Chicago's Most Haunted: The Ghosts of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was one of the darkest days in Chicago, yet few people today seem to remember the event. For someone like me, who views the roaring 1920s as an exciting and interesting part of our past, that is a shame. The story of the St. Valentine's Day massacre is quite interesting, made even more so by the ghosts still rumored to haunt the area.

The 1920's were a strange time in Chicago's history. The city was caught in the terrifying grip of the mobsters who ruled the area with an iron first. This so-called war was made even worse by mobsters on either side of the city fighting to gain control. Al Capone was one of the leaders of the South side, while a man named O'Banion ruled the North side.

Each side was running bootleg alcohol, and each side wanted to gain control of Chicago. This eventually led to several near death experiences for all parties involved. After some time, two new leaders emerged: All Capone on the South side, and George Moran on the North side. These two men fought constantly, and things turned even darker. After Moran helped kill one of Capone's top men, Capone vowed vengeance would come on February 14.

Capone set about planning his revenge by setting in motion an elaborate hoax. One of his men called Moran to sell a large delivery of illegal whiskey. Moran agreed to the deal, unaware that Capone was behind the plan. Moran gathered a large group of his men together, and on February 14, they patiently awaited the delivery.

Oddly enough Moran skipped the meeting because he was running late. By the time he arrived at the warehouse where they planned to meet, a police car was sitting at the curb. Unwilling to take the chance of being caught, he headed to a diner down the street. What he didn't know was that the police car held five of Capone's men. The five men calmly walked inside, and opened fire.

Police arrived to find a gruesome site. The seven men had been forced to stand in a line against a wall before having machine guns turned on them. Six men were already dead, and the one man still breathing died before the end of the day. This man, Frank Gusenberg refused to give any names as to the assailants, and refused to even admit that he had been shot. Police also found one of the men's dogs, still tied to the car where his owner left him.

Capone and Moran continued to point the finger at each other for years to come. Police officials refused to blame Capone, stating repeatedly that he was out of the state at the time and could not have ordered the hit. No men were ever tried for the killings, and it served mainly to strengthen Capone's hold on Chicago.

Capone would eventually spend time in Eastern State Penitentiary where some claim he was haunted by the ghost of Jimmy Clark, one of the men killed in the St. Valentine's Day massacre. The same ghost followed him when he came back to Chicago. While staying at the Lexington Hotel, Capone often claimed to see Clark's ghost. One of his men also saw Clark's ghost, once again in Capone's room.

The building where the massacre occurred was later used for several different businesses. However, it continued to be a favorite tourist spot for people visiting the city. People were known to steal bricks and other pieces of the building, just to have something to take home with them. The building was eventually torn down, though one man salvaged some of the bricks. He later used those in the men's room of a nightclub he opened downtown.

Once the nightclub closed, the man decided to sell the bricks for $1,000 a piece. While that may seem like a lot of money, especially in the 1970's, he had a number of takers. Before long people began returning the bricks to him, without even asking for a refund. He kept hearing the same stories from his customers. They all claimed that the bricks were cursed, and that they had experienced terrible luck ever since one entered their life. No one knows exactly what happened to those bricks.

The building where the massacre occurred may be gone now, but some claim the spirits still remain. Late at night visitors claim to hear the rapid fire of old-fashioned machine guns, and the sounds of men screaming. The city planted five trees to commemorate the location of that wall. Those who walk by the place claim to experience an intense sense of dread, and sometimes fear. Dogs too are know to react negatively to the area, running in fear or barking loudly at something that isn't there.

I've been to the location myself, and I can safely say that I experienced nothing. It was interesting to see the spot for the first time, but I certainly didn't feel anything unsettling or dreadful. Then again, I've never had one of those bricks either.