Stephen Collins Foster

As a young man, Stephen Foster lived opposite this site on Union Avenue and regularly enjoyed the park with his family. Here he composed the music for his first published song, “Open Thy Lattice Love,” dedicated to a neighbor, and “Old Folks at Home” was also written here. His father, William Barclay Foster, was mayor of Allegheny City from 1842 to 1843. Stephen Foster is considered the preeminent American songwriter of his era, and “Oh! Susanna,” “Camptown Races,” and “Beautiful Dreamer” are among his best known compositions. He is buried in Allegheny Cemetery near his Lawrenceville birthplace and is honored in a museum at the Stephen Foster Memorial on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · United States