Deutschstown Historic District in Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Stephen Collins Foster

American Composer

— 1826–1864 —

Stephen Collins Foster Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 18, 2014

1. Stephen Collins Foster Marker

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

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1842.

Location. 40° 27.161′ N, 80° 0.12′ W. Marker is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County. It is in the Deutschstown Historic District. It can be reached from the intersection of East Ohio Street and Cedar Avenue. It is in Allegheny Commons Park’s East Park, which is near PNC Park Stadium and Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pittsburgh PA 15212, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Ohio River Valley,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hampton Battery Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Allegheny Commons (within shouting distance of this marker); Pauline H. Rosenberg (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Perry's Hall (about 700 feet away); The Pittsburgh Platform (about 700 feet away); Charles Taze Russell (about 800 feet away); Founding Convention of the CIO (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Free Public Library Building in the United States (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pittsburgh.

More about this marker. This area of today’s Pittsburgh was once Allegheny City.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia Entry for Stephen Foster. Foster is acknowledged as “father of American music.” He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, and he was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. “My Old Kentucky Home” is the official state song of Kentucky, adopted by the General Assembly on March 19, 1928. “Old Folks at Home” is the official state song of Florida, designated in 1935. Because of the racial lyrics, “Old Folks at Home” (“Swanee River”) was modified with approval from the Stephen Foster Memorial;

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 18, 2014

2. Stephen Collins Foster Marker

after a lengthy debate, the modified song was kept as the official state song, while “Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)” was added as the state anthem. Foster’s minstrel song “Camptown Races” was a hit when it was published and is well-known to this day. It is used in several ways, such as football chants and even in Looney Tunes. (Submitted on September 7, 2014.)

2. Open Thy Lattice Love - John Boda. The first song Stephen Foster published. (Submitted on September 7, 2014.)

3. Stephen Foster at FindAGrave.com. (Submitted on February 6, 2015, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2014, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 856 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 7, 2014, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.