According to early records, Italian migration to Ohio dates back to the mid-1800s with a small number of families that lived mostly in or near Cleveland. By the turn of the century, the number of Italians had significantly increased to over 10,000 with many making their home in the Mahoning Valley. But what brought these Italian immigrants to an area almost 75 miles southeast of Cleveland?

In “Coal War in the Mahoning Valley: The Origin of Greater Youngstown’s Italians,” authors Joe Tucciarone and Ben Lariccia – descendents of immigrants from Italy who settled in the Mahoning Valley – present a historical account of the Italian immigrants who were brought to the area in 1873 to work in the coal mines during a labor strike.