Stone memorializing Stephen C. Foster
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- Memorial Type
- Memorial Context
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- Memorial Inscription
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Memorial Object
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Object
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Foster, Stephen C.
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Stone memorializing Stephen C. Foster
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The “Walk of Fame” was created in 1929 by then president Hamilton Holt to honor significant historical figures. The memorial is located in the center of campus around Mills Lawn.
Stephen C. Foster (1826-1864) was a famous songwriter who was best known for his minstrel or parlor songs. Foster grew up in a home with both White and Black indentured servants. Foster's brother, Dunning, had a shipping company, where Foster worked for some time in the 1840s. This company profited from cotton grown by enslaved people, shipping it north to factories in Pittsburgh.
Foster's music was heavily influenced by the caricatured African American minstrel music. He later began writing Parlor, Plantation, and Minstrel songs that made a mockery of enslaved people. These included “Nelly Was a Lady,” “Oh! Susanna,” and “My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night.” Despite some claims that Foster later converted to a more abolitionist stance on slavery, there is little evidence to support this. Rather, it appears he acknowledged the lyrics of some plantation and minstrel songs to be offensive and censored his own works to better suit the sensibilities of his audience.
His stone was added around April 17, 1941 by President Hamilton Holt.
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1 foot x 1 foot stone. Appearance is worn and the majority of the text is difficult to read.
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STEPHEN C. FOSTER MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME
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Holt, Hamilton
Position: 1765 (45 views)