Brier Hill
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Brier Hill is a neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio. Historically, it served as Youngstown's "Little Italy District." The neighborhood is nestled on the western portion of the city's Northside, and is centered by St. Anthony's Church. Today, much of the old neighborhood has been dismantled by the creation of modern expressways, White Flight, and economic depression. All that remains of the area is the ITAM Post (Italian-American War Veterans' Club), the bandstand, Modarelli's Salumeria, and the memorial wall. Each year, at the end of August, the Brier Hill Fest attracts thousands of visitors from the Penn-Ohio Area and the old neighborhood is brought back to life.
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[edit] Early History
The neighborhood was originally owned by Youngstown industialist George Tod, whom estiablished his farm on brier-covered hills circa 1801, and named it Brier Hill. Soon after, coal was discovered in these hills, the neighborhood grew with immigrants to work the mines. It is the oldest working-class neighborhood in Youngstown. The first iron furnace was opened by the Tods in 1847. By the 1880s, blast furnaces and rolling mills were opened in close proximity to the coal mines. The Brier Hill mines provided coal for the mills and the neighborhood grew tremendously with the housing for its miners and iron workers. The rapid expansion of industry in the Brier Hill neighborhood caused the area to serve as the main entry point for Youngstown's immigrants. The largest groups were Italians, Welsh, Irish, and African-Americans.
Due to its distance from downtown Youngstown, Brier Hill developed its own schools, post office, and churches. It remained an unincorporated village (outside of Youngstown Township) until 1900, when it was absorbed by the city in 1900.
[edit] Other Italian Enclaves
Although Youngstown had many areas and sections that were distinctly Italian/Italian-American such as Smokey Hollow, the lower-East Side, East Youngstown (now Campbell), Struthers, and Lowellville; Brier Hill was most recognized as the unofficial Little Italy.
[edit] The Pizza
The neighborhood was the birthplace of "Brier Hill Pizza," which is a humble, homestyle pizza-- with its origins in the Basilicata region of Italy -- made with a generous amount of thick sunday sauce, bell peppers and romano cheese rather than the usual mozzarella. It is un piatto tipico* of Youngstown; one of several dishes the area prides itself on, as New Yorkers do so of their thin-crust slices of foldable Pizza Margherita. The most authentic places to eat Brier Hill Pizza are the Avalon Gardens (on Belmont Avenue just east of Brier Hill), and on Fridays only, St. Anthony's Church on Turin Avenue in Brier Hill, and at the Brier Hill Fest, annually, in August.
- piatto tipico is the Italian term for "typical local dish."
[edit] Neighborhood Progress
Local activists from the Pro-Yo Party and the ITAM (Post 12) are working to make Brier Hill a Sister-City/"Cugin" Community of San Pietro Avellana (Isernia). San Pietro is a small village in the Apennine hills of Southeastern Italy where many Italian-Americans in the Youngstown Area originated.
[edit] See also
Other Italian Neighborhoods in NE Ohio:
