From Napoli to Ashokan: Southern Italian Labor and Construction of the Reservoir at the Olive Free Library

Join Historian Steven Caselli for a presentation on the Italian immigrant laborers who constructed the Ashokan Reservoir. We will focus on the reservoir itself, the towns that were lost, and our main topic: the Italian workers. Why were they leaving? Why were they almost all from the South of Italy? How were they finding work? All these questions will be the focus of our discussion and we will take a deep dive into how these workers lived in their workers’ camp at Brown’s Station, what they did for recreation, and they legacy they left on Ulster County. A light snack of traditional Italian cookies and coffee will be served and an optional walk at Olive Bridge Dam after the presentation.