Source:Foster-serenaders
M. V. B. D. "Foster Serenaders of fifty years ago: The local amateur musical organization helped to make Foster's melodies famous." Pittsburg Press, July 22, 1900, p. 5. Newspapers.com 141318990.
HOW many organizations can you enumerate, formed 56 years ago, half of whose original membership or more is still in being? The Foster Serenaders, organized in 1844, can still count on their muster roll if it were called, at least half of the original membership, though the chief died in early life. This, notwithstanding some of the membership participated in two bloody wars. The remaining members are now so widely scattered that they are not likely to celebrate a reunion.
In its primitive days Pittsburg was relatively more important, compared with contiguous territory, than it is to-day with all its multi-millionaires and its hundreds of acres of rolling mills, steel mills, glass houses, blast furnaces and merchant princes, and the Pittsburg boy of half a century ago or more had more incentive for ambition than he has to-day. There were more fields to conquer then within the limits of Uncle Sam's dominion than there are to-day on the whole planet. Then the great American desert was less known and less exploited than is the Sahara to-day, and no young man of grit then reconciled himself to the idea that he should pass through life a mere clerk or bookkeeper in some commercial house, as the majority are compelled to do at present. Though he might enter some establishment as a sweeper-out or errand boy, he expected to become a partner in due time.
Many of those old time boys have had notable careers that the world knows little about and their vitality is astonishing, many who began active life more than half a century ago still being in harness. Some of them gathered in the store of P. F. Kane, 232 Third avenue, some evenings since. They were in a reminiscent mood and talked of their recollections of the '40's and localities that will some day be marked by tablets or other memorials.
Notable among the institutions of Pittsburg's past were the Stephen C. Foster Serenaders. Though Foster's melodies are sung in every household, few know that the Serenaders were the first local "burnt cork" institution of the city. Strictly speaking, they belonged to Allegheny, but at that time Alleghenians had not got jealous of its people registering as from Pittsburg when they traveled. The Foster Serenaders were composed of aristocrats, as a rule—a sort of troubador [sic] band that sang in front of the houses of the elite and were certain of an invitation to enter and partake of the best cheer. The master spirit of the organization was S. C. Foster. All were loyal to him and sang "Uncle Ned" and other songs which had then but local fame, as he had, as yet found no encouragement from publishing houses.
The first public performance of the "Serenaders" was given in the carriage house of 'Squire William Robinson (Irish Billy), in the rear of his residence, on the corner of Liberty street and Cedar avenue, Alelgheny. P. F. Kane, then a lad of 14, was property man, and he states that he had his hands full to secure the essentials for a public performance. No treasurer was needed. Mrs. Cuddy furnished the drop curtain, a green crumb cloth, and the chairs ranged from the wooden-bottom kitchen to the most elaborately upholstered seat to be found in the surrounding neighborhood. As the audience consisted of the elite of Pittsburg and "Alleghenytown," there were no reserved seats, and the different kinds of chairs were so mixed that all had to take such accommodation as could be secured by priority. Among the singers were S. C. Foster, his brother, H. Morrison Foster, then dubbed by his democratic associates "Mitt," John Fitzsimmons, now a prominent Pittsburg and Philadelphia property holder, and several others, whose names had faded from the recollection of the gathering. W. S. Cuddy, now paymaster of the Union Pacific railway, rattled the bones and his family, with the Grays, Leeches, Hannas, Curtis, Parks and Breckenridges, leading people at that time, constituted the audience. Mr. Kane says everything was encored, and "Judy Figg," whose real name is refused, divided the honors with the singers. "Judy's" specialty was dancing of the "turnabout-and-heel-about-Jim-Crow" variety.
At this time the boys played "townball," since transformed into baseball. Before the game was emasculated there might be 50 on a side, the more the merrier, and the batter could use a broomstick, wagon spoke or an oar-stem for a bat, just as his fancy dictated. The ball was often of solid rubber, and might be knocked over the entire boundary of what was then "Alleghenytown," now a part of Allegheny. The boys of the rival municipalities then expended a part of their energy in pitched battles, especially on muster days, when Col. Dewsnap was a captain of the militia. These were the days when Pat Murphy and Johnny Triangle were in their prime. Elderly citizens will recollect Johnny's specialty, "Polly put the kettle on." Many of the old-time Pittsburg boys were stage-struck and in the Kane family, in addition to Patrick F., who was a Foster serenader, his brother Michael played for a time in the theater in Baxter's alley, a thoroughfare running east as far as Virgin alley, midway between Market and Wood streets. Fifth avenue was little more than a cowpath in 1844, and Third avenue was then the main street of the city. Henry Kane, a brother of Patrick and Michael, broke away from the democratic faith of the family, and was an abolitionist and a member of the underground railway, and with Charles B. Taylor, a real estate dealer, helped darkies on their way to the polar regions, greatly to the scandal of the Kane family. Henry was a partner in the merchant tailoring firm of Kane & Duffy, 14 St. Clair, now Sixth street. Michael Kane died in California last November. He was one of the Argonauts who went out in 1849, Patrick, a boy of 19, also being one of the company. James Kane was prominent in military circles. He was a veteran of the Mexican war, and after the war was sent to Mexico to get the body of Col. Roberts, of the Second Pennsylvania regiment. Subsequently he joined his brothers in California, and became prominent in mining enterprises. M. V. B. D.
