The HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARK honors the Hill sisters of Louisville, KY, who wrote the world’s most well-known song, Happy Birthday to You.
Patty Smith Hill and Mildred Jane Hill were 19th century trailblazers in the Louisville Kindergarten movement. Music was an integral part of their kindergarten curriculum, and in 1893, they published Story Songs for the Kindergarten to be used by early childhood educators all over the United States. The first song in the collection, Good Morning to All, was sung as the children gathered in a circle to start their day.
The story is told that one evening at cabins in the Kenwood neighborhood, the sisters used the Good Morning melody to wish their friend a happy birthday. The Happy Birthday song was born.
