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History of the House of Scotland
Bagpipe bands entered the picture in 1938, when the Canadian Legion, (the Canadian counterpart of the American Legion, made up of Canadian veterans of World War I) mustered enough local pipers to start the "Canadian Legion Pipe Band," under the direction of Pipe Major Norm Raleigh. The members included John Rosenberger, Archie McKellar (hailing from the small Scottish Highland town of Ballachulish), Stewart Cruickshank, John Doig (a popular piper for many years who hailed originally from Glasgow), Charles Wilson, "Duckie" Holmes, Archie Trunbull (a piper from Glasgow who became the House of Scotland president in 1950), and James Eaton. The Legion had a meeting hall by the old park trolley station. It was across Park Boulevard from the East end of the Prado, where the beautiful Balboa Rose Gardens are now. The band held its practices in both of the corner buildings at the West end of the Prado. The building on the southwest corner was, for several years, the home of the small Museum of Modern Art. It was demolished in 1995 and its replacement was completed in 1996. The Spanish style building on the northwest corner was destroyed in the 1960's and is now the site of the San Diego Museum of Art's Sculpture Garden Cafe.
World War II saw a scarcity of pipers who were not called to duty. The House of Scotland itself was closed, along with all the other international cottages. The U.S. Navy took control of all of Balboa Park to train seamen. The cottages were used to house officers who were assigned to Balboa Navy Hospital across Park Boulevard. The entire park was a busy scene of sailors being marched about, to and from their training classes. Although the park and the cottages were off-limits, the House of Scotland, as well as the membership of many of the other cottages, kept up their regular meetings at members' homes.
When the war ended, the boys came home, and the Canadian Legion Band was started up again, but the Canadian Legion Post was suffering from a membership decline and would not last much longer. As the Legion organization was dismantled, an energetic band member, just out of the Army and bearing the very un-Scottish name of John Rosenberger decided to form another band. Although his name was German, John had a lot of Scots ancestry, especially on his father's side. He was Bandmaster for Helix High School's pipe band and a veteran of Army combat service in the European Theater. With the help of his father, Karl, and accomplished piper from whom John had learned to play, he got to work. He enlisted the help of friend Herb Fuller, who had just spent the war in combat in the South Pacific, and they talked others into joining them, including Stuart Cruickshank, Archie McKeller, John Doig, (whose daughter, Margaret, became a very popular and accomplished local Scottish dancer in the 1950's) John Guthrie and Charles Wilson. They formed their new band in 1946, under the expert direction of Charles Rosenberger. It was christened simply the "San Diego Pipe Band."
Obtaining new sponsorship patronage from the Cameron Clan Association two years later, they changed their name to the "Cameron Highlanders Pipe Band." The "Cameron Highlanders" rose Phoenix-like from the ashes of the Canadian Legion Band to become the most preeminent pipe band south of Los Angeles, where the "L.A. Scots" reigned supreme. The Camerons challenged and triumphed over tough competition to earn a high ranking throughout the State. They began holding their practice sessions behind the Spreckles Organ Pavilion, since the Navy still had hold on most of Balboa Park following the war. As Navy control relaxed, they began regular practice sessions in the original Electric Building, and then the Food and Beverage Building. The Electric Building was usually empty except when it was used for events like the annual "Home Show" or the Junior League rummage Sale. Years later, it housed the original Aerospace Museum, and was later burned to the ground by an arsonist. The building has since been completely rebuilt and is now home to the San Diego Historical Society, the San Diego History Museum, the Model Railroad Association and the Hall of Champions. The Food and Beverage Building, which was right across the street, was another empty hall which saw many a practice session for the Cameron Band and their Scottish dance group. It fell victim to decay and it too was rebuilt. It is now the Prado Building.
In 1949, a lady whose name is, to this day, synonymous with Scottish Highland Dancing, Beth Sutorious, began promoting the art in San Diego with great relish. She was the first teacher of Scottish dance here, with her famous Highland Dancing Association. Her dance academy flourished. Countless youngsters learned the beautiful and spirited dances from her, and many became very accomplished and won innumerable trophies and awards for their talent. Beth is still an honored member of the House of Scotland.
