# Celeste Anne Morello

Celeste A. Morello is an American historian and criminologist specializing in the studies of the Mafia in the Philadelphia area. Recognized along with her prolific record as a nominator of buildings and artwork with the Philadelphia Historical Commission, to date, she has nominated the most Pennsylvania historical markers approved by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Morello has been called one of "the most active preservationists in the city".

## Background

Born in Norristown Pa; resides in Philadelphia. Morello's Before Bruno: The History of the Philadelphia Mafia (Published by Jefferies and Manz, Philadelphia) is the history of the Mafia in the Philadelphia area from 1880 to 1959 when Angelo Bruno became boss of the Philadelphia crime family. Morello spent 15 years in research, during which time she personally interviewed over a dozen members of the American Mafia. Morello is "The only historian and criminologist in the United States specializing in Mafia history who is the descendant of the first Mafiosi in New York City, New Orleans and suburban Philadelphia."
She is also known for her work successfully applying for the placement of historical markers in Philadelphia.
In 1978, as a student at Loyola University, in Rome, Italy Morello visited with relatives in Sicily, where she became acquainted with the Sicilian Mafia in her family's history. From this, Morello posited the "Medieval Origins" of the Mafia.
Morello's books have been used in university courses about organized crime.
Her research was referenced in the Montgomery County Commission's decision about the Schuylkill County Prison.

## Education

Honors program, Chestnut Hill College (Philadelphia): art history (magna cum laude) and classical civilizations (cum laude) 1980; master's in sociology/criminology at St Joseph's University (Phila.) 1994; master's in history at Villanova University, 2000. Certification, Paralegal studies, Villanova University. Licensed Realtor, 1982 to 1985. Morello also learned much from the Organized Crime Strikes Force of the U.S. Attorney's Office under Deputy Chief Prosecutor Albert C. Wicks.

## Historical markers

As of 2022, Morello had submitted around fifty historical markers that had been voted on by the Philadelphia Historical Commission, and over forty more than had not yet received a vote.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission nominations and approved: 1. St. Augustine Church (Philadelphia) 2. St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Church 3. Gianinni family 4. Frank Gasparro 5. Mario Lanza 6. Eddie Lang 7. Joe Venuti 8. Tommy Loughran 9. Eddie Gottlieb 10. Harvey Pollack 11. Rabbi Israel Goldstein 12. St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 13. Old St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church 14. Old St. Joseph's Church 15. Commodore John Barry 16. Philadelphia Zoo 17. American Bandstand 18. John Wanamaker 19. Mother's Day 20. Nicola Monachesi 21. Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania 22. Christian Street Hospital 23. South 9th Street Market 24. Benjamin Rush 25. Mathew Carey 26. Connie Mack 27. The Barrymore Family 28. Shibe Park 29. African American Baseball 30. Roy Campanella 31. Moyamensing Prison 32. Eastern State Penitentiary 33. Maxfield Parrish 34. W.C. Fields 35. Haym Solomon 36. House of Industry 37. Vincent Persichetti 38. The Mischianza 39. Palumbo's 40. Philadelphia Italian Market 41. Pat's Steaks 42. Samuel V. Merrick 43. Jewish Hospital of Philadelphia 44. The Trial of Hester Vaughan
A historic designation for Angelo Bruno's home was not approved.

## Books By Morello

* Philadelphia Italian Market Cookbook ISBN 0967733405 ISBN 978-0967733401
* Beyond History -The Times and Peoples of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, 1843 to 1993. ASIN: B0006EZ4VA
* Before Bruno: The History of the Mafia in Philadelphia. Publication date: 4/28/2000, ISBN 9780967733418
* Before Bruno: The History of the Philadelphia Mafia, 1931-1946. Publication date: 11/28/2001, ISBN 9780967733425
* Before Bruno and How He Became Boss: The History of the Philadelphia Mafia, Book 3--1946-1959. Publication date: 8/28/2005, ISBN 9780977053209
* Philadelphia's Italian Foods (Buchanan, 2006)
* Philadelphia Cooks Italian (Buchanan, 2010)
Villanova University Digital Library ("Celeste Morello Collection") Also refer to nominations at Philadelphia Historical Commission.