Brier Hill

Brier Hill is a neighborhood in Youngstown, Ohio, that was once viewed as the city's "Little Italy" district. The neighborhood, which was the site of the city's first Italian settlement, stretches along the western edge of Youngstown's lower north side and encircles St. Anthony's Church, an Italian-American Roman Catholic parish. Each year, at the end of August, the Brier Hill Fest attracts thousands of visitors from Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

Early history

The area encompassing the Brier Hill neighborhood was originally owned by Youngstown industrialist George Tod, who established a farm on the district's brier-covered hills around 1801. Tod called the agricultural enterprise Brier Hill. This semi-rural area was transformed irrevocably when coal was discovered in the hills in and around Brier Hill. The district drew thousands of immigrants seeking work in the mines, and Brier Hill became Youngstown's oldest working-class neighborhood.

The first iron furnace in the district was opened by the Tod family in 1847. By the 1880s, blast furnaces and rolling mills were established in close proximity to the coal mines, a practical arrangement, given that Brier Hill mines provided coal for the mills. The surrounding neighborhood grew in tandem, as more housing was built for miners, iron workers, and their families. By the opening of the 20th century, the rapid expansion of the industry in Brier Hill had turned the area into the main entry point for Youngstown's immigrants. The largest groups were Italians, Welsh, Irish, Germans, and African Americans.

Brier Hill (disambiguation)

Brier Hill may refer to:

See also

Brier Hill (Brier Hill, Pennsylvania)

Brier Hill is a national historic district located at Redstone Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 18 contributing buildings and 75 contributing structures in the coal mining community of Brier Hill. Most of the contributing buildings and structures were built between 1902, when the community was founded, and 1937, when the mine closed. The district includes five frame double houses, the Power House, Hoist House, garage, and a number of unidentified buildings and structures.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

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