The William Keith "lifting stone" at Graeme Park, though unique in America, is a "test of manhood" or "clach-neart" deeply rooted in the Gaelic culture of Scotland, particularly Peterhead, Keith's birthplace, where such stones were common for entertainment, competition, military assessment, and remembrance. While the legend of its use as an employment test for workers is less certain in Scottish Gaelic tradition, it was a practice known in Sweden and by Barbary Coast slavers (for muscle tone evaluation). More profoundly, the stone embodies William Keith's personal identity; as an Episcopalian and Jacobite, Keith embraced this Gaelic tradition, which was actively disdained by the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, who viewed it as "Irish" or "Popish." Thus, the presence of the lifting stone at Graeme Park underscores Keith's cultural ties, religious beliefs, and political affiliations, firmly placing him within the historical context of Gaelic stone lifting.
