by Marc Theiss

Located 50 miles north of Pittsburgh in Lawrence County, New Castle is home to one of the densely-concentrated Italian-American populations in America. According to the New Castle News, during the years of 1890 to 1921, it is estimated that western Pennsylvania served as the new home for over 100,000 Italian immigrants in search of "pane e lavoro," Italian for "bread and work."

These Italian immigrants established all of the trades that served as the foundation of western Pennsylvania, New Castle in particular. These trades included coal mining, rail work, masonry, and work in the tin mills. However, there were a select few immigrants who arrived with a different skill set; the pyrotechnic trade.

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Source: http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/