Dunbar’s John Muir Association

Friends of John Muir’s Birthplace

Newsletter No. 3

Convener’s Letter

Dear Friends ,
It has been a fairly miserable summer, weatherwise, and
one outcome was the cancellation of our annual sand castle
competition. We had hoped to schedule a new date but so
far without success. However, indoors, the exhibition in the
Birthplace, ‘An Ingenious Whittler’ is a great success,
telling of John’s early days on the farm when he made
many inventions. The competition running in tandem with
the exhibition seeking inventions using recycled material
still has a few weeks to run.
It is pleasing to note the number of overseas visitors to
the Birthplace continues to increase. Will Collin gives some
statistics inside but it should be remembered that not all
visitors sign the book so that numbers are actually greater
than that shown.
Information on the date of the AGM is given, so please
make a note in your diary. I look forward to seeing many of
you then.
Sincerely,
Jim Thompson
Notice of Annual General Meeting
The next Annual General Meeting of The Friends of John Muir’s
Birthplace will take place on Thursday, 25th October, 2007, at 7:30pm in
John Muir’s Birthplace Museum. Further details, and a copy of the audited
Annual Accounts, will be sent out in an ‘reminder’ several weeks before
the AGM.

Wanted!
Do you have a few hours of spare time a month? Would you like to
support the work of John Muir’s Birthplace?
Friends are looking for someone to take minutes and distribute them
(by email mainly) on a monthly basis. Friends committee meetings are
generally held on the second Thursday of each month from 7.30pm –
9.15pm. If you can help in this way we would be delighted to hear from
you. Please contact Susan Panton c/o John Muir’s Birthplace on 01368
865899

‘Greetings from Dunbar’

