2024 Scholarship – Jaclyn Crawford

The Outcome of Preserving History: Delight and Awe 

I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of the scholarship recipients this year. Before I go into my experience in Scotland, I wanted to thank the John Carasik Scholarship Committee, MacDougall McCallum Heritage Foundation, and DunollieCastle for doing work to help preserve history. During my trip to Scotland, I realized how delicate history can be in the modern age and how powerful it can be when we learn from it and preserve it. Thankfully we have heritage foundations like the organizations listed above that help aid in preservation so we can still be fascinated by stories many years later, grow a respect for how people lived in different centuries, and come to understand how the past has molded us. I want to thank again the MacDougall McCallum Heritage Foundation for being so generous in providing a scholarship that gave me the opportunity to visit Scotland, grow in my fascination with history, and discover my ancestorial heritage. 

When my husband and I heard the news that we had an opportunity to go to Scotland, we wanted to see as much as Scotland as possible. We started our trip flying into Edinburgh and being blown away by the beauty of the city. There was much to do such as visiting Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Scotland, and places that gave inspiration to the Harry Potter series.

From Edinburgh we drove to Oban which was our favorite town by far. During the days we spent in Oban, we explored the town, ate fresh seafood every day, and was constantly amazed by the beauty of this town off the coast of Scotland. A majority of the day I had the opportunity to partner with Dunollie Castle. The staff and volunteers of the castle were a breath of fresh air, so hospitable and passionate about their work. The team there has done a great job in collecting, preserving, and organizing history. I was fortunate enough to go through collected historical documents and create blog posts to aid in dissemination of their history. The history and stories that I was able to write about were so fascinating, the reality of being born in a lighthouse, the MacDougall family and their history with a bagpipe school, and a look into sheep farming. When I was not writing blog posts, my husband and I were given an incredible tour of the grounds by Jamie MacGregor, the site’s Heritage Engagement Officer. The tour was rich in the history of Scotland, Oban, and of the clan. It was amazing looking at the castle ruins and imagining what the castle looked like in its prime from the help of Jamie. I am excited to see the castle in the yeas to come because Dunollie is doing outstanding work to bring the castle back to life. The time spent at Dunollie increased my pride and excitement of Scotland. 

From Oban my husband and I visited the Highlands on the Isle of Skye and marveled in Scotland’s diverse landscape and wonders. We finished our trip by roaming through Scotland on our way to London. We were able to stop by the area where my ancestors lived before they immigrated to the United States and visited the Crawford Castle, which has ties to my husband’s side of the family. The Crawford Castle was interesting because with some research, we discovered that the castle was taken over by the British. However, William Wallace helped return the castle back to the Scots. Being able to visit these historical sites where our ancestors have ties to seemed like a once in a lifetime experience and we are so grateful for the opportunity. 

My husband and I had a marvelous time visiting Scotland and we are very grateful for the opportunity to go. We loved getting to know where we came from, falling in love with the culture and scenery, delighting in the food, and learning about the history. I wanted to thank again the John Carasik ScholarshipCommittee, MacDougall McCallum Heritage Foundation, and Dunollie Castle for providing a scholarship and organizing a project where I was able to explore Scotland and engage in historical preservation.