Happy 4th July!!

It's the 4th of July!! American Independence Day!!

It commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence from us pesky Brits on 4th July 1776. It contains one of the most famous quotes in history:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Want to wish happy 4th July to anyone from the USA reading this blog!!
But did you know that in Glasgow there is also a Washington Street?
Seems unlikely amongst the Waterloo Streets and Wellington Streets to name a street after a man that led the Continental army to independence and became the first US President in 1789?

Here is the story...

The land Washington Street stands on was in the middle of an 18 years legal battle over ownership. This battle ended when a member of the Reid family bought off the claimant to the land for 1000 pounds.
After that the Clyde trust offered to buy the land to build a dock here. The now owner Mrs Mary Reid asked for 10,000 pounds. Not a bad mark up. The Clyde trust refused. Although they returned a year later to offer 8,000 pounds. But Mrs Reid now had other ideas. She turned it down and opened up a brand new street in 1815 realising 30,000 pounds in feus (a Scottish form of rent) in the process. Not a bad deal.

Now Mrs Reid was a ardent pro-American and republican in politics so named her new street Washington Street in honour of the First President of the USA. I'm sure this must have annoyed a few people at the time since America had only just won independence 39 years earlier and had been at war with Britain again between 1812-1815 in the not very imaginatively named War of 1812.

I popped down to Washington Street yesterday on way back from Museum of Transport to see what is there today.

And here is the funny thing...


Right in the middle of Washington Street. The Pentagon. Well where else would you expect it to be?
This is a large business center.


Also is the old Washington Street school. This now seems to be empty and a lot of it is boarded up. Is a shame because is actually a really interesting building. Still has the Boys and Girls signs carved into the stonework above the gates and doors . And Washington Street sign is carved into one corner. Also gives the date 1890 on it. Anyone know the history of this building?

The most noticable new building on Washington Street is the Menzies Hotel.

Think Glasgow is missing a trick here. Should name all the buildings in Washington street with American themes. The Menzies Hotel should become the White House.

And a large area of the street and surrounds is undeveloped now and overgrown. A potential site for the new Lincoln Park perhaps? :)

While I was in the street a big summer thunder storm opened up. So had to pack up and make a run for it. Not the first time a Brit been in retreat from Washington!! :)
But it was interesting to find this little corner of where Glaswegian history met American history.

Wishing everyone reading this the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!!
Happy 4th July!!

Be well, be happy!!