Although he did not become a member of the House of Scotland until 1953, whenever the "Scottish Cottage" needed a piper during the late 1940's, they would religiously call upon the fine talent of Pipe Major John Rosenberger. By the early 1950's membership in the House of Scotland began to seriously wane. "Pearce" Milligan, his wife Catherine, and a friend Elizabeth Buchan, who had been president of the cottage in 1948 and 1949, had to hold the cottage together by themselves. They worked hard, opening every Sunday, as the House of Pacific Relations threatened them constantly with eviction, or having to share the cottage with another country.
In 1953, after so many years running the cottage had just become too much. The responsibility of running the cottage now became the responsibility of the Cameron Clan and their "Cameron Highlanders." The Camerons moved in to run the cottage, and John Rosenberger became the temporary president in addition to all of his other responsibilities. The Camerons proceeded to improve the cottage, installing new carpeting, new drapes, and a piano donated by George Scott, owner of the Walker-Scott Department Store at 5th and Broadway. The same year, the Mayor declared an annual "Scottish Week" with the festivities beginning with a House of Scotland lawn program on the last weekend in October, and ending the following weekend with the Camerons' "Tartan Ball" at the landmark El Cortez Hotel. Mr. Scott convinced other prominent merchants into participating in the celebration, and all during the week pipers and Scottish dancers entertained the public at Walker-Scott and the J.C. Penney in North Park, as well other stores. All of the stores decorated their store windows with Tartan and Scottish-theme displays. A big event of pipe band music and highland dancing was presented in the Electric building by the Cameron Highlanders and their junior group the Cameron Cadets. Rosenberger's Helix High School pipers, the "Helix Highlanders" and Beth Sutorious' San Diego Highland Dancing Association also performed. The Scottish Week was a popular annual event in San Diego for the next ten years.
One year the Cameron Highlanders made a notable presence in a fine production of the popular musical, Brigadoon, at the Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park.
After Rosenberger's six months as interim president, John Anderson, a former Glaswegian who worked as a chauffeur in La Jolla, was elected president of the House of Scotland. He was followed in 1955 and 1956 by Kenneth MacKenzie, an engineer who was instrumental in the development and testing of a bathysphere, a deep sea observation chamber. In 1957 Mrs. Averill Robinson, who worked a great deal with the San Diego Highland Games, was elected the second woman president in the cottage's history.
In the early 1950's, a tall Scot named John Haywood began dreaming of the promise of America, and a new life. The son of a career Army Officer in Edinburgh, he had enlisted as a lad into the "Boy's Service" to fulfill his military obligation and to learn a trade. By the age of 18 he was not only a topnotch piper, but a feature performer of the "Highland Fling." His father had been Pipe Major of the Seaforth Highlanders, a celebrated Scottish Highland Regiment of Her Majesty's Army. John himself had followed his father into that great regiment, and proudly wore his Seaforth badge the rest of his life. John and his wife Jessie emigrated to San Diego to begin a new life. After arriving in the United States, John secured a job as a teller at the First National Bank. They joined the House of Scotland and John also joined the Cameron Highlanders. John had strong feelings about what he considered too democratic a situation in the Camerons. The Cameron leadership treated all their members equally, but John didn't believe that those members who were under the age of 16 should be allowed to vote. A dispute developed and Haywood and Fuller left the band in 1953, the same year the Cameron Clan took over the reins of the House of Scotland. They formed their own group, known as The Gaelic Society Pipe Band.
Old-timers recall the early years when there was a pond where the cement stage in the cottage green now stands. Every Sunday at least one adventurous child had to be fished out of the pond by his parents, much to the entertainment of the other visitors. There was a removable wooden stage which was set up on Sundays, in front of the House of France. The pond was filled in about 1954, and the present permanent stage was constructed on the site.
During the 1950's the House of Scotland participated in the House of Pacific Relations annual Fall Festival, and in the annual observance of the United Nations Week, which was highlighted by a big International Show staged at the Spreckles Organ Pavilion.