An excellent exhibition, put together by David Anderson and others, is
currently running at Dunbar Town House (until 28 October). It looks at
Dunbar as a holiday destination and the early days of postcards. John
Muir’s only visits to Dunbar in 1893 predate picture postcards by a year.
In any case, he always had too much to write about for them to appeal to
him.
John Muir arrived in Dunbar by train on Wednesday 5 July, having
spent the previous two nights in Edinburgh. During his ten days in Dunbar,
he sent four letters to wife Louie and daughters Wanda and Helen. In the
first of these, he wrote, “… now I am a Scotchman and at home again”.
He recounted his meetings with family and friends, his excursions into the
surrounding countryside and even a special trip to Prestonpans to meet
Agnes Purns who had been the only one of his schoolmates who could
outrun him.
Here are some extracts (the full text can be found in ‘The Life and
Letters of John Muir’ by William Badè, available on line – Google search
on John Muir books) :
To Louie, 6 July, “… There was no carriage from the Lorne Hotel
that used to be our home, so I took the one from the St. George, which I
remember well as Cossar's Inn that I passed every day on my way to
school. But I'm going to the Lorne, if for nothing else [than] to take a look
at that dormer window I climbed in my nightgown, to see what kind of an
adventure it really was …” He had gone into the drapery store of Robert
Melville at 159 High Street and “… found that the proprietor was an old
playmate of mine, and he was, of course, delighted to see me. He had been
reading my articles, and said he had taken great pride in tracing my
progress through the far-off wildernesses.”
To Helen, whom he addressed as ‘Midge’, 12 July, “I saw the places
where I used to play … and the school where the teacher used to whip me
so much, though I tried to be good all the time and learn my lessons.” His
letter contained a sketch of the tower on Knockenhair, “… one of the
places I used to play at on Saturdays when there was no school.”
To Louie, 12 July, “I have had a good many rides and walks into the
country among the fine farms and towns and old castles, and had long
talks with people who listen with wonder to the stories of California and
far Alaska … At Haddington I visited Jeanie Welch Carlyle's grave in the
old abbey [Jane Welsh (1801-1866), the wife of essayist Thomas Carlye, is
buried at St Mary’s] … Among other famous places I visited the old castle
of the Bride of Lammermoor [Fast Castle] and the field of the battle of
Dunbar. Besides, I find fine glacial studies everywhere.
To Wanda, 13 July, “… sometimes when it is to-day here it is
yesterday in California on account of being on opposite sides of the round
world … Last evening, after writing to Helen, I took a walk with Maggie
Lunam [his cousin who lived at ‘Westfield’ on Belhaven Road] along the
shore on the rocks where I played when a boy. The waves made a grand
show breaking in sheets and sheaves of foam, and grand songs, the same
old songs they sang to me in my childhood, and I seemed a boy again and
all the long eventful years in America were forgotten while I was filled
with that glorious ocean psalm.”
In his next letter, from Oban, on 22 July, he told Louie that he “…
found a few of the old schoolmates, now gray old men, older-looking, I
think, and grayer than I, though I have led so hard a life”. Muir was 55
years old. He made a further, brief return visit to Dunbar to say farewell to
his cousins and old, gray schoolmates before sailing from Liverpool for
New York on the SS Campania on 16 September.
New York goes wild for John Muir
In April 2007 Jo Moulin, Manager John Muir’s Birthplace, delivered
two lectures in New York as part of the Tartan Week celebrations and
spent five days exploring John Muir’s Wisconsin haunts.
The visit was made possible through funding from Scottish Museums
Council as part of a series of events Journeys from Scotland to America at
New York Historical Society. Jo delivered a lecture in partnership with
the United States National Park Service (USNPS) called The Original
Wild Child and his Legacy alongside Mike Reynolds a USNPS
Superintendent who grew up in Yosemite and was a fourth generation
Yosemite ranger until taking up his current post at Fire Island National
Seashore on the East coast.
The second lecture The Boy from Dunbar - Celebrating John Muir in
his Scottish Birthplace was given at the New York City Park HQ at the
Arsenal Gallery in Central Park. The lecture linked up with a photography
project Famous Scots by Ken Paterson – a series of images inspired by the
works of John Muir. This partnership has been sustained through a series
of events that included a temporary exhibition of Ken’s work and
photography workshops linked to John Muir’s Dunbar for adults and
children (see images at www.jmbt.org.uk in the Live and Learn section as
part of John Muir’s Dunbar).
Jo was shown around Marquette County, Wisconsin (WI) by Erik
Brynildson whose house stands on the site of the original Muir home at
Fountain Lake. They visited Fountain Lake Farm National Historic
Landmark, Muir Memorial Park, Mr & Mrs Kearns the current owners of
Hickory Hill Farm and the church where Daniel Muir preached. Time was
also spent doing research for the current JMB exhibition An Ingenious
Whittler – John Muir the Inventor (on display until 2nd Dec) at the
University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Historical Society and links were
developed with the USNPS at St Croix National Riverway in Northwest
WI.
Opportunities that have arisen as a result of the visit include an
awareness of John Muir’s Birthplace in New York and Wisconsin and a
willingness to develop further links with NYC Parks, USNPS, Fountain
Lake Farm National Historic Landmark and WI Historical Society.
Invitations have also been received to deliver future events as part of
Tartan Week and to speak at the preview of the Anselm Adams exhibition
in Edinburgh in Spring 2008.
Jo Moulin
Tartan Week Event: ‘The Original ‘Wild’ Child and his
Legacy
Before setting off for Tartan Week, Scottish Museum Council
members who were taking part shared their aspirations, experiences, and
views of the event [extracts from the SMC newsletter]:
Why did you get involved with Tartan Week?
The theme ‘Emigration Experience’ ties in perfectly with the work of
John Muir’s Birthplace to continue the legacy of one of Scotland’s famous
sons. John Muir, who was born in Dunbar, East Lothian in 1838, but
emigrated to America with his family just before his eleventh birthday. He
is remembered today as the father of the National Parks movement and a
pioneer of nature conservation.
What challenges have you faced?
As a small organisation with limited resources and no admin support it
has been a challenge to prepare the event in such a short time frame.
However, these challenges are offset by the many benefits.
How do you feel your organisation will benefit from involvement?
It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to include a John Muir event at
Tartan Week under the John Muir’s Birthplace banner, and therefore raise
the organisation’s US profile. We have previously contributed to a John
Muir exhibition delivered by Clan Currie, but this is the first time we will
have a member of staff out in New York for the events. Participation has
also helped develop new skills and make new US contacts. I have had to
produce a lecture with someone from the US National Park Service that I
have yet to meet face to face, which has been a real learning curve. I’m
also making the most of my time in the US by travelling to Wisconsin (the
first place Muir’s family moved to when they arrived in America) to
network and develop new partnerships with organisations there. We are
also using the opportunity to deliver another lecture at the Arsenal Gallery
in Central Park around the photography project ‘Famous Scots’ with Ken
Paterson – a series of images inspired by the works of John Muir.
Are there any other aspects of your experience so far you would feel
it was useful to share with the wider sector?
It has been really interesting developing a lecture and to make it as
engaging as possible. I have included audio elements such as a traditional
ballad from the Muir family, and Muir quotes (read by a local for
authenticity) as part of the lecture to give maximum impact and interest.
Go Wild…with John Muir
In August John Muir’s Birthplace ran it’s first summer activity
programme for teenagers working in partnership with the Dunbar
Churches Youth Worker, Richard Taylor. A weeklong programme was
developed specifically for young people using a hands on approach to help
them discover more about John Muir and Dunbar.

