LODGE HISTORY and ITALIAN CULTURE

The Beginnings: Gus Giorgilli and "The Get-Together"
1986 Newsletter: The Great Coffee Break
More History- 1986 Newsletter (Microsoft Word download)
Memories of Little Italy
The Joy of Growing Up Italian
I Am An Italian-American :Essay by Angelo Bianchi,Esq.
Awards
Proverbs and Old Sayings
Brief History of Italians in MD & Baltimore
Modern Sicilian Network
The Lioi Family

Lodge members can contribute pieces for publication on the Lofge website. Just email your story to Leo Otterbein, Web Manager at docotter2000 @yahoo.com

STORIA NOSTRA
(OUR HISTORY)

To the outsider, Little Italy is festivals and spaghetti suppers at St. Leo's and restaurants.

To those who live in the small, tightly knit community, it's much more than that. It's a sense of family, a concern for one another, that is seldom seen in other neighborhoods. There's a pride of living in Little Italy and those who live there seem to feel that they are more fortunate than those who aren't so privileged.

One never really moves out of Little Italy. In their heart, they remain forever loyal to St. Leo's, their heritage and their friends. The festivals and suppers would never be successful if it were not for the many who return to offer their expertise and assistance.

Almost every large city in American has a Little Italy. Sadly, some of these ethnic groupings are disappearing or shrinking. Italians began settling in Baltimore in the mid 1880s, most lured by the discovery of gold out West.

These immigrants used Baltimore as a stopping off point prior to heading westward.

About this time, the city built the President Street Railroad Station to accommodate the growing number of travelers to the area, and the Italians rather than chance a gold strike stayed to service the passengers and work in the restaurants and hotels that resulted from the Influx of people.

Because most of the Italian immigrants were Catholic, it was necessary to build a church and on September 12, 1880, the cornerstone for St. Leo the Great Roman Catholic Church was laid.

Then as now, St. Leo's remains the heart of community and in the hearts of current and former parishioners. Generations of Italians have been baptized, married, and buried from the venerable old church with its characteristic bell tower visible from everywhere in Little Italy, serving as a beacon to call the faithful.

Little Italy was threatened by the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 but prayers to St. Anthony was credited with saving the community from destruction. The annual St. Anthony Festival commemorates that,"miracle."

The Order Sons of Italy in America, dedicated to preserving and disseminating the rich cultural heritage of Italy, was founded in New York City in 1905. It is the oldest and largest Italian American fraternal organization on the North American continent.

The Order is a non sectarian, non profit and non partisan organization. Originally, its service was mainly as a unifying element for immigrants but in later years, it has been a valuable spokesman for the Italian American.

The State Lodge of Maryland was incorporated in 1920, although individual lodges had existed since 1913. Currently, Maryland has 51 active lodges located throughout the State.

The Little Italy Lodge was organized in 1972, making it one of the youngest in the family of lodges. It is one of the most active and boasts one of the largest memberships.

In the beginning, the Little Italy Lodge held its meetings and social functions on a refurbished barge docked in the harbor. But, the Lodge was forced to look for a new home when the barge sunk in a storm.

All the efforts and endeavours since that fateful night have been geared toward the construction of a new home.

Joe D'Adamo

"I can't understand why I flunked American history. When I was a kid there was so little of it." G.Burns