113 Years of History
Italian immigrants left Genoa, Italy because increasingly high taxes, overcrowding, food shortage, political unrest and unpopular colonial wars were terrorizing their lives. They came to America to begin again.
The steamer Chateau Iquem left Genoa on November 14, 1895, with 98 families and arrived at New Orleans, Louisiana on November 26, 1895. The Kaiser Wilhelm II left on December 17, 1896, with 72 families and arrived at Ellis Island, New York on December 29, 1896.
A New York millionaire and philanthropist.Austin Corbin, conceived the idea of establishing a colony in Southeast Arkansas at Sunnyside in Chicot County. The plan was to sell land to colonists in 10- and 12- acre tracts for a small payment with deferred payments extending over many years. Prince Ruspoli, an Italian Nobleman, who was an owner of a big block of the stock in the Sunnyside Company favored the idea, as did other Italians interested in the concern.
The colonization was pushed through with zeal. In a short time, a large number of Italian peasants or small farmers living in the Alpine region of Italy had closed contracts to purchase land at Sunnyside and were getting ready to embark for this country. The first group arrived at Sunnyside Plantation on December 4, 1895, followed by a second group on January 5, 1897. These people purchased the 12 1/2 acre tracts at an acre or in all. They were to pay down and the payment of the balance was to extend over 20 years at 5% interest. The colony numbered around 700 people. The outlook was cheerful, though now and then a note of discontent was heard. The colonists had expected to grow small fruits and vegetables, but due to the lack of facilities for rapid transportation, they could not do this.
They were forced to cultivate cotton and corn, crops about which few, if any of them, had any knowledge. Unaccustomed to the humid climate, plagued by malarial mosquitoes, many became sick and died that first winter. Of the 100 families who had first arrived, 125 members died in the first year. Some who had money went back to Italy; others to South America. It was explained to them that with the building of a railroad westward from Sunnyside, berries and other crops could be raised. Just when the hopes of the colonists in this regard were the highest, fate imposed and shattered their hopes and dreams. News of Austin Corbin’s accidental death in June 1896, brought the colonists near panic. His heirs took no interest in the colony. The drainage project which he had started stood unfinished and mosquitoes swarmed from the swamps. Coping with malaria, unfamiliar crops and rough treatment by the overseers, they lost hope.
August found the Italians with a harvest to celebrate with a mass of Thanksgiving in the little Church. They sang and danced. The women served the tastiest meals their meager provisions would allow. From that first frolic in the woods in 1898 stemmed the Tontitown Festival of today. John Pozza established the first general store and post office in May 1900. An actual grape vine grew across the front of the building. By now, the Italians had established their farms, with strawberries and truck gardens of all kinds. The men worked together to build a church, dedicating it on November 18, 1900. Within six years, Tontitown’s farms were profitable, and several businesses were established. As word spread of the Italian integrity and proficiency, the Americans learned from their methods of cultivation. The Italians had earned their due respect. “Though apples were the unit of their economy, grapes were the crop of their hearts.” It was good that Tontitown had that second cash crop, for in 1904, scale attacked the orchards. They tried everything they knew to do, but their trees continued to die. They brushed lye soap onto the trunk and branches. It helped, but was very slow. From that time on, the apple declined as Tontitown’s major crop. With the biggest part of the apple orchards ruined, Father Bandini suggested that they expand their back-door grape arbors to commercial vineyards. By 1911, they had formed the Tontitown Grape Growers Association. Two years later, the first shipment of four carloads of Tontitown grapes were made.
Tontitown families worked hard and played hard. Their festivities always
included music. Father Bandini led the Tontitown Band, which became
well-known. The St. Joseph’s Church was busy and supported the opening
of St. Mary’s School and Convent in 1906, first under direction of
Ursuline Sisters and two periods by the Sisters of Mercy. May 16, 1905
was a day of honor as the Italian Ambassador to the United States, Baron
Edmondo Mayor des Planches visited Tontitown. Both Italians and
Americans greeted him. Ambassador Mayor des Planches was overwhelmed
with the abundance of fruit and other crops, and how well accepted his
people were now in this part of America. “It was a day of celebration,”
his Excellency wrote to Italy, “that here at last were Americans who had
recognized the value of my people, such as it really is, and to love
it. I could not restrain my tears, but they were tears of joy. They
celebrated with a banquet, with both rare and abundant
fruits,home-cooked Italian dishes and wine made by Italian methods.
