BARANELLO

Baranello is a municipality in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian Region of Molise.  Baranello is located about 10 km southwest of Campobasso, 115 km northeast of Naples, and 215 km southeast of Rome.  (Map)  Baranello has an area of 24.8 km², and is bordered by the municipalities of Busso, Colle d'Anchise, Spinete, Vinchiaturo, and Bojano.  The current population is approximately 2,700.

The exact origins of “Baranello” are difficult to reconstruct, but the name was mentioned as early as the 11th century and probably derives from Vairanum, a Samnite town whose ruins can still be seen on nearby Monte Vairano.  Giuseppe Zurlo, a renowned economist and a minister in the Kingdom of Naples, was born here in 1757.  For more information, refer to the current website for Baranello, Italy. http://www.baranello.org/

FOUNDING OF THE BARANELLO LODGE

Most of the early immigrants from Baranello came to Cleveland, Ohio in the latter part of the 19^th century and the early 20^th century.  It is not know what attracted these initial immigrants to this area, but most likely it was a result of good jobs in the steel industry and construction.  Large numbers of relatives and friends from Baranello migrated to the Cleveland area until the 1960’s, with very few additional immigrants thereafter.

In the 1930’s a group of Baranellesi recognized a desire and need to form an organization that could provide a common place for people of Baranello to be together and to overcome some of the challenges faced in the new country.  As a result, "Loggia Baranello" was organized on July 28, 1935, and became incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio on July 9, 1936. 

Eventually "Loggia Baranello" became more commonly known as the "Baranello Lodge".

The original Constitution of the Baranello Lodge was approved on April 24, 1938, and was amended on April 4, 1965 and again on April 25, 1986.  The present Constitution was approved on September 29, 2000.  The mission of the Baranello Lodge is to promote a cultural and fraternal spirit among its members, and to perpetuate the heritage and traditions of Baranello.

The founding fathers of the Baranello Lodge included George Iannetta (first President), Joe Fazzino, John Manocchio and Tony Muttillo.  The first meeting of the Lodge consisted of about 35 members.  Over the years the Lodge grew to approximately 140 members, and in recent years the membership level has been steady at about 100 members.

The original meeting place of the Baranello Lodge was near an area called “Loc Spring” close to the former St. Marian Church.  In the 1950’s the Lodge purchased property at 17324 Harvard Avenue in Cleveland.  A new hall and meeting place was built and dedicated at that location on January 22, 1955.  The current home of the Lodge, at 10050 Shepard Road in Macedonia, was dedicated on February 11, 1982.