St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall - The Mob Museum (2024)

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall - The Mob Museum (1)

A commercial garage on the north side of Chicago was the setting for the most horrific shooting in Mob history, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. On February 14, 1929, seven members and associates of George “Bugs” Moran’s bootlegging gang were lined up against a wall and shot dead inside the garage at 2122 North Clark Street. Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit was widely suspected of ordering the hit, but no one was ever prosecuted. When the garage was slated for demolition in 1967, entrepreneur George Patey recovered the bricks from the wall. Three hundred of those bricks are on display here.

Learn more about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

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Although he was never prosecuted for the crime, it is widely believed that Al Capone was behind the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

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Bullet holes are still easily visible in bricks from the wall. Paint was added by previous owners to enhance them.

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The only witness to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre was a dog named Highball. He was never the same after the Massacre and had to be put down by police.

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Businessman George Patey purchased these bricks in the late 1960s before the destruction of the Chicago garage where the Massacre occurred. He tried several business ventures with the bricks, from putting them in a club restroom to selling them by mail.

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The Massacre took place at 2122 N. Clark Street in the S-M-C Cartage Company, a garage where Bugs Moran’s men hung out.

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On February 14, 1929, seven men in Bugs Moran’s gang were lined up by men in police uniforms and gunned down. Courtesy of John Binder.

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Explore more about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre here.

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News of the Massacre made headlines across the country and served as a wake-up to many Americans about the extent of organized crime’s power and violence.

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Explore the wall and explore more of how this event took place with our video.

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Thompson machine guns like this one were made popular by mobsters and were among the weapons used in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall - The Mob Museum (2024)

FAQs

Where is the St. Valentine's day Massacre wall? ›

The bricks of the north wall against which the victims were shot were purchased by a Canadian businessman. For many years, they were displayed in various crime-related novelty displays. Many of them were later sold individually, and the remainder are now owned by the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.

How many people died in the St. Valentine's day Massacre? ›

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre is a particularly bloody chapter in organized crime history. On Valentine's Day 1929, Thompson submaching guns shot and murdered seven men from Chicago's North Side Gang, headed by George Clarence “Bugs” Moran.

Is the red color on the bricks real blood if not what is it in the St. Valentine's day Massacre? ›

From their first sale in 1967 the bricks were lettered and numbered, allowing The Mob Museum to assemble and display the wall in a manner very close to the original. At some point, some of the bullet holes in the bricks were enhanced by red paint (no, it's not blood!).

Who is the most notorious gangster in Chicago, Illinois? ›

Chicago's most infamous Prohibition-era crime boss, Al Capone is best known for his violence and ruthlessness in his elimination of his rivals.

What is the current status of the St Valentine's Day Massacre? ›

Officially, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre is an unsolved crime. The Chicago police were never able to identify the perpetrators and no one ever confessed. But nobody really doubted who was behind the hit: Al Capone.

Who ordered the St. Valentine's Day massacre? ›

Although he was never prosecuted for the crime, it is widely believed that Al Capone was behind the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

What is the real story of Valentine's Day? ›

Turns out, it was a pretty common name during Late Antiquity. As far as anyone can tell, the Saint Valentine of Valentine's Day was one of two guys preaching the good word in Rome in the third century. One of these two was martyred on February 14th 269, thus giving us the date for his eponymous day.

What was the aftermath of the St Valentine's Day massacre? ›

Aftermath. The massacre marked the beginning of an end to Moran's power. However, with the gang members he had left, Moran managed to keep control of his territory until the early 1930s. The event also brought the belated and full attention of the federal government to Capone and his criminal activities.

How was the bullet evidence stored in the St. Valentine's day massacre? ›

Bullets removed from the bodies of the Massacre victims were collected in envelopes with notes on where the bullet was found. This envelope held a bullet (the larger of the two shown) removed from the lower right side of John May's back.

Why was the St. Valentine's day massacre important? ›

St. Valentine's Day Massacre, mass murder of a group of unarmed bootlegging gang members in Chicago on February 14, 1929. The bloody incident dramatized the intense rivalry for control of the illegal liquor traffic during the Prohibition era in the United States.

What happened to Jack McGurn? ›

His wife left him and he was reduced to getting involved in small-time narcotics deals, which at the time was an activity the mob forbade its members to become involved in. On February 14, 1936, McGurn was in a Chicago bowling alley when he was cornered by five hitmen who opened fire on him, killing him instantly.

Where is St Valentine's grave? ›

Relics of the martyred St Valentine are enshrined in a Dublin city-centre church, thanks to a bit of Irish charm. Every year in and around St Valentine's Day, couples from far and wide make a beeline for the Shrine of St Valentine in Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin.

What was the address of the St Valentine's Day Massacre? ›

The Massacre took place at 2122 N. Clark Street in the S-M-C Cartage Company, a garage where Bugs Moran's men hung out. On February 14, 1929, seven men in Bugs Moran's gang were lined up by men in police uniforms and gunned down.

How was the bullet evidence stored in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre? ›

Bullets removed from the bodies of the Massacre victims were collected in envelopes with notes on where the bullet was found. This envelope held a bullet (the larger of the two shown) removed from the lower right side of John May's back.

What is the Valentine's Day Massacre GTA 5? ›

The Valentine's Day Massacre Special content pack is a DLC for Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online. It's theme is based loosely on prohibition-era America, and it's title references the St. Valentine's Day Massacre that occured in Chicago on February 14th, 1929.

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