Beaver in Beaver County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Immigration and Migration Patterns

Photographed by Craig Doda, July 3, 2021

1. Immigration and Migration Patterns Marker

Inscription. Beaver County was built by the labor of many generations of people who moved here to begin a new life. It began with the earliest pioneers who braved the wilderness and its dangers to clear the land for farms, on which they built a foundation for raising their families. As the county became industrialized, a variety of people came here to take jobs in the mills and businesses that kept growing and increasing in number as companies came here to take advantage of the abundance of our natural resources. At the turn of the 20th century, waves of immigrants from Italy and many Eastern European countries flocked to the county to join the workforces of the large steel mills located along the Ohio and Beaver Rivers. Immigrant labor continues today as new waves of immigrants enter the county to make better lives for themselves and their families.

1770s - The first large group to cross the Alleghenies and settle here were the Scotch-Irish looking for land and new opportunity. German settlers begin arriving in large numbers drawn by the mining, brick-making and glass industries. They were the largest group during this

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

period.

Early 1800s - A small but active group of Jewish settlers and free blacks settled in the county

1820/1861 - With the establishment of the Underground Railroad, many escaped slaves passed through the county on their way to Canada. Others stayed and established lives here.

Between 1840/1860-The Irish Potato Famine drove a substantial number of Irish settlers to the county.

1865/1900 - In the post- Civil War period, a number of African-Americans began moving north into this area, mostly serving in domestic and general labor jobs.

1872/1877 - Chinese laborers were brought to Beaver Falls by the Beaver Falls Cutlery Company, numbering around 200, but were gone by 1877. The bodies of those who died here were exhumed and returned to China by Chinese agents in 1890.

1880/1920 - Italian immigration began as a trickle during the first two decades with a small group settling in Rochester. With the establishment of our heavy industries, the Italians became the most numerous immigrant group in the early years of the 20th century.

Ca. 1907/1945 - The Steel industry in both Midland and Aliquippa Woodlawn

Photographed by Craig Doda, July 3, 2021

2. Immigration and Migration Patterns Marker

& West Aliquippa) attracted a wide range of immigrants from countries like Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia, Yugoslavia and other Baltic nations, and created company-planned housing for them. Eventually all countries of Eastern and Middle Europe were represented.

1915/1960 - A large number of African-Americans migrated north looking for new opportunities in the steel, mining and railroad industries that were in desperate need of laborers.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 40° 41.885′ N, 80° 17.842′ W. Marker is in Beaver, Pennsylvania, in Beaver County. It is on East End Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Beaver PA 15009, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Pittsburgh. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, and in the Ohio River Valley. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere,

Paid Advertisement

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Labor Movement and Wagner Act (here, next to this marker); Growth And Decline 1946-1985 (here, next to this marker); A New Era Begins 1986-Present (here, next to this marker); Beaver Area Heritage Foundation (a few steps from this marker); Famous Athletes (a few steps from this marker); Military Service (a few steps from this marker); African Americans (a few steps from this marker); Women in Beaver County (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Beaver.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 668 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 11, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.