Scottish Stone Masons and Virginia Stone

On June 5, 2019, Stewart McLaurin delivered the Banner Lecture, “Scottish Stone Masons and Virginia Stone.” In the 1790s, the stone harvested from Government Island in Stafford, Virginia, was used to construct the White House and the Capitol. Today, the remaining outcroppings of rock still stand on the island and the Aquia stone walls are all that is left of the original White House, witnesses to White House history. This lecture will consider the stones of the White House and the stonemasons from Scotland who created the finest stone carving in eighteenth-century America. Stewart McLaurin is the president of the White House Historical Association. His career spans the non-profit, education, and public policy fields. Over the past thirty years, he has held senior positions with George Washington’s Mount Vernon, The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the Motion Picture Association, Georgetown University, American Red Cross, and the Federal Government. This lecture is cosponsored with the White House Historical Association. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.