Participants visited some of Muir’s childhood haunts, got their hands

dirty doing conservation work at John Muir Country Park, learnt how to
survive in the wild with the help of Bobby Anderson from the Countryside
Ranger Service and found out more about their local environment. The
programme also included film making workshops and a photography
challenge. You may have seen the group wheeling a life-size manikin of
John Muir around Dunbar as the young people interviewed passers-by to
find out if they had heard of Dunbar’s famous son. The group were
pleasantly surprised by the high percentage of people who could name the
manikin and say something about his legacy.
All the elements of the week are being edited into a film that the group
will use to share their experiences with friends, relatives and fellow pupils
at local schools as part of their work towards a John Muir Award.
 Jo Moulin, John Muir’s Birthplace Manager said, ‘Go Wild has been
such a success that Richard and I have already started bouncing around
ideas for future events. The young people who took part last week are
keen to continue meeting so that they can work towards an Explorer or
Conserver level John Muir Award’.
If you would like to be sent information about the next Go Wild
events for P7 to S4 young people then please contact John Muir’s
Birthplace on 01368 865899 or email info@jmbt.org.uk
Come and see the Go Wild with John Muir film at John Muir’s
Birthplace on Saturday 6th October at 4pm.

Children’s Workshops
Over the summer staff have been running Inventor workshops and
drop-ins. Children and young people have been challenged to make planes
fly, rockets blast-off, instruments sound and also to experiment with sand
and water, make telephones, build bridges and much more!
A big hit with all ages has been the Defy Gravity make-your-own-
marble-run. Competitors are challenged to build the slowest marble run
using the sloping board provided and a choice of recycled materials.
Children often have to prise the marbles from their parents to get a shot!
There is a monthly leader board. Come in and have a try!
The summer workshop Giants in the Woods took place out on the
Glebe where children paced out the dimensions of the widest Redwood,
General Sherman. To follow up they made a mural of a giant redwood and
the creatures that live on and around it.

John Muir Opera Project - ‘The Scootcher Tree’

… Dunbar school children and John Muir save the day! Friend’s of
John Muir’s Birthplace attended the mini opera ‘The Scootcher Tree’ in
the Brunton Theatre in June. The opera was created through a series of
creative workshops run at Dunbar Primary School by the Scottish Opera
Education Team.
The Scootcher Tree, Dunbar children’s favourite playground is under
threat from a money grabbing developer. The children join together and
drawing inspiration from John Muir campaign to save the tree. Their
environmental message travels to children worldwide over the internet,
resulting in victory for Dunbar children!
Sustaining Dunbar
‘John Muir’s influence is particularly relevant today as the world faces up
to major crises in the global and local environments. His life reminds us of
the difference one person can make’. ‘Friends … aim to highlight and
debate some of the environmental challenges facing us today, particularly,
climate change, pollution, deforestation and resource depletion.’
This was written for our new leaflet in April 2007. Even since then,
the urgency of action on climate change is being recognised at an ever
increasing rate, with new evidence constantly coming to light. John Muir
wrote that “the battle for conservation will go on endlessly. It is part of the
universal battle between right and wrong.” These words seem particularly
prophetic now, as the world faces up, not just to the technological and
economic actions needed to deal with global warming and resource
depletion, but to the considerations of morality, equity and justice which
will decide how quotas of carbon emissions are to be shared between
industrialised and developing countries.
In July, Christian Aid’s Cut the Carbon March stopped in Dunbar
during its 1000 mile, 80 day odyssey, arriving in London on 2 October.
Over 18 marchers had supper with local people at Belhaven Church hall
and shared their experiences of the effects of global warming in their own
countries which included Brazil, El Salvador, Tajikistan, the Philippines
and Kenya. They are marching -

• to influence individuals, politicians and businesses to cut carbon

emissions and to increase pressure on the UK government to act on
climate change.
• to persuade UK companies to publish their carbon emissions and to
agree to cut these by 5% each year and
• to persuade the government that the UK should show leadership
internationally by committing to a cut in carbon emissions of at least
80% by 2050. This will set an example for other rich countries to
follow when they meet at the UN conference on climate change in
Bali in December.

