Italian Americans of the Greater Mahoning Valley

by Dr. Donna M. DeBlasio

Overview

Between 1890 and 1924, Italian immigrants flocked to Ohio's Mahoning Valley. The area's burgeoning iron and steel industries beckoned with job prospects for immigrants fleeing southern and eastern Europe—particularly from southern Italy, a region that at the time lacked opportunity and highly taxed its natives. Upon the arrival of these new residents, neighborhoods such as Youngstown's Smoky Hollow and Brier Hill offered accepting communities, and Niles Fire Brick Factory Company and Trumbull Blast Furnace provided employment. Assimilation was not always easy, and discrimination did occur, but Italian Americans ultimately prospered, making a mark not only as steelworkers but also as shopkeepers, grocers, restaurateurs, tradesmen, educators, doctors, lawyers, legislators, and mayors. This book explores the immigration experience, community, workplace dynamics, celebrations, worship, heritage, and lasting impact of the second-largest ethnic group in Ohio's Mahoning Valley.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467114790
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	11/23/2015
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Dr. Donna M. DeBlasio, a Youngstown native, is a professor of history and director of the Center for Applied History at Youngstown State University. Dr. Martha I. Pallante, a Niles native, is a professor and chair of the history department at Youngstown State University. DeBlasio and Pallante have both either authored or coauthored several books for Arcadia Publishing.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Coming to America 9

2 Becoming American 25

3 Community/Neighborhoods 43

4 Steel Magnets 61

5 Jacks of All Trades 77

6 Daily Life and Leisure 91

7 Celebrations and Commemorations 107