Thoney Pietro (born Ferdinando Pitassi, Mar. 1 1877 - 1972) was born in Italy and became an apprentice to his grandfather, a stonemason, at the early age of seven. So when he immigrated in 1895 to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area as a young man of only eighteen, he was already a skilled stonemason. In America, he became Thoney Pietro for an immigration officer was unable to pronounce his name. His chosen surname, Pietro, reflects both his connection to Italy and knack for stonemasonry, for "pietra" means stone in Italian. In fact, Pietro’s bricklaying skills were so advanced, that his co-workers timed him and found he laid 136 bricks per minute, on average, for over eight hours. ^[1] Pietro’s knowledge and obvious prowess as a stonemason allowed him to prosper in America starting a successful company and building many still standing bu.

In 1911, Pietro and his wife took a trip along the river up to Fairmont, West Virginia and seeing Morgantown, West Virginia made him nostalgic for home, so he moved his family there to set up home and work. ^[1] He started a contracting business with his brothers in Morgantown, the Pietro Paving and Construction Company, and became very successful in the Morgantown area and beyond. ^[1]

By the mid 1920’s Pietro’s company had offices outside of Morgantown that extended into Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He and his men graded, paved, and constructed roads, laid sewage lines, and installed drainage systems. He contributed to many of the roads and buildings in which people who live in Morgantown still know and use today. They worked on High Street, Spruce Street, University Avenue, Brockway Avenue, Richwood Avenue, and many others. To see his work today, some of the many places one could go to are Park Street in South Park where his bricks are still exposed, the Morgantown High School athletic field, his castle Pietro's Castle, his home on Kingwood Street or many other places in the Morgantown area. ^[1] The fact that all these places still stand is a testament to Pietro and his company's craftsmanship. Pietro’s widespread success in his company contributed allowed him to pay his employees twice the regular pay for the time, so his men received around $2 per day.