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Immigrant Voices
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Immigrants
on steamship, New York, c. 1907 |
We were pretty
wild running around that ship. My oldest brother - we
lost him on the ship. The ship was so big and the kids
were running around. My mother was really
scared. We didn't know what happened to him. We
stayed in the lowest class, not second class, not third
class, how would you call it - steerage. And that's
how we lived. Whenever they gave you anything like
nuts or fruits, they would throw it at you and the kids
would crawl even under the beds to pick this stuff up.
Oh, that was awful. It was dirty and my dad could not
afford anything better so we just had to take it.
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We
had numerous friends killed in the mines. My
sister-in-law's two brothers were killed in the mine.
They were beautiful men. It was a rock fall. And
that hasn't been that long ago. I remember our
barber. He wasn't able to make a living. He had
about six children and he went into the mine for the first
time and he was killed that week. Then my
brother-in-law came from Pittsburgh and couldn't find work
here. He lost his leg in the mine. So there has
been much tragedy.
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- Lena Arlia Patti Babyak |
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Undercutting coal,
Indiana County, c. 1935
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Curator's
Statement
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Italian immigrants aboard the Roma, c. 1929 |
In
September 1901, 23-year-old Domenico LaMantia packed up
a small valise of personal belongings, bid farewell to
family and friends, and departed his hometown of Termini
Imerse, a small seaside community in northern
Sicily. Following a route traveled by literally
hundreds of immigrants before him, LaMantia made his way
westward along the Sicilian coast to the port city of
Palermo and boarded the Perugia, a steamship liner
ultimately destined for the United States. After a
long and arduous transoceanic voyage, LaMantia arrived
in New York harbor on September 14 and passed the
mandatory medical examinations administered by
immigration officials at Ellis Island.
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The harrowing experience of
Ellis Island behind him, LaMantia left the hustle and
bustle of urban New York and set out for the Western
Pennsylvania borough of Blairsville. Upon arrival,
the young immigrant was reunited with other members of
the LaMantia family who had already established
themselves in Indiana County. Nine years later, in
1910, LaMantia was engaged in a prosperous business
partnership with his brother Antonio and several other
siblings. In time, A. LaMantia & Brothers
became one of the leading fruit and produce wholesalers
in all of Indiana County. Upwardly mobile and well
adjusted to life in western Pennsylvania, Domenico
LaMantia went to the Indiana County Courthouse on New
Year's Day, 1910, and filed a declaration of intention
petition for naturalization, thereby initiating the
process by which he would eventually become a
naturalized American citizen. |
LaPrima
Restaurant, Indiana, c. 1943 |
From Italy to Indiana County
explores the collective experiences of Domenico LaMantia
and the thousands of other Italian immigrants who made
Indiana County their home. Relying on historical
research materials including census records, immigration
papers, historical photographs, artifacts, and oral
history interviews, this exhibit provides an overview of
Italian settlement in Indiana County between 1900 and
1950 and explores themes such as community, work,
religion, leisure, and family life. It also
answers basic questions about the Italian immigrant
experience in the region. What, for example,
prompted Italians to emigrate from their homeland?
In what parts of Indiana County did Italian immigrants
settle? What types of work did they find upon
arrival? What institutions became important
centers of Italian community life? Did aspects of
the immigrants' Old World culture survive the
transoceanic voyage and continue to influence their
lives in America? How readily did Italian
immigrants assimilate to life in the United States?
In addressing these and other
questions, From Italy to Indiana County makes an
important contribution to the field of Italian American
history and calls attention to the historical
significance that Italian immigrants have had on the
growth and development of Indiana, Pennsylvania and
environs. More importantly, it is a long overdue
tribute to those Italian immigrants who made the trying
journey from Italy to Indiana county with hopes that
their arrival would herald new and prosperous lives for
themselves, their children, and many generations to
follow.
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- Nicolas P. Ciotola,
Curator,
Italian American Collection,
Historical Society of
Western Pennsylvania |
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| This exhibition
is made possible, in part, by the Historical Society of
Western Pennsylvania; Dr. and Mrs. Francis DeFabo; Marty
and Sam Patti and families; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Mastro;
Cashdollar Visual Communications; the Foundation for IUP;
the College of Fine Arts, IUP; the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission and the members of the
University Museum, http://old.www.iup.edu/images/iup_top.gif. |
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