Brockway, PA: Where Italian Immigrants Once Worked the Mines

Have you heard of Brockway, PA? Have you been there? Well, we were recently, there and a few things impressed me that I’d love to tell you about.

Why were my husband and I in Brockway? Because he’s nearly 100% Italian, and he wanted to explore his roots. The Brockway area happens to be one of the places immigrants from Troia settled in the late 1800s. They were coal miners. When you think of Italian immigrants, you don’t really picture them mining coal, do you? This dangerous occupation was a way to support themselves and didn’t require them to be able to speak English or read and write. Many single Italian men came, worked, and eventually, often years later, sent for their wives and children. That is, if they lived that long. Many died in mining accidents, including my husband’s great uncle. 

Brockway is located in Jefferson County, and its largest employer is the Owens-Brockway Glass Container Company. Now, I haven’t done an in-depth study of the town’s economic health, crime statistics, education, etc. I’m just a tourist who thinks it’s a great getaway, if you like small towns. So, let’s get into the reasons that inspired me to write this post about a Pennsylvania town of only 2,000 residents. . . 

1. Connection: Everyone seems to know everyone. We spent some time at the Brockway Area Historical Society and witnessed this firsthand. Also, the people we observed know and value their history, and their family roots are deep.
2. Neighborhood Pride: We took a walk through the secondary streets in the early morning and were impressed by how well maintained the homes are. We especially loved how the life of a hundreds-year-old tree takes precedence over the pedestrian right-of-way. The massive trunk lies right in the path of the sidewalk. 
3. Maple Shade Mansion Bed & Breakfast: This is where we stayed for a night, and it is all that the Website promises and more. It seems that every guest need and want has been anticipated. From snacks in the Cherry Blossom room to a Keurig and candy in the library on the second-floor, guests can’t help but feel pampered. In the kitchen, there’s even a special cupboard containing goodies just for guests. Every corner of the mansion has been renovated. We stayed in the Anna room where the bed was luxurious and the bathroom, including the soaking tub, was first-rate with plenty of toiletries, and it was in pristine condition and cleanliness. Morning breakfast took place in the Cherry Blossom room and was served on prettily set tables. Can breakfast be both casual and elegant and filling? Yes.
4. Taylor Memorial Park: This recently revitalized park near Little Toby Creek, features a large playground, a pool, trails, fishing, a hockey area, basketball courts, baseball fields, a soccer field with grandstands, an amphitheater, and a couple of picnic shelters. This is also the site of the Brockway Area Historical Society, which also contains a museum rich with area history. Plans for fundraising to expand the museum are in the works.

What’s especially special about Brockway, is that it doesn’t its public works rival those of much larger metropolitan areas. Main Street is alive and true to its roots, there are plenty of pizzerias and Italian restaurants to choose from. So, there you have it. Towns seeking to revitalize and improve should make an appointment to speak to the mayor of Brockway to see more about the secret sauce, which makes it such a special place. The key ingredient, is of course, its people and its history.