Scotland in Atlanta: the Burns Cottage

Once a year, in March, you can visit the mysterious Burns Cottage on Alloway Place. It opens its doors for the Atlanta Preservation Center’s Phoenix Flies event.  This open house is one of the few times this building is open to the public.  This little slice of Scotland in Atlanta is the home of the Burns Club of Atlanta.  This organization is one of the oldest gentlemen’s social clubs in the city.  Established in 1896, the club celebrated the centennial of Robert Burns’ birth and the works of the 18th century Scottish poet. 

Sunday March 23, 2025: Free Open House at the Burns Cottage – An Afternoon with Robert Burns as part of the Phoenix Flies event!

Robert Burns championed of the Scots’ dialect; however, people today are most familiar with his work, “Auld Lang Syne.”  In the 1870s Atlantans who admired Burns’ work met in private homes to celebrate the birthday of this Scottish poet.  Eventually the club formally commenced under the leadership of Joseph Jacobs. He is famous for being the Atlanta pharmacist who first served Coca-Cola at his Five Points drug store. 

The History of Atlanta’s Burns Cottage

The club selected a 15-acre site for the clubhouse at the end of the trolley line on Confederate Ave (now United Ave SE).  Although, this location was out of the way, it was still within the city limits of Atlanta.  The club laid the first cornerstone on November 5, 1910.  Construction was completed in 1911. The Burns Cottage was built on Alloway Place SE, which is located in the Ormewood Park neighborhood. 

The Atlanta architect, Thomas H. Morgan, secured measurements from the original Burns Cottage in Alloway, Scotland. He executed plans to reproduce the structure in Georgia.  The building is the only exact replica of the birthplace of Robert Burns in the world.  The stone is Stone Mountain granite.  Shingles have since replaced the original thatched roof. 

Inside the Burns Cottage: the Byre

The exterior of the cottage is slightly curved as the original Scottish building accommodated an adjacent road.  Upon entering the cottage, I found myself in a large room with large hearths at either end.  This room is the ‘byre’ and it is where the Scottish kept their animals.  The animals warmed up the house during Scottish winters and were able to keep warm themselves. 

Scottish clan tartan banners decorate this room. The day I visited, the room was outfitted with tables for meetings.  Mr. Walker Chandler of the Burns Club read us a Burns’ poem: “Address to Hagis.” He did so in an excellent Scottish brogue before giving us a tour of the building. 

Inside the Burns Cottage: the Ben and the Butt

The first room behind the ‘byre’ is the ‘ben.’ In the original Burns cottage the ben functioned as both a living room and a sleeping room at night.  The club had it outfitted as a library.

The furthest room was the kitchen. The Scottish call it the ‘butt.’  This space held a large fireplace designed for cooking with an adjacent stove.  A cabinet with a plate rack above pays homage to the original space in Scotland. 

Burns’ parents slept in the small sleeping nook on the wall opposite the fireplace.  A box-bed in the nook replicated the bed in which the poet was born.  Portraits of the past presidents of the Burns Club line the walls of this room, which is now used for small meetings. 

Inside the Burns Cottage: the Modern Addition

A modern addition, which does not match the original Burns cottage, is found at the back of the building.  The National Register of Historic Places recognized the Burns Cottage in 1966.

The Burns Club of Atlanta

The Atlanta club limits its size to 100 members.  To join, you must be male and enjoy the writings of Robert Burns.  Similar clubs exist around the world. They gather every January to celebrate the poet’s birth with a meal of haggis, neeps and tatties.  The very first Burns supper took place at the original Burns Cottage in Scotland in 1801.  Friends gathered to raise a glass to the poet’s memory and read his work aloud.  The Burns supper is one of the biggest events of the year for Scots around the globe. 

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Scotland

To learn more about Robert Burns, I recommend visiting the website for the original Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. The National Trust for Scotland runs this museum.  The museum in Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland includes over 5000 artifacts. You will also find the Burns monument and the Alloway Auld Kirk. The onsite café serves haggis, neeps and tatties. Finally and most importantly, you will also find the “humble cottage where Robert Burns was born.” 

Have you visited the Robert Burns Cottage in Atlanta or Scotland? Let me know what you thought in the comments!

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