Social Life

Barre’s Italian population had lively social schedules filled with a variety of activities ranging from community gatherings, to fraternity clubs, sports teams, and aid societies. 

The Italian population in Barre was an extremely close-knit group of people and, as such, often held community events and gatherings on weekends. These included group picnics, where everyone would get together in a park or in the woods outside of town and eat food and play games for an afternoon. This was a particularly common occurrence for the families of granite workers. 

Other, more official, social groups began emerging at the beginning of the 20th century. The Italian Pleasure Club (IPC) was one such group. The IPC was established in 1906 by a group of young Italian men who wanted a space to spend their “spare hours.” The IPC became a fraternal organization that organized themed dances, charity events, and other activities for Barre’s Italian community. The IPC’s membership grew throughout the early 20th century and, eventually, the organization had four rooms in the Scampini building on North Main Street to hold their various events and activities. The lower level of the Scampini building housed Angelo Scampini's store, which was popular among the Italian community for shopping and groceries. The Scampini building still stands today on North Main street and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Another social group that catered to Barre’s Italian community was the Mutuo Soccorso, or mutual aid society, which was founded in 1906 as a community support group. The Mutuo Soccorso was responsible for providing aid like medical care and death benefits to Italian families. Initially, membership was limited to those who spoke Italian; however, over time membership requirements shifted to allow men married to Italian speaking women or women of Italian descent. 

Participating in sports was another popular pastime for the Italians of Barre. Baseball was by far the most popular activity for young men and boys. There were two competing club baseball teams made up almost entirely of Italians: the Italian Athletic Club team and the Italian Independent Club team. As a result of Baseball’s popularity amongst the Italian population, games were often widely attended by the community as well as the players' families. 

In addition to sports, other cultural activities such as art and theater were popular amongst the Italian population. The Italian Dramatic Club would often put on productions of classic shows and operas in both English and Italian. Some notable performances include Othello and the Count of Monte Cristo. 

Parades and other celebratory events also served to bring the Community together. Annual parades like the Columbus Day parade offered a chance for groups to get together and ride or march in the parade. For many, this was a chance to dress up and have fun celebrating with friends and family.