<P> `` Shall We Gather at the River ? '' or simply `` At the River '' are the popular names for the traditional Christian hymn titled `` Hanson Place , '' written by American poet and gospel music composer Robert Lowry ( 1826 -- 1899 ) . It was written in 1864 and is now in the public domain . The title `` Hanson Place '' is a reference to the original Hanson Place Baptist Church in Brooklyn , where Lowry , as a Baptist minister , sometimes served . The original building now houses a different denomination . </P>
who wrote shall we gather at the river
American poet and gospel music composer Robert Lowry