is still so famous? B: Well, Scotch Whisky, I suppose, is special because of
the particular type of hops and basic materials that are grown
in Scotland that have their very distinctive flavor. And not
only do they have the various types of Scottish Whisky, but
they have the single malt which has become very famous
throughout the world in one type or another, such as Glen Fiddich.
But there are many others that are excellent.
So that, actually, that has become standard drinking
whisky, if you wish to put i-t that way, throughout the world.
In many areas, you ask for whisky, nothing but Scotch is even
known.
Bourbon originated in the United States, as a corn whisky;
and this is entirely different from the Scottish whisky.
S: Well, now, is--are there any distilleries or points of
production that the Scotch have been able to produce Scotch
Whisky here in Texas , for instance?
B: No, you could not call that a Scotch Whisky to my
knowledge. I don't know if they were ever able to actually
simulate . And they could not call it Scotch Whisky here. S: wel~ow, you, yourself, this is coming to you personally, you are, I believe, Air Force Retired, is that
correct? BUCHANAN 12
B: No , U. S . Army Retired Medical Corps .
S: U. S. Army Retired. Well now , where are you from in
Texas at the moment?
B: Well, at the moment I have retired in Ft. Worth, Texas.
And retired a second time from working with the State of Texas.
But I originally carne from Temple, Texas , i n central Texas , which i s about half way between Austin and Dallas .
S: You were in what units? Were any of the units Texas units? And I was thinking . . B: I was very closely associated in World War II in Italy .
I was with a Me dica l Center in Naples ; the 36th Texas
National Guard Division was just above and we had hundreds
of the wounded corne through my hospital from bitter fighting
at the Ra pido River below Cassino.
Subsequently, with the 94th Evacuation Hospital a bove
Rome , here we were very closely associated during months of
fighting at the Gothi c Line above Florence , Italy . We also
were closely associ ated with the Scots of the 8th Army , the
British Army , in Italy , as well as the Texas 36th Division.
S: Could you t ell us a little bit about your medical
studies: how you became a doctor? Was it here in Texas
tha t you went to school ?
B: Well , I had both pre- medical wo rk at the University of
Texas and Baylor University. And my first two years of medical
stu dies were at the University of Texas Medical Branch in
Galveston ; and subsequently , my clinical work at the
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in BUCHANAN 13
B: New York City . After two years at Br ooklyn Hospital ,
I pract iced on Long Island before Wor l d War II .
S : Well , do you have a specialty?
B: For twenty- five years I was a Ge neral Surgeon , t r ained a t Brooke General Hospital in San Antonio , with a four- year
Masters Degree in Gener a l Su rgery from the Baylor Graduate
School. S: And you have a fami ly?
B: Yes .
S: Tell us about your family .
B: My first wife sub sequen tly d i ed but we had two children:
the oldest , a girl , Marilyn , is now 37 years of age with
four children : two girl s and two boys. One i s James
Buchanan Hinkle . I a l so have a son who is 33 years o l d , and
after his military service , has two Masters Degr ees in Hospital
and Public Administration . He has a son , David Houston
Buchanan II . Three Arren Calvin Buchanans were sufficient
for the State of Texas . With our full encouragement , he named
his son after my older brother , David Houston Buchanan, deceased.
S : Now they are all in the Texas area?
B: My daughter and her four children-- family--l i ve in
Houston where she works as a vocational nurse .
My s on is a h ospital administrator with National Medical
Enterprises , Inc. , based in New Orleans , currently working
in Corpus Christi, Texas. He will be moving there as
Administrator (CEO ) Physicians and Surgeons General Hospital ,
bringing his wife a nd son, April 1 , 1985, to live in BUCHANAN 14
B: Corpus Christi. S: So you can claim that your family started here in the
State of Texas and you are continuing to put your roots even deeper into the State of Texas by your progeny. Isn ' t that correct? B: That's entirely correct .
As my father used to say, if you spend three years in
Texas, you'll never leave it. And so many who came here in
the military have come back to live in Texas.
S: Yes , there are a large number of military retirees
here in the State of Texas that we know; but I certainly
appreciate your giving this run-down on the Scottish people
and yourself; your own family; your accompishments since
the days of the Alamo . That's a long time ago and a very
basic stone , you might say , upon which all of Texas history
is seemingly built!
So , thank you, Sir , for the very interesting program.
B: Well, thank you , Jim, it ' s been a pleasure talking
with you about Texas.
END OF TAPE I
Side I approximately 30 minutes