Muir wrote “Brought into right relationships with the wilderness, man
would see that his appropriation of Earth's resources beyond his personal
needs would only bring imbalance and begat ultimate loss and poverty by
all.” [The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, (1913)]. No doubt Muir
would agree that we cannot continue to treat nature as an exploitable
resource in pursuit of limitless economic growth.
 The 2007 report of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) describes progress in understanding of the
human and natural drivers of climate change and estimates of projected
future climate change [www.ipcc.ch]
The reality of human-generated climate change is today very widely
accepted, but getting anything done about it is still terribly difficult. Our
economies are totally dependent on fossil fuels for energy sources. Climate
change threatens the basic elements of life for people around the world –
access to water, food production, health, and use of land and the
environment.
‘Response to the challenge of climate change requires very large
change, locally and globally, individually and corporately, not
superficially but fundamentally’. Sir John Houghton FRS, former chair of
Working Group I of the IPCC.
We have already exceeded a ‘safe’ level of greenhouse gas
concentration and if we are to limit global warming to below the level of 2
degrees rise which scientist agree is necessary, then according to Dr
Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the IPCC,
‘We have just a small window of opportunity and it is closing rather
rapidly. There is not a moment to lose’.
There are things we can all do right now to move towards a fairer,
sustainable world: invest in alternative technologies, reduce dependency
on fossil fuels, cycle or walk rather than drive, try to create work nearer to
where we live, make efforts to provide more of our basic needs of shelter,
heating and food production closer to home and within our own
communities. There are several towns in the UK currently at various
stages of transition towards more sustainable, self-reliant communities.
Friends of John Muir’s Birthplace is part of a growing group in Dunbar
which is exploring ways of helping our community to bring about a
managed transition to a zero carbon economy. ‘Sustaining Dunbar’ has as
its objectives:

• To be a zero carbon town

• To be a zero waste town
• To have full employment with citizens living and working in the
town
• To be the town with the best quality of life in Britain.
Still at the early stages, it is envisaged that its main areas of activity
will be:
• Energy including business, home and municipal energy use.
Sustaining Dunbar seeks to reduce the amount of energy used and to
increase the proportion of renewably generated energy (including
heat and electricity) used in the town and surrounding area.
• Resource use in businesses, homes and the municipality. Sustaining
Dunbar seeks to reduce the amount of resources used, to increase the
re-use of materials including through re-manufacture and repair and
to increase recycling.
• Transport. Sustaining Dunbar seeks to reduce the need for the
transport of people and goods in and out of the town and to
encourage modes of transport with low environmental impact.
• Food Sustaining Dunbar seeks to encourage the cultivation and
consumption of locally produced food.
• Enterprise Sustaining Dunbar seeks to assist and develop businesses
that contribute to our aims and objectives.

All the activities of Sustaining Dunbar will be directed towards

reducing resource use and cutting harmful carbon dioxide emissions.
Taking practical action is vital if we are to solve environmental
problems, not least because personal deeds inspire culture change and
create a sense that is possible to take simple day-to-day steps that can
help to ‘save the planet’. However, change is also needed at the level of
government and business and the power of the individual to bring about
change here too, should not be underestimated.
Remember John Muir!
Liz McLean
Chair
John Muir Birthplace Trust
September 2007

For further information about Sustaining Dunbar, please contact Philip

Revell on 01368 863211 or email philip@templelands.freeserve.co.uk
Visitors to the Birthplace
Despite the poor summer (or maybe because of it), visitor
numbers have been steady with 90 ‘customers’ through the door on
14 August. Since the beginning of August, 30 US visitors have
signed the visitors’ book, around half from California. There have
also been folk from all the continents except Antarctica (reflecting
John Muir’s world tour in 1903-4!)
Comments include “Extremely impressive – an essential visit for
everyone” from a Spanish visitor; “We knew it would be good but it
is even better than expected” from a couple from Northumberland;
and, interestingly, from someone from Martinez, “I wish we had
something like this in the Muir house in California”.
The walkers taking part in the ‘Cut the Carbon’ March looked in
on 26 July and, for a couple of hours, the Birthplace was a veritable
United Nations.

INFLUENTIAL VISITORS
On 16 August, John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and
Sustainable Growth in the SNP government, ELC Leader David Berry,
Depute Leader Stuart Currie and CEO Alex McCrorie headed a party who
spent a productive hour in the Birthplace. John Swinney had chosen the
Birthplace from a list of East Lothian tourist attractions to follow morning
meetings with ELC councillors and officials in John Muir House,
Haddington.
The main focus during the Birthplace visit was on how best to
promote ‘John Muir tourism’ both at home and abroad. Manager Jo and
trustee Will accompanied the visitors on a walk round the building. Wide
ranging discussions touched on, among other topics, central funding for
advertising, adverts aimed at target groups such as the Sierra Club, how
John Muir’s 1893 visit could be used to promote 2009’s ‘Year of
Homecoming’ tourism campaign and the potential for a film based on that
visit. We hope that we will be able to report on the outcomes in the next
newsletter.