Back In The Day, This Quiet Indiana Town Was A Mafia Mecca
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Courtney Johnston
Author
Chicago was well known as a bustling mafia hot spot, yet not many people are aware of the strong connection between northwestern Indiana and the mob. While stories abound about Al Capone and Michigan City or Gary, Indiana, back in the day, this quiet Indiana town was actually the real mafia mecca.
The small town of Hobart became home to an infamous mobster tied to Al Capone, Michael Carrozzo. This small town, then only home to less than 6,000 Hoosiers, offered safe haven for the mobster and his mafia allies, away from the action of Chicago, and was rumored to draw many of his friends, including Capone himself.
The rumors of gangsters roaming around this small, mostly rural town were rampant in the 1930s, and though armed guards were found to patrol the homes of the alleged mobsters, there was no way of proving Capone had any illegal interests in the town itself.
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The Carrozzo's kids went to the local school, further proof that no one in the area suspected the man with ties to the mob or Capone. He was thought to be a millionaire from Chicago who wanted to settle down in a more pastoral setting.
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Carrozzo and his family lived on 900 acres of land, that was eventually turned into a golf course (originally the Supervisor's Club and now River Pointe). Carrozzo began to come under public scrutiny when it became clear he owed the IRS over $240,000 in back taxes. Still no ties to the mob were ever proven and no evidence from his home was ever found.
Though the estate is now diminished and Hobart has grown and developed over the years, the link to Hobart's mobster past still lives on, in stories and rumors of residents and mob-enthusiasts.
How much do you know about Indiana’s mafia past? For more secrets about the Hoosier state, check out this post on 8 hidden places you may not have known existed.
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