    "Oh, Susanna" –1848 – This diorama depicts a western plains scene showing the pioneers and their Conestoga wagons. This song was published near the time gold was dicovered in California. One year after it's publiction, the pioneers, or forty-niners were singing it as their theme song along the covered wagon trails.  "Camptown Races" or "Gwine to Run all Night" —1850. One of Stephen Foster's nonsensical songs, describing a race track five miles long. The diorama shows the horses racing, and the bob-tail nag described in the song passes the field of other horses including the "Big black horse and the bay." *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" –1854– A diorama depicting Stephen Foster at the piano composing the song, dedicated to his wife Jane—published four years after their marriage.  "Old Black Joe"—1860—a diorama depicting the vision of "the gentle vioces calling Old Black Joe," dedicated to an old servant in the home of Stephen Foster's wife, Jane.  "Beautiful Dreamer" One of Stephen Foster's last songs, published posthumously on March 10, 1964. This is acclaimed one of his most beautiful and best loved of all his songs, with poetry and melody blending to give the feeling of the sweetness of a starlight night. *Note: Stephen Foster never visited the Suwannee River. |
   The Museum houses eight animated dioramas depicting Stephen Foster's songs, hundreds of interesting and valuable documents, musical scores, furnishings and pictures from the life of America's most celebrated master of song and sentiment, Stephen Collins Foster. *NOTE- The dioramas are housed in a rotunda room encased in glass along the walls. In the 1950's this was something special ro see. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*    "Open Thy Lattice Love," published in 1844 when Stephen Foster was eighteen years old, dedicated to Susan Pentland, a neighbor in his boyhood days. The diorama shows a replica of Stephen Foster's own Melodeon, which he and the boys carried around to serenade the girls.  "Old Dog Tray" —1853. This diorama depicts a tribute to a thoroughbred setter dog given to Stephen Foster by Colonel Matthew I. Stewart, which invisions the remeberances of this faithful dog—"I'll never, never find a better friend than "Old Dog Tray."  "Many Happy Days I Squandered," View of the original painting by the noted artist, Howard Chandler Christy, depicting Stephen Foster as a youth, with a playmate, and showing his interst in nature, the river and the Southern Negroes. Stephen Foster Memorial, White Springs, Florida. |
