Fairmont in Marion County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)

Pepperoni Roll

Legends & Lore

Photographed By Bradley Owen, May 1, 2021

1. Pepperoni Roll Marker

Inscription. West Virginia delicacy created by Italian families in Fairmont to feed local coal miners. Variants now popular statewide.

Erected 2019 by West Virginia Humanities Council and William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (Marker Number 57.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the William G. Pomeroy Foundation Legends & Lore Series series list.

Location. 39° 28.303′ N, 80° 10.253′ W. Marker is in Fairmont, West Virginia, in Marion County. Marker is on Country Club Road, 0.1 miles west of Barry Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1211 Country Club Rd, Fairmont WV 26554, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Fairmont State College (approx. 0.9 miles away); 200 Sycamores (approx. 0.9 miles away); East/West Stadium (approx. one mile away); Highgate Carriage House (approx. one mile away); Fairmont Normal School Administration Building (approx. one mile away); The Sesquicentennial of Christ Episcopal Church (approx. one mile away); Veterans Memorial

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(approx. one mile away); a different marker also named Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fairmont.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry. Excerpt:

The pepperoni roll was first sold by Giuseppe "Joseph" Argiro at the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1927. The rolls originated as a lunch option for the coal miners of north-central West Virginia in the first half of the 20th century. Pepperoni rolls do not need to be refrigerated for storage and could readily be packed for lunch by miners. Pepperoni and other Italian foods became popular in north-central West Virginia in the early 20th century, when the booming mines and railroads attracted many immigrants from Italy. The pepperoni roll bears a resemblance to the pasty and sausage roll, which originated in the mining communities of Great Britain, as well as the Italian calzone.

(Submitted on May 2, 2021.)

Photographed By Bradley Owen, May 1, 2021

2. Pepperoni Roll Marker

Facing west.

Roger’s and Mazza’s Mozzarella Cheese Pepperoni Roll image. Click for full size.

By Rozzell (CC ) 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

3. Roger’s and Mazza’s Mozzarella Cheese Pepperoni Roll

Credits. This page was last revised on December 14, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 1, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 342 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 1, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. 3. submitted on May 2, 2021, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.