More History

Roseto Borough encourages you to submit your historical facts and photos to help us accurately archive the past and capture current events. Please e-mail your submissions to info@rosetoborough.org or mail us at Post Office Box 361, Roseto, PA 18013.

We apologize in advance if any historical statements are not completely accurate and we ask for your patience as we research and update this site.

Information obtained from:
HISTORY OF ROSETO, PA. By Ralph Basso
THE TWO ROSETOS By Carla Bianco
THE POWER OF CLAN By Stewart Wolf and John G. Bruhn
THE ROSETO STORY By John G. Bruhn and Stewart Wolf
BOROUGH OF ROSETO 75TH Diamond Jubilee Book
DON’T FORGET TO READ “QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME”
by ADRIANA TRIGIANI
And “ROSETANS” by Ann Marie Ruggiero

General History of Roseto

as prepared by Mayor Daniel Confalone

Italy's Roseto Valfortore
Roseto’s early settler’s came from a small town in Italy called Roseto Valfortore. Roseto Valfortore is on the border of the province of Foggia, on the western side of a branch of the Appennine mountain range. It lies on the small plateau against Mt. Stillo in the upper valley of the Fortore River. The town is 30 miles from Foggia, and is a typical mountain village where the climate can be cold in winter. If there is a snowfall, it usually melts by evening. Spring and autumn are mild but short, while summer is usually very hot and dry.

Looking at the history of Roseto, Italy you will see the effects emigration had on the town. In 1948 the population was 6,000 people; in 1961 the population was 3,400, and the 1968 census shows permanent residents at 1,800. Economic deprivation left the town with little hope for improvement. Emigration became the only solution which led to the settlement of our town of Roseto in America. Canada also became a settling place for a large number of Roseto emigrants.

 


Roseto Pennsylvania

Our beautiful town of Roseto, a part of the Slate Belt Area, is located in the northern corner of Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
The population in 1930 was 1,750 residents; the 2000 census shows the population at 1,653. Hopefully, we are not falling into the same trend that Roseto, Valfortore experienced with its population.

 

In the Beginning

The first eleven Roseto emigrants came to America in 1882 and in the spring of 1883 fifteen more were brought here by a medical doctor named Don Giuseppe Cardo who financed their trip. The emigrants left their homes in Roseto, Valfortore in the Province of Foggia with their hearts full of dreams of prosperity in the Promised Land.


Nicola Rosato, alias Peluso, came to Bangor and worked in the slate quarries to fulfill his ambition of owning a little house in this new country. He earned the honor of becoming one of the founders of Roseto, PA. Those claiming to be the founders of Roseto, determined by who built the first house there, were Lorenzo Falcone, Giovanni Policelli and Angelo Tedesco.
 

1882
Roseto at its beginning was 100% Italian with 95% of the population originating from Roseto, Valfortore in southern Italy. Another settling area for a number of Rosetans was the Fourth Ward in Bangor. Pen Argyl had a large group of northern Italians who came from the Venetian town of Vittorio Veneto.

1885
The first immigrants settled in Howell Town, at the outskirts of East Bangor, became slate-quarry workers, worked hard and saved money so they could bring their relatives from Italy.

1893 – 1898
In the beginning confusion, competition fights and even petty crime reigned. The older immigrants knew the unrest was due to the lack of religious authority. In the years of 1893-1897 churches were established and changed the way of life in “New Italy”.

In 1927 Roseto's first and only bank, The First National Bank opened; however, in 1933 during the Depression, the doors were closed.
 

To learn more history about our government, social life, schools, and churches please utilize the buttons at the top right corner of this page.

 

Roseto Borough

164 Garibaldi Avenue

Post Office Box 361

Roseto, PA 18013

610-588-0695

Fax 610-588-1281