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ries Nary Tamest
65 Barre St.
Montpelier, Vt,
A RETfltEL SITED COMER
Zoe Palingetti is an unmemelly large men. big in bone
structure and heavy in herd* firm flesh. A twinkle havered
in his brown eyes as he said. In the old ooantry mod when
I was small boy they used to mill me IplooOlo gigentet ur.
that's ...23,01amt in our Email= dialseW
Joe vas clean Women* well clad from neat tweed suit
to Shining brown *hoes,' An ismigrent, one of Barre's best
liked Italiam-Amerieen °Attains* a sue00001,21 granite and
business men. now retired. To lounged an a mieher settee
an the broad porch overlooking a limn that stretahed 75
feet of clipped green to the busy North Mein Street, Across
the street were a grocery store and beer garden; next door*
a furrier establishment; to the right an automobile show
room; but here were dhrubs, flowers* lawn, green and quiet.
"This would be fine for a business building,' Joe admitted*
"I've often thought of building. and /five been given some
fine offers for selling* but I don't seem to mant to let
go of it. I like it here. It's near my son's business.
I own that business bloc* across the street, my son rune
one of the stares. The two upper stories are apartments.
It's nice living nearby* I suppose when I'm gone the boy
will sell this place. tie and his wife and little girl live
with us, There's a good iron fence separating our leen
from the street, but be says it's no place for a child
to play.," .Toe Amid. "Guess be forgets be grew up here
and played bore himself* he and his two sister*.
19835
1.
hen we built this house 1 planned it after my old
hem in Parma* but larger and not of natural one as you
so°. That's where I was born, in the Imilian country, in
Parma* just 55 miles north of ik)logna. You've hoard of
the old Ewan road, the Via emilia„ it runs through our
city. Fifty-five miles isn't much of a distance in this
country, it isn't in the old country nous but these days
we didn't travel much, I never saw Bologna until Iwas
out of school and vorhing. here the young people think
nothing of driving CO or 70 miles for an evening's dances
they wouldn't thin% of it over there, although they are
becinninc to travel more for fun's sake. :-Iutomobiles and
goo0 roads make a great differonce.
"There were five boys and two girls in mu family.
Two of oy brothnrc have 7,one to California, I saw them
last throe years ago when the three of us took a trip to
the old country. 1,7- faller owned a small silk mill in
Parma, I couldn't see a future in it for myself. Ue'd
made money, but MDVC up-to-date and larder mills were
going up fast. There was too mnnh competition for an old-
fashioned mill. ::13en I finished school I an education
equal to that of a sophomore in our :alerican high schools•
There's some granite and marble near Parma, I was interested
in it,- in the carving. served a five your apprentice-
ship and then came here to Barre. I'd already had a
little money saved, I bought a eled with two Italian fellows
who'd been worIrtng here a few yearn. They were Lest and
l'eletti, both countrymen of mine, and both from Parma.
They were good carvers. Between the three of up we lout out
cone r!oed statues in those early years.
"I married a Barre widows that was after I'd been in
the cranito business about four years. Fbeld come from the
Piedmont section of northern Italy. Oho hail children, two
little Tirls„ and owned a grocery store and block that were
heavily morteaged It was hard taking care of two businesses,
and since she dreaded the dancers and sicuneas that are al-
ways facinc stonecutters, she urged no to sell my share of
the Shed and nanace her business. I Wylie it was a wise
step. uitb the money from the shed I paid off a good part
of the mortgage on her property. ;e were both thrifty, we
built up a cood store business. When I was veil ahead and
rly con had finished school be graduated from NerwiC14-
I lot bin manage the store. Just a for: yearn aco I cot out
of tc business entirely and turned it over to the boy. He
and his wife run the store now.
"?7y two step-dau8hters are married. One is living in
Vircinia, her husband teaches there. hc other married an
:tallan from ;ow Jersey, hots in the insurance business.
They're living in l'Arre. doth girls taud:t 7.1ere at F!pauld-
ir before they married.
"I'm pretty well acquainted with the Italians in ame.
I've noticed that there are certain .7roups that come from
the sane locality in Italy. Like myself, for inat_mce.
„oci and ,7oletti wrote to their friends back hone that there
vas =my in the Granic business here. That interested
I wrote to tile and when they answered t:lat there were Good
openinc,s here, well, I came. You'll find a great many herc
frm Turin or the surroundinc country, and of course several
from the marbae districts of Carrara. There's one group
that lived in Central Italy, near Dome. Their experience
Les cuthered in the soft stone quarries. This stone is of
volcanic origin, and used chiefly in building. The quality
uf the stone hae a Great deal to Co with the artistic skill
of the over. They diC little statue cutting or carving
over there, they do little here. The real artists wore from
the northern country where they worked a harder granite and
marble.
'.oat of the granite workers try to hoop their sane
out of the sheds. If they have the =nay, they prepare
them tor some profession. rioday in Darre I'm speaking
only of Italians now there arc two lawyers and two young
Cocors vilme father, were in the Granite bun/noes. Se
of the! youn fellow's have to co into the business in spite
of thonselves. 'here are few opportunities here for young
hih school r:;raduates, many of tiler have to find wort: in
other towns. It's a serious business when suCh a Large
.Dercontace of the younger clonent pours out of the town
year after year."