The Hill

The Hill section of St. Louis, now recognized as the city’s principal Italian neighborhood, was originally home to a diverse mix of early residents, including African Americans and settlers of English, German, French, and Irish descent. Beginning around 1880, many Black workers moved into the area to work in local clay mines, primarily settling in the Fairmont District near their workplaces.

By 1890, the growth of terracotta and brick industries along the Frisco and Missouri Pacific railroad tracks attracted even more laborers, creating a thriving industrial community. Two significant African American settlements emerged as the nucleus of this community: one centered near Pattison Avenue Baptist Church at 5232 Pattison Avenue, which was organized in 1897, and another near a Pentecostal Church on Sublette near Manchester.

Together, these communities supported a robust workforce, with more than 300 Black laborers employed in the factories and mines throughout the Hill area. This blend of cultural backgrounds and industries shaped the Hill’s early social fabric before it became famously known for its Italian-American heritage.