Hymn #597: Shall We Gather at the River | First Congregational Church

Robert Lowry (1826-1899) incorporated imagery from the book of Revelation in this text, published in Happy Voices (1865) under the title “Mutual Recognition in the Hereafter.” It was written one hot summer day in 1864, when the Brooklyn pastor was preoccupied with questions raised by the deaths of many in his congregation due to an epidemic.

Robert Lowry became well known as the writer of the song “Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight?” Although interest in this type of sentimental song has waned, Lowry’s hymns remain popular.

Robert Lowry (1826-1899) composed both words and music for this gospel hymn in 1864. The tune was named HANSON PLACE nearly a century later by the committee that compiled the Baptist Hymnal (1956). Lowry, a Baptist preacher, became interested in hymnwriting during his pastorate at Hanson Place Baptist Church in Brooklyn.

Robert Lowry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 12, 1826, was ordained, and worked as a Baptist minister, college professor, and church administrator. He died on November 25, 1899, in Plainfield, New Jersey where he was serving a long pastorate at a Baptist church.