In 1914, Angelo Vespa came to America from Italy to New York City. Railroad work brought him north, where he set roots in Watertown, NY. He married Carmella Pacella and had 5 children (3 boys and 2 girls.) Carmella died at 33. He re-married 6 years later to Rose Genito and had 4 children. He made his early living delivering wood, manure, and sand to local area businesses and residents during the 1920’s & 1930’s. In the early 1940’s, Angelo started the sand business, located on Route 12, Gifford Street Road, in Jefferson County. He hand shoveled and delivered his products with a small dump truck.
In 1942, Angelo’s sons Louie, John, Anthony, and Jim worked for their father’s business. (John was 16 years old). During this period, the sand was shoveled from the Eastman Tract (now Southwick’s Beach). John would shovel the product by hand into their small dump truck for delivery to the New York Air Brake’s foundry. Upon delivery, John would shovel the sand by hand through an open window onto the factory floor.
A foreman and John played softball together and told him he didn’t have to shovel the sand through foundry window. The foreman’s offer kept John shoveling sand at the tract all day long, because Angelo bought a second truck.
In 1946, Angelo located the business on the corner lot of Gifford Street & Gotham Street. All the product was shoveled by hand. He also made masonary blocks with a small mold. Throughout the 1950’s they purchased heavy equipment and entered site contracting business. In 1962, John started doing more site excavation (Watertown Daily Times, City Hall, WWNY) and became primarily a site contractor. In 1966, Angelo, John and Jim bought Overlook Drive property where the current operations are located. In the early 1970’s, after college, Jon joined his father’s business. John was doing mostly site work and aggregate delivery. In 1974, John did the site work for the Nichols Plaza (currently Raymour & Flannigan plaza).
In 1977 John purchased the sand operations in Felt Mills, and in 1987, opened the limestone quarry on Overlook Drive Town of Watertown. John and his son purchased new crushing equipment and offered a wide variety of product to the North Country.
In 1989, John passed away. Jon took over the business and expanded operations opening “Arsenal Stone” in the town of Hounsfield on Old Rome State Road in 1992. Today, the family business is operated by Jon, his son John Michael Vespa, sister Kathy Moran, and his mom Dorothy Vespa. For over 70 years, the Vespa family has been delivering aggregate products to the North Country.