The first Italians arrived in the North End in the 1860s when the political and economic situation in Italy had become untenable. Their numbers grew here in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Most were unskilled laborers and lacked the ability to speak English. They faced severe discrimination and took what jobs were available with their limited resources.

The North Bennet Street Industrial School within the North End offered classes in the trades to these new immigrants. Many of the first arrivals worked as vendors of fruits and vegetables. Later they acquired work in commercial fishing, shipping, and in construction building subways.