Edinburgh & America Tour
There are many links between Scotland’s capital city and the United States of America. This dynamic walking tour will explore a dozen or so of them. The tour has been developed by Graeme Cruickshank of Edinburgh Historical Enterprises and is based to an extent on The Star-Spangled Guide to Edinburgh (1989), by an American and former Edinburgh resident, Phillip Whidden.
 | Andrew Carnegie Memorial Bust, inside the Edinburgh Central Library Andrew Carnegie was a Scots-born American industrialist who earned a fortune as a steel magnate, then gave much of it away in acts of beneficence. He hailed from Dunfermline, though his mother and both of his maternal grandparents were Edinburgh folk. More… |
 | Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Plaque, inside St Giles’ Cathedral The most important American link in the life of Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS) occurred while he was visiting France in 1876, for it was there that he met an American art student, Fanny Osborne. More… |
 | Carrubber’s Close This was a place of secret episcopal worship, with a particular American connection. During much of the 17th century, Stewart kings attempted to force episcopacy upon a population committed to Presbyterianism, and the eventual victory of the latter cause in 1690 left Episcopalians in a vulnerable position. More… |
 | New Carrubber’s Close Mission Dwight Moody preached at the laying of the foundation stone in 1883, and less than one year later, he delivered the first evangelical sermon in the new Mission. More… |
 | Netherbow Wellhead Edinburgh is immensely fortunate in having preserved, to a greater extent than any other street in Europe, the core of the medieval burgh. It is nowhere better seen than here, at the head of the Netherbow. More… |
 | Emancipation Monument in the Old Calton Cemetery The interactive statuary depicts Abraham Lincoln, a representative Slave, and the concept of Emancipation. More… |
 | David Hume Mausoleum in the Old Calton Cemetery Having made the effort to get here, notice the grand resting-place of Scotland’s greatest philosopher, David Hume, who was a close acquaintance of one of America’s major figures of the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin. More… |
 | ‘The Death of a Stag’ at the National Gallery of Scotland This is the largest painting in Scotland, and it is by an American artist. The full title is ‘Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by the Intrepidity of Colin Fitzgerald.’ More… |
 | Scottish American Memorial ‘The Call, 1914’ in Princes Street Gardens West This monument is a tribute from men and women of Scottish descent and sympathies in the United States of America to the Scottish effort and sacrifice in the Great War. It was designed and produced in the USA. More… |
 | Edinburgh Castle Viewing Point Glance up at Edinburgh Castle on its rocky perch and remember that this was where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to a son in 1566. More… |
 | Alexander Graham Bell’s Birthplace As the plaque beside the entrance explains, this is the birthplace of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. He left Edinburgh in 1870 when he was 23 years of age, settling first in Canada and then in the United States. More… |
 | Reflection Point Walk to the intersection with Princes Street at the end of the block and consider the words of two notable American writers as they expressed their feelings of deep affection for the city of Edinburgh. More… |