jan 1, 1915 - Italian Immigrants in Strawberry Hill

Description:

In 1915 there were 288 Italian immigrants living in Strawberry Hill. This does not include their
children born in the United States. The Italian ethnic community was located primarily in the 10th and Central Avenue area and all were basically Roman Catholics from Sicily. The Italian community was too small to have their own church so they were active in St. Benedict’s parish where they became a major influence. Most of the men found employment at the nearby Union Pacific Railroad. Several families
were important in the grocery business. Two of the most successful families were the Amino family, who had successful construction company, and the Ventura family, that developed a trucking business. The main festival for the year was St. Joseph’s Day on March 19th. The community started decline rapidly in the 1960s when the I-70 turnpike led to dispersal of many ethnic groups to other parts of the city. (The Consolidated History of Wyandotte County, by Loren L. Taylor, 2000, pgs. 332-337).