Everything that was served at the table was made in Tontitown. The next
two decades saw much growth in Tontitown. On June 28,1906, the citizens
of Tontitown published a souvenir newspaper called L’AVVENIRE, which
sold for ten cents a copy. It included ads for the following
Tontitownbusinesses: • (Felix and Peter) Ardemagni Brothers Winery •
John Bash - Miller • Eustacchio Cortiana - Shoemaker • Domenico Danzero -
Tontitown Wine & Fruit Distilling Company • Joe Fiori - Cooperative
for dairy and lime kiln • Adriano Morsani - Mason • Emilio Morsani -
Builder and contractor • Memo Morsani - Agent of several nurseries •
James Neale - Hotel • Peter Pianalto - Mechanic, blacksmith, mason and
carpenter • Pozza E. Maestri - General merchandise • Mrs. Josephine
Maestri and Miss Rose Bastianelli - Millinery Store • Giuseppe Taldo -
Fine vineyards and wine.
1909 - Father Bandini Elected Mayor
Tontitown was incorporated in 1909 and Father
Bandini elected mayor. By that time, Italian holdings had increased to
over 1400 acres. The Kansas City and Memphis Line ran a spur through
Tontitown with the depot completed in 1912. The Golden Lion Hotel, Frank
Baudino’s store and cafe, and the Strabala Blacksmith Shop opened. Leo
Maestri’s store was now the new post office, Josephine Maestri was the
new postmistress. Parcel Post was added in 1913, and the Bank of
Tontitown was founded, then moved to Elm Springs a year later.
Tragedy struck in December 1916, when Father Bandini had a stroke.
Although it was thought that he was improving, he died on January 2,
1917, and was buried in Tontitown. He was missed both in the Tontitown
people’s homes and church lives, as well as their business councils. As
an earlier colonist once wrote, “He had ruled us with a double glove,
through which we felt the iron finger.”
A Spaghetti Dinner, Basement of St. Josephs School.
l-r; Olivia Taldo Roso, Julia Ceola Brunetti, Shortie Fuqua Cortiana,
Norina Mantegani Stoffi, Vivian Haney Morsani, Violet Haney Ardemagni,
Albina Mantegani Gasparotto, Annie Sabatini Collins.
Photo courtesy
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
1944 - New Church Dedication
St. Joseph's was dedicated October 27, 1944 while Rev.
L.H. Schaefer was pastor. Tontitown was blessed again with prosperity
as new gas wells were discovered and other businesses established.
Father Schaefer opened a mission in Siloam Springs and in 1948, a new
rectory was completed. Bountiful grape harvests made the annual Grape
Festival a true Thanksgiving celebration. Grapes were even flown to
President Truman in 1947. For the 1942 Festival, the practice of
selecting a queen and court was revived. The means of selection varied
over the years, but usually votes by selling tickets all over the area
to offer a grand prize. The young ladies worked hard for the honor of
representing the Tontitown Grape Festival. The St. Joseph Society had
been busy during the last several years, By 1940, they had erected a
beautiful outdoor crucifixion group, statue and altar over the grave of
Father Bandini and in 1949, installed iron gates at the cemetery. Eleven
years later, the monument to him was rebuilt, and on August 24, 1953 it
was dedicated by Bishop Albert L. Fletcher.
1950 - Tontitown Mercantile and Post Office Bring Notoriety
Late in 1950, a new, modern fully air-conditioned
building was completed that housed Tontitown Mercantile and the post
office. At that time, the Tontitown Post Office had the distinction of
being the only air-conditioned and international unit in the state. A
special act of Congress set up this office as one of the few in the
nation authorized to handle international money orders. Another
distinction of this post office is that during its existence, only eight
people held the position of postmaster - the last of Italian descent
being Jettie Franco, postmaster from January 1968 to October 1992. For
years in the community, there was a baseball team and Bocci court. In
1951-52, the love of sports produced the Tontitown Midget Grapers - a
grade school football team under the direction of Father Thomas Stauder,
Assistant Pastor. The spotlight was again on Tontitown, when on June
24, 1956, a second ambassador from Italy, Manilo Brasio, arrived here to
visit with the residents of this oldest Italian settlement in America.
The Ambassador was greeted in Tontitown by Mayor Harry Sbanotto and
Reverend Jesse C. Chaney. As all who visit the community, he was
favorably impressed with the outstanding vineyards, the industrious
people, and the fine meals.
