DescriptionPietro and Maria Botto, skilled textile workers, and their two year old daughter Albina emigrated from Biella, Italy to America in 1892. Pietro, a weaver, easily found work in New Jersey's textile mills. In 1907, after 15 years of weaving, and the birth of three more daughters (Adelia born in 1894, Eva born in 1895, and Olga born in 1899), the Botto family had saved and borrowed enough money to buy a parcel of land (100 x 125) in Haledon and build their own home.

In this photo, four women appear on the porch of the Botto family new home at 83 Norwood Street, while workmen are at the side of the house leveling the grounds by hand. The house is a large 12-room, two-story cement block structure with wooden shutters, a front and back porch, and a balcony. When newly built, it was equipped with water closets (small rooms with toilets) on each floor, sinks with running water, a slate platform in the kitchen for a stove, a cesspool 25 feet from the house for sewerage, and a gas line (for heat and light). The house had no electric service in 1908, which was true of most working families' homes. Soon after the Botto family moved into their new home, they added a grape arbor, clay bocce court, chicken coop, fruit and vegetable garden, and root cellar.

Time PeriodThe Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)

Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3348MBC

CollectionAmerican Labor Museum/Botto House National Landmark Period Rooms and Artifacts

Organization NameAmerican Labor Museum/Botto House National Landmark

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