About Us
For over a century, The Italian Center of Dutchess County has served as an independent, fraternal organization dedicated to preservation of Italian culture and the celebration of Italian American ancestry in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Our mission is to foster a cultural connection among members, to preserve Italian traditions, to educate others and to enhance the image of Italian Americans in the community we serve. The Italian Center has long stood as a symbol of Italian pride for generations and continues to be an integral part of the Hudson River Valley landscape.
Our History
In 1922, a New York Charter granted a group of Italian Americans in the City of Poughkeepsie the right to organize a chapter of the National “Sons of Italy.” Just six years later, these same pioneers, broke away from “The Sons of Italy,” combined several Italian American Organizations in the area and created one separate legal entity known as “La Casa Italiana.” This is how the Italian Center was born.
At this time in our nation’s history, between 1880 and 1920, about four million Italian emigrants crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. They came in search of the “American Dream,” seeking a better life that they could never have achieved within the borders of poverty-stricken Italy.
Nearly all of these emigrants were men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five and planned to remain in the United States for a year or two before returning to Italy with money to support their families.
By 1900, more and more Italian immigrants were women and children. Families came with the hope of settling down in the United States and creating a new life that would be continued for generations to come. Many settled in New York City and developed Italian neighborhoods, which slowly grew as more Italian immigrants arrived. These “little Italy’s” blossomed in most America’s cities, including Poughkeepsie. For the most part, these immigrants were poor and semi-literate. Because of their traditions of hard work and frugality, pride forbade them from accepting public assistance, so they quickly formed into cultural clubs and social organizations that provided financial and job assistance to their members. These organizations, such as the Italian Center, also provided a social gathering place in which the culture, language and food of the mother country could be shared.
The original home of the Italian Center was a Victorian Mansion near the Hudson River, that is still a well-known landmark throughout the City of Poughkeepsie and surrounding areas. In 2022, The Italian Center moved to its current location in Wappingers Falls, New York and continues with the same purpose— to provide a social setting for people of Italian ancestry.
As an organization created solely for the benefit of Italian men, the Italian Center had a Ladies Auxiliary which helped support many of the organization’s events through the years. However, changing times called for changes to the Italian Center by laws and, in 2021, the Ladies Auxiliary dissolved and the Italian Center officially accepted its first female member. Today, The Italian Center continues to evolve to meet the needs of a changing community. Its survival is a testament to the resilience and dedication of its Italian American members.