St. Joseph's Today
Tontitown Fire Department
Meanwhile, Father Pietro Bandini had been sent to America to help these immigrants. Bandini was of good birth and highly educated. He was passionately involved in the plight of improving the lives of his fellow Italians. He organized the St. Raphael Society to work with the Immigration Service in New York. Hearing of the conditions at Sunnyside, Bandini came to Arkansas to help. Father Bandini remembered traveling through the Ozarks where the terrain was high and dry; a place where the sick could regain their health, and colonists could cultivate crops that were more familiar.
He convinced 18 families to wait while he secured land. He found a farm near Springdale that an American, William Woods, was selling for two or three dollars an acre because he couldn’t cultivate the stony land. The Giovanni Battista Bariola family was the first to follow Father Bandini in January 1898. By March, at least 40 families had arrived.
They came by coach singing the same songs theyhad once sang on the voyage from Italy: “Quando da Napoli Fra Suoni e Canti Vengano dalI’Italia Due Cari Amanti . . .” translated “When from Naples, amid music and song, we departed from Italy . . . They bought the land on mortgage, dividing the farm and a few other small parcels in 10-acre tracts for each family. That first winter, the familieshuddled in a few wood and mud huts. The men worked in the mines of Oklahoma, while the women did their best to make homes of those huts. Every dollar the men made in the mines was used to save the mortgages that were very close to foreclosure. A few thousand rabbits caught in traps were the only food for the community. The local Americans gave no help, in fact boasting they would oust the Italians the first year. By late spring, the community began planting their first crops of vegetables and fruit. They began to cultivate one acre of land, placing grape vines on it. They planted the fig and chestnut trees from their native Italy, and the American apple tree. The fig and chestnut trees died during the first year, but the apples prospered.
Day by day, from dawn to late night, each man attended to his acreage, trying to improve the land, while working for his richer American neighbors. From Italy, they received willow branches with which they tied the grape vines, and in each vineyard planted one of these trees. The Italian Willow, which does not bring rust to the grape, as wire does, nor cut it, can be used repeatedly for tying without breakage. Father Bandini was officially appointed pastor. They named the colony Tontitown for Henri De Tonti, the first Italian and LaSalle’s Chief Lieutenant, who had established the first white colony in Arkansas. During the latter part of May, disaster struck as a tornado destroyed the top portion of a log home, killing Gaetano Gilante. But soon after came new life, when the first baby, Virgil Pozza, was baptized July 17, 1898. Families began building separate log homes. An old school at the crossroads was reopened where Miss Brady, a teacher from St. Louis, taught the children English and mass was held on Sunday. Legend has it that Indians set fire to this building, but Father Bandini, seeing the flames was able to extinguish them before the building was destroyed. A picture of St. Joseph was left untouched on the scorched back wall, so the church was named for this Saint. After a most stern warning from Father Bandini to their unfriendly neighbors, peace began to reign in the newly developed community of Tontitown. Antagonism gave way to a new respect for a people who refused to be pushed around.
Photo courtesy Dorothy Bersi Kever/Tontitown Historical Museum
Father Bandini and other settlers in front of the
Tontitown Post Office.
Photo courtesy Tontitown Historical Museum/Bastianelli Collection
1920's - Tontitown's Connection to Church and Each Other
The St. Joseph parish encouraged their young people to consider vocation to the church. (See additional story on page 63.) From Joe Lazarri’s family, Irene became Sister Rosaire in 1925. She was followed by Edmund John, Agnes (Sister Teresina), and Robert. Also from Tontitown were Josephine Perona (Sister Xavier) and Clara Pellin (Sister Eugenia). The Sisters of Mercy had returned in 1924 to administer the highly respectedSt. Joseph convent and school. In January 1927, the building and musical instruments were destroyed by fire. Immediately the parish began rebuilding and completed it by September. A few years later, it became Tontitown Public School, where elementary through 9th grade were taught regular curriculum by the nuns. During these years, Tontitown grew both innotoriety and size with new businesses, such as Morsani Cannery and Ardemagni’s Pioneer Grape Nursery. Tontitown had been holding their Grape Festivals for approximately 25 years now. It had grown to include Holy Mass, booths, games, as well as carnivals provided by White River Red, a dance, sometimes a pageant, and of course that wonderful Italian food. This festival began to draw a crowd from surrounding communities and was quite well known. In 1925, when Welch’s had begun processing grapes, Springdale Civic Club held a regional festival called the Ozark Grape Festival. Since it was well attended, they planned a major celebration in 1926. Queens were selected by vote from over fifteen towns, or provinces, as they were called back then. Then these queens were selected by lot to preside over the festival. Lavinia Morsani of Tontitown was chosen. The Springdale workers found the undertaking too much work, and by 1932, Tontitown was again the only community providing a Grape Festival. That year they expanded to a three-day event, and for the first time in their festival, selected a Queen by vote, Albina Montegani. This festival had music programs, boxing contests, a rodeo, baseball games, the traditional dance and meals. This was also the year that Tontitown began to serve those famous Italian Spaghetti dinners to the public.
