Archive to be created to preserve Andrew Carnegie birthplace

A detailed digital record of the birthplace of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie is to be created following a £40,000 grant from the US State Department.

The project will see the production of an interactive tour of Carnegie's birthplace cottage, Pittencrieff Park, and related historic sites.

Part of the US Department of State Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) project - entitled Scottish Roots, American Ideals: Sharing Carnegie’s Legacy - the grant is the first ever awarded by the AFCP to the United Kingdom.

It will fund a partnership between the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum in Dunfermline and California-based non-profit organisation CyArk, to create the digital record. The initiative will connect global audiences to the shared history linking the United States and Scotland, illuminating the Scottish origins of one of America’s most influential historical figures.

US Ambassador Stephens at Carnegie Museum. | US Embassy

Born in Dunfermline, Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist who led the American steel industry in the late 1800s.

At the height of his wealth, he was four times richer than Bill Gates is today after selling his steel empire to JP Morgan for $480million in 1901. A renowned philanthropist, he spent the rest of his life reinvesting in society.

Gillian Taylor, chief executive of the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust said: “Andrew Carnegie was forged in Scotland then made in America. I am delighted that this project will tell his inspiring transatlantic story to new audiences and highlight how important Dunfermline was in shaping his philanthropic vision and values.”

Co-managers Jennifer Jones and Mark Macleod from the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum said, “We know not everyone can travel to Dunfermline to experience the humble cottage where Andrew started his journey. However, using 21st century tools we can take them through the rooms to share stories from his early life in the wee city.”

Warren Stephens, US ambassador to the UK, said: “Andrew Carnegie’s journey from a humble weaver’s cottage in Dunfermline to becoming one of America’s most transformative industrialists and philanthropists embodies the very best of the transatlantic relationship.

“I am proud that this project will help preserve Carnegie’s Scottish heritage and share his inspiring story with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.”

“We’re proud to build on CyArk’s long history of working in Scotland through a project that so clearly reflects the deep connections between our two countries,” said John Ristevski, chief executive of CyArk.

“Andrew Carnegie’s story is a remarkable example of that shared history, and it feels especially fitting to bring a little American ingenuity to helping document and share the Scottish places that shaped his life and legacy.”

In 1848, when Andrew was just 13-years-old, his father Will Carnegie and his mother, Margaret, sold their belongings to book passage to America for themselves and their sons - Andrew and his five-year-old brother, Tom. They arrived in New York later settling in Pennsylvania and Carnegie’s first job was a bobbin boy in a cotton mill.

AFCP is a US Department of State program, administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, that provides direct grant support to other countries for the preservation of cultural heritage. This grant was made possible by newly expanded country eligibility under the AFCP's broader Freedom 250 initiative, administered by the US Department of State, which highlights global contributions to American history and the enduring cultural ties between the United States and nations around the world.