Coastal Scottish Heritage Society

09/16/2026

09/15/2026

Scots having fun!

The grannies will be ready at secret locations on their Irn-Bru mobility scooters, complete with blue flame racing stripes.

08/08/2026

Deep in the pinewoods of the Highlands lives a creature so rare and so fierce that most Scots will never see one in the wild. 🐾

It is the Scottish wildcat, and the old Highlanders gave it a name that fits, the Highland tiger. At a glance it can look like a large tabby, but it is nothing of the sort. It is a true wild animal, heavier and more powerfully built, with a thick blunt ended tail ringed in black and a temperament that has never once been tamed. There are old accounts of wildcats fighting off dogs and standing their ground against men, utterly without fear.

For thousands of years it has been part of the Scottish story. Several clans took the wildcat as their emblem, among them Clan Chattan, the great confederation whose very name comes from the cat, and Clan Macpherson, whose motto Touch not the cat bot a glove warns that this is a creature best not handled carelessly. To our ancestors the wildcat stood for exactly the qualities they prized, courage, independence, and a refusal to be broken. 🌲

Today that pride carries a heavy sorrow. The Scottish wildcat is now one of the most endangered animals in Britain, its numbers cut to a perilous few by loss of forest and by breeding with domestic cats, which blurs the pure wild bloodline. Conservationists are working hard to save it, breeding wildcats and returning them to protected glens, fighting to keep the Highland tiger from slipping away entirely.

There is something deeply Scottish about that struggle, the determination to hold on to something wild and true against long odds. The wildcat asks nothing of us but space and wildness, the same rough freedom our ancestors knew.

May it prowl the pinewoods for a thousand years yet, fierce and free, the untamed heart of the Highlands still beating in the trees. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

08/07/2026

Thank you Trinka for sharing this ….

07/07/2026

To all our Scottish Family,

It is with deep sadness and a great sense of personal loss that I have to report to you the passing of our dear friend and Founding Member Hester McDonald on July 1st.

Hester is preceded in death by her husband, James Alexander McDonald, who passed away in 2019 after 50 years of marriage.

Hester and Jim were founding members of Coastal Scottish Heritage Society in 1979 and for years they hosted New Year's Eve at their home, walking to the corner (to the bagpipes when available) and singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at midnight.

Hester was a very active member of our Society since the founding in 1979, and most recently served for several years as a Board Member, where she gave us the great benefit of her experience in the Savannah Scottish community.

Last year at our Annual General Meeting we presented her with a Certificate of Appreciation to recognize her for her decades of service and declared her to be a Board Member Emerita.

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with her family and many friends who will greatly miss her.

Visitation will be at Baker McCullough Funeral Home on Monday, July 20 at 1:00 pm. A memorial service will follow at 2 pm.

Bydand

07/07/2026

The Bloody Marsh site marks the last Spanish threat to the British colony of Georgia. For nearly 100 years, England and Spain claimed the "disputed" land of Georgia. On July 7, 1742, decisive British victories at Gully Hole Creek and Bloody Marsh ended these claims.

In June of 1742, a Spanish armada sailed north from Saint Augustine to invade the English colonies in hopes of taking lands that they considered theirs. Spanish commander Manuel de Montiano, the governor of Florida, hoped to destroy Frederica and lay waste to the coast as far north as South Carolina. On the morning of July 7, 1742, the Spanish suffered a defeat near Fort Frederica at Gully Hole Creek. That afternoon, Spanish reinforcements hoped to approach along the Military Road toward the fort but were met with an ambush. Scottish Highlanders (British), hidden in the woods along the marsh, opened fire. The battle was decisive and short-lived. Legend has it that the marsh ran red with blood as the British muskets routed the Spanish force.

07/05/2026

This morning, July 4, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., the descendants of American Patriots who fought and won their freedom from Great Britain gathered at Savannah, Georgia’s Colonial Cemetery at the grave of Button Gwinnett to celebrate America250th birthday. The celebration is held every year at the gravesite of Button Gwinnett, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence. This year was particularly meaningful. The Savannah Chapter of NSDAR hosted the event this year. Georgia State Society, Georgia State Society NSDAR

Various members of Coastal Scottish Heritage Society were involved and attended this event. David C played the Scottish bagpipes to accompany the Scottish American Military Society, Post 7, as it posted the Colors. The Scottish American Military Society (SAMS) was founded as a veterans' organization with the membership composed primarily of veterans of Scottish ancestry who have served, or are serving in the Armed Forces of the United States and the Commonwealth. David and Chuck represented the Savannah Pipes and Drums.

The Lachlan McIntosh Chapter of the NSDAR, then led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. The Bonaventure Chapter of the NSDAR, led the attendees in the recitation of the American Creed. The NSDAR Chapters referenced above, along with the Georgia Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the State of Georgia (the SOR), the Edward Telfair Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (the SAR), and the Children of the American Revolution (the CAR), dedicated wreaths in honor and memory of our American Patriot forbears at the grave of Button Gwinnett. To conclude the ceremony, a member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and member of the Bonaventure Chapter, gave the Benediction.

Source: David D, James E and Kathy B

07/04/2026

Happy 250th Anniversary America! 🇺🇸

07/03/2026

To all our Scottish Family,

It is with great sadness that I have to report to you the loss of our friend Lyn Little McCuen July 01, 1959 - June 24, 2026. She was a daughter of Pat and Sally Little, two of the founding members of Coastal Scottish Heritage Society.

Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Wip, Kristen, Mac, Laura, David, and all the rest of their family.

A link to her obituary is below.

Visitation will be held at Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors, Hodgson Memorial Chapel, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. A graveside service will be held at Bonaventure Cemetery on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, Lyn requested that memorial donations be made to Abilities Unlimited, Breast Cancer Research, Nurse Navigators, or a charity of your choice.

Bydand

View Lyn "Honey" McCuen's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.