In 1801 the first conservatory of music in the nation was founded in Boston by Filippo Traetta, a Venetian Musician. In 1861, after Italian unification, Gustavo Finotti is appointed the first Consul of the Kingdom of Italy in Boston. The main Italian immigrants in the 1860's were Genovese with Southern Italians and Sicilians making up the bulk of the immigrants after 1880.
Saint Leonard's Church on Prince Street, founded 1873 by Italian immigrants, is the oldest Italian Church in Boston and the second oldest in America.
For a more complete timeline visit Boston Family History.com at: http://www.bostonfamilyhistory.com/ita_main.html Boston's North End began it's transformation to "Little Italy" about 1900. Between 1890 and 1910 the Jewish residents moved further south and the Italian immigrants settled into the North End. 90% of the North End was Italian by 1920.
In 1919 a 4 story molasses storage tank on Commercial street burst sending over 2.2 million gallons of molasses flooding the North End. Many people were either swept out into the harbor or smothered as the molasses overtook them. Twenty one people were killed and at least one hundred fifty more were injured. The cleanup process took over six months. Today residents claim you can still smell molasses on a hot summer day.
Boston was the distilling capital of the USA at that time and molasses was the primary sweetener used. The company blamed it on anarchists But finally was forced to pay restitution. Add to this the trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, a quota on immigration and the Italians in the North End turned back towards their own ethnicity by the end of the 1920's, creating an even tighter knit community. The effects of which can still be seen today in the "Old World" atmosphere in the North End.
The end of the 1920's also signaled the end of the unskilled Italian itinerant worker as they moved up from bootblack, to cart owner, to shop owner or to skilled or semi skilled tradesman or to a professional occupation. Trade unionism also had strong support in Boston. There were many fishermen among the Italians of Boston and the Fisherman's Feast, which began in 1911, is a tradition that goes back to Sciacca Sicily and the 16th century.
Links for Boston:
Welcome to the historic North End, America's most vibrant Italian neighbourhood
Boston's Oldest Italian Festival:
Order Sons of Italy in Massachusetts
The Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts
The Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts is a non profit organization whose objective is to promote and foster Italian culture by: Helping to develop a consciousness of Italian achievements in the arts, literature, science, and industry. Promoting the study of Italian. Promoting a spirit of understanding among all people through the arts and other cultural activities.
The Lyceum aims to encourage a greater understanding and appreciation of Italian culture among all people. Its various programs reflect significant accomplishments of Italian thinkers in the areas of art, science, culture and humanitarianism.
Italia Unita, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 1995 in East Boston, Massachusetts. Italia Unita is dedicated to preserving Italian heritage and promoting Italian culture. We honour Italian Americans who have contributed to American society.
The MIT Italian Association
Harvard Italian Cultural Society
Submitted by Rose Albrizio
Here is an early 20th century postcard of a street scene in Boston's Little Italy. Probably day laborers standing around waiting for work - a familiar sight in a working-class neighborhood. In the background is the Bank of Ettore Forte.
The next four pictures below have been submitted by Paul Laforest of Cape Cod
Europe? No. It's Paul Revere Square in the North End?
Salem Street in the North End. Shoppers heading toward Haymarket Square
Saturday morning on Hanover Street, the North End's main street.
An Italian fruit and vegetable seller in Haymarket Square
OTHER FACTS ABOUT BOSTON
- As early as 1640 there are records of trade between Massachusetts and Italy.
- The ancestors of prominent New England families, Robert Child and Henry Saltonstall, (circa 1649) were educated at the University of Padua.
- The first conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society was Louis Astinelli, an Italian, in 1815.
-- Filippo Traetta (also spelled Trajetta) arrived in Boston in 1799. As a music student in Naples, he was caught up in the Parthenopian revolt and with the collapse of the Republic he was able to escape to America. He was born in Venice, January 9, 1777 and was the son of Tommaso Traetta, born in Bitonto (Bari), a noted composer, who held positions in the courts of Spain and Russia. Filippo was not only a musician, but a singer and performed in concerts throughout America.