Brier Hill facts for kids

Brier Hill is a special neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio. It was once known as the city's "Little Italy." This area was the very first place where Italian families settled in Youngstown. Brier Hill is located on the western side of Youngstown's north end. It surrounds St. Anthony's Church, a church for Italian-American Roman Catholics. Every year in late August, the Brier Hill Fest brings thousands of people to the area. Visitors come from all over Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania to enjoy the festival.

A Look at Early Brier Hill

The land that became Brier Hill was first owned by George Tod. He was a businessman from Youngstown. Around 1801, Tod started a farm on the hills here. These hills were covered in thorny bushes called "briers." So, he named his farm "Brier Hill."

This quiet farm area changed a lot when coal was found nearby. Thousands of people came to Brier Hill looking for jobs. They wanted to work in the mines. Because of this, Brier Hill became Youngstown's oldest neighborhood for working families.

The first iron furnace in Brier Hill opened in 1847. It was started by the Tod family. By the 1880s, large blast furnaces and rolling mills were built. They were placed close to the coal mines. This made sense because the Brier Hill mines provided coal for the mills.

The neighborhood grew as more homes were built. These homes were for miners, iron workers, and their families. By the early 1900s, the steel industry grew very fast in Brier Hill. This made the area the main entry point for new immigrants to Youngstown. The biggest groups were Italians, Welsh, Irish, Germans, and African Americans.

Brier Hill was a bit far from downtown Youngstown. So, it grew on its own. It built its own schools, a post office, and churches. In the early 1900s, Brier Hill had at least four churches. These included Catholic churches like St. Anthony's, St. Ann's, and St. Casimir's. There was also an Episcopal church called St. Rocco's. Brier Hill was its own village until 1900. Then, the city of Youngstown officially took it in.

Changes Over Time

Like many old city neighborhoods, Brier Hill has faced challenges. Starting in the 1950s, parts of the neighborhood were torn down. This was for "urban renewal" projects. New expressways (highways) were built.

Brier Hill lost more people when Youngstown's steel industry declined. Eventually, the steel industry completely collapsed. Today, only a few things remain from this once busy neighborhood. These include the ITAM Post (Italian-American War Veterans' Club), a bandstand, Modarelli's Salumeria, and a memorial wall.

The ITAM Post building used to be a butcher shop. It was owned by Italian immigrants Frank and Catherine Forde. Their family lived on the second floor. A concrete sign on the building says "Forde 1921."

Other Italian Communities

Many areas around Youngstown had large Italian-American populations. These included Smoky Hollow, the near East Side, East Youngstown (now Campbell), Struthers, and Lowellville. However, Brier Hill was widely known as the city's unofficial Little Italy.

Brier Hill's Famous Pizza

The neighborhood is famous for "Brier Hill pizza." This is a home-style pizza recipe. It comes from the Basilicata region of Italy. Brier Hill pizza uses a lot of thick "Sunday sauce." It also has bell peppers and romano cheese. This is different from most pizzas that use mozzarella.

Brier Hill pizza is one of the special foods Youngstown is proud of. It's like how New Yorkers love their unique thin-crusted New York-style pizza.

Connecting with Italy

Local groups like the Pro-Yo Party and the ITAM (Post 12) are working on a special project. They want Brier Hill to become a "Sister-City" or "Cugin" Community with San Pietro Avellana (Isernia). San Pietro is a small village in the Apennine hills of Southeastern Italy. Many Italian Americans in Youngstown have family roots there.

People from Brier Hill

• James Farragher, Notre Dame football team coach (1902–1903)
• Jack Scheible, Major league baseball player (1893–1894)
• David Tod, Civil War governor of Ohio (1862–1864)