Church being rebuilt in 1939
1946 Baseball Champions
Photo courtesy Tontitown Museum/Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
1960’s and 70’s - Tontitown Growth Continues
Sixty years after Father Bandini came to the Ozarks, the town chartered a Knights of Columbus Council named in his memory. The Tontitown men had so much pride in their ability to grow mustaches they created the Whiskers Club in 1966. About this time, growth required a telephone exchange be installed by Southwestern Bell Telephone. Also, the parishioners found the growth of the Annual Grape Festival and the other church and city activities required a larger and more modern parish hall. Under Rev. Joseph S. Quinn’sdirection, it was built by October 1966. The need for a water system was again shown when the old Perona Milling Co. (leased by Arbor Acres) and the Corner Cafe & Tavern (operated by George Hartman)caught fire on April 13, 1965. Mayor Harry Sbonotto worked to obtain this and the dream was finally realized in 1972. Tontitown notoriety was quite evident when CBS came to town in August of 1971. They filmed parts of the Grape Festival including grape judging, Gov. Dale Bumpers crowning Queen Concordia, and spaghetti dinners. The television crew also interviewed some longtime residents and Rev. Quinn. They also filmed grape processing at Welch’s. Howard Stringer, the producer, said the documentary was intended to contrast events and activities of life in Tontitown and some Italian communities in New York with a small community in Italy. During the sixties, the Sisters of Mercy experienced a shortage of vocations, preventing them from staffing St. Joseph’s School without help from Springdale’s School System. By 1977, they had to turn the school over completely. The students and community sadly said goodbye to their beloved nuns, like Sister Adrianne who taught past the age of 70. Aleta Mabry and Donna Talbott, from the Springdale School System, were two teachers who stayed through 1987 when the Tontitown School closed. People of the community felt like a part of the town died when the Tontitown School closed its doors.
Soon after, another blow to the community was the closing of Welch’s. Although there had been a decrease in grape production in the area as sons and daughters chose from the wide range of careers available, many farmers still depended on the grapes as their main source of income. They were again forced to use their Italian ingenuity and perseverance. Some found newmarkets to ship their grapes while others started new businesses. Well known restaurants, Mary Maestri’s and Venesian Inn, were thriving. Other businesses included: construction companies, carpet, tile, marble, trucking service, and auto repair stations. An industrial park had started on the south side of Hwy. 412.
1979 - Tontitown Area Fire Department FormedAnother result of growth was the formation of the Tontitown Area Fire Department (TAFD) in November 1979. The department had modest beginnings operating with used and homemade equipment built by the firefighters themselves. Today, with the addition of a new combination rescue/pumper truck in 2003, the fleet of trucks includes two pumper engines, one water tanker, two brush-fire trucks, and two rescue units. TAFD has the capacity to haul a total of 5750 gallons of water to fire incidents. It serves a response area of 40 square miles that includes Tontitown and Elm Springs. The department is primarily funded through the voluntary sale of subscription memberships to property owners of the area. Additional revenue is earned through the fund raising activities of the firefighters such as the annual fireman’s pancake breakfast. Approximately 300 calls are answered per year by the fire department, 75% of which are medical in nature.
Tontitown Today
Tontitown is a thriving community with a
richheritage and strong spirit. The St. Joseph’s parishioners built a
new, larger church dedicated in October 1994. The Italian Immigrant, a
bronze staue honoring our Italian ancestors and Father Bandini, was
placed in front of City Hall and dedicated in 1998.An addition to City
Hall, which was first built in l974, was dedicated in 2001. It now has a
beautiful city park includingan improved ball field. playground
equipment, and, to preserve their Italian Heritage, a Bocci court.
Around the outer edge of the park, Father Joe Correnti’s 1/3 Mile
Walking Trail was dedicated in 2004 to honor our beloved priest and
friend. Businesses continue to prosper on the north and south sides of
Hwy 412. And, in 2004, growth and annexation doubled the size of
Tontitown. The Italian Americans of this small city are very proud of
their 106-year heritage. They know they have the respect of people both
here and in their mother country. They have always overcome adversity
with integrity, intelligence and hope for a greater future. They are
sure to grow and prosper during the next 100 years.
