Hometown History #97: The Red Onion, An Italian-Flavored Bar Room

Above, patrons at the Red Onion enjoying a good time in the bar's heyday.

October is Italian Heritage Month*

In the informal and tight-knit world of mid-century Franklin, there were plenty of places to slake a thirst. One of the more unique and best loved was the Red Onion, located at the corner of Union and Cottage Streets at “the crossing” on land owned by the railroad.

Opened in 1935 by 24-year-old Guistino “Disty” DeCecco, the working-class bar and eatery featured plenty of simple Italian foods and inexpensive beer – according to a Woonsocket Call article, sometimes sold at the price of six, six-ounce beers for a quarter. The menu typically included roast pig, chicken, sausage, and peppers.

Musicians, also often provided entertainment -- at no charge to patrons.

The place was small, one main room about 20 x 50 feet with 20 or so bar stools and half a dozen booths. Bobby DeCecco, the son of the founder, recalled having to wash out the restroom each day during his elementary school years before doing homework. And the following of the place was loyal. During World War II, in addition to writing home, many Franklin GIs sent their greetings from far-away places to the Red Onion, correspondences that were posted and preserved along the walls and sometimes supplemented by a personal autograph when a patron came home.

And the camaraderie and trust were such that Disty sometimes left the key to late night patrons with instructions to simply lock up when they were done. And despite such laxity, the cash box was never robbed.

Red Onion’s tenure on the corner was comparatively brief, closing in 1952 to make room for an expansion of the Liberty Package Store and a meat market that shared the building.

But it didn’t close before being part of a colorful event. In early October of 1949, jubilant local Yankee’s fans celebrated a decisive win over the Boston Red Sox by staging a “funeral” for the Boston team, complete with a coffin borne on a flower-bedecked flatbed truck – and plenty of boisterous New York fans. The apostates made a point of stopping at several locations to “serenade” and perhaps jeer Sox supporters. One of those special stops was the Red Onion.

Disty died in 1969 but his son, with his hard-knocks schooling in the restaurant business, teamed with another local, Ronnie Stranieri, to launch the Florentina Ristorante, a more upscale local landmark in its own right for many years.

The meat market and liquor store also eventually faded away and the building stood vacant for a few years. It was eventually torn down by the town in the early 1990s to improve sightlines for traffic coming through the intersection.

* Italian Heritage Month was established by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.

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SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES ON YESTERDAY’s ARTICLE FROM READER, JAMES FICCO:

Read with much interest your most recent article on the founding of the "Sons" of Italy Lodge.

As a forty-six-year member and Past Venerable / President, several times over I would just like to insert a few relevant parts to the article, which was very well done I might add.

The Order Sons of Italy in America known as the Supreme Lodge was created by the State of New Jersey on June 22, 1905. Officers were known as Supreme officers. In 2017 the Orders name was changed to as we know it now, the Sons and Daughters of Italy.

The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Order Sons of Italy in America was instituted on January 25, 1914 , and legally authorized by the State authorities to transact business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on January 28, 1918. Officers were known as Grand Officers.

In late 2021 Titles of both Supreme and Grand Lodge Officers were changed as they are known now.

The Quattro Eroi Lodge 1414 was chartered on March 26, 1926 .Founders included: Emando Bianckini, Augostino DeBaggis and Joseph Vipraio.

Our Great Lodge as you mentioned was named after Four World War One Hero's that paid the ultimate sacrifice for there country. They were as you had mentioned: Emilio Daddario, Alfred (Please note the change) Mucciarone, Alexander Patete, and Patrick Ristaino. I would like to add that another Franklin Italian Boy, Levi Perry also lost his life during the war due to a tragic automobile accident.