The churches, both Catholic and Lutheran, were the social centers of the community. St. Paul’s dates back to 1891, when $1,800 was pledged for the purpose of building a Catholic church ($100 each from each male guest at a May afternoon christening in the rear of Thomas Rossi’s fruit store in Little Italy). The original building was a former Presbyterian church at the corner of Chestnut and West 17th that the Presbyterians sold after building a new church. This building was moved to the current St Paul’s location on Walnut and 16th Street, renovated and consecrated in 1891. Plans and fund raising for a new church began in 1926, and a groundbreaking ceremony for the new structure was held on August 19, 1928. With the onset of the great depression in 1929, work ceased on the new structure for five years, but it was eventually completed in 1935.

Most of the Italians in Erie that weren’t Catholic were Lutherans. In 1922, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church was established by Reverend Fortunato Scarpitti, a 1908 Italian immigrant who was also a stonecutter. Reverend Scarpatti served as pastor for 42 years. In the 1920’s, he organized a youth center, an idea that was so novel for the times that “Life” magazine considered publishing an article about it. Both of these churches have played a vital role in the spiritual and social development of the Little Italy neighborhood. Of the many social and mutual aid societies that developed in Little Italy in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the oldest two were St Paul’s Society (for men) and the Order of Sacred Heart of Mary (for women), founded in 1892.

The oldest non-church mutual aid society was La Nuova Aurora, founded in 1907. By 1938, there were 25 Italian lodges and societies in the City. In August, 1933, the first Italian Day was held at Waldameer Park, having been organized to raise money to resume construction of the new St. Paul’s church. After WW II, club memberships began to decline and by 1960 there were only eleven Italian clubs in the City.

Dr. Hood concluded his 1983 article with the following summary:

“The Italian people in Erie began arriving shortly after the Civil War. Most were illiterate and unskilled, coming from south Italy. The colony was divided into four settlements - the largest being Little Italy in the Third Ward. The Italian community quickly developed its own ethic leaders who served as contacts with city hall. These leaders helped the immigrant adjust to his new setting.

“The colony grew slowly at first. By 1900 there were about 350 Italians living in the city. In 1911, their numbers had risen to over 3,000 and in 1920 to about 11,000 people. Accompanying this growth was the development of a business and professional class.

“The two churches in Little Italy - St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church - have played an active role in the colony’s development. Both churches were strongly supported in the early settlement, differing from the experiences of Italian communities in Buffalo and Boston. The experience of the Erie group is explained in part by the social activities both churches have sponsored and by a low political profile.

“The colony also had many social and cultural organizations. These groups have organized plays, car parties, fetes and bazaars. There were also many mutual aid societies which offered sickness and death benefits. Italian social clubs reached their zenith in the 1930’s and 1940’s, subsequently declining after World War II.”

 (Dr. Hood’s article makes footnote reference to a host of books and other writings, including one written by a young Patrick S. Cappabianca, “The Advancement of the First Generation Italian in Erie Since 1920", an unpublished M.A. thesis completed at Allegheny College, 18 August 1961. Among his many other accomplishments and involvements, Mr. Cappabianca served as a member of the 2007 Little Italy NeighborHood Revitalization Plan’s Project Advisory Committee, representing the Erie City Council.)

Summary of The Journal of Erie Studies, Fall, 1983

by Dr. David L. Hood - Fall of 1983

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