Al Capone's Grave at Mount Carmel Cemetery

Meet us where legends end

He was known as “Scarface” by the press, “Big Fellow” or “Snorky” to his associates, and “Public Enemy No. 1” to the Chicago Crime Commission. No matter what you call Al Capone, or what you think of the legendary mob boss and bootlegger, he left an indelible impression on Illinois.

The legendary story of Al Capone ends at the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside where a humble stone flush with the ground reads: Alphonse Capone, 1899-1947, “My Jesus Mercy”.

A large gravestone proclaims “Capone” for all of the family, including Capone’s mother, father, and brother.

Hillside was not the original burying place for the majority of the Capone family. The remains of Al Capone as well as his father, Gabriel, and brother, Frank, were removed from their original burial place at Chicago’s Mount Olivet Cemetery after Capone’s mother, Teresa, died. They joined her in Hillside due, in part, to vandalism of the original Capone gravesite in Chicago.

The resting place for the Capone family in Hillside is peaceful. You’ll find visiting the Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery to be a beautifully reflective experience despite the juxtaposition of the violence associated with Al Capone.

“Fun” fact: While Al Capone is widely associated with the notorious St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929 that ended the lives of seven associates of Capone’s bootlegging rival “Bugs” Moran, it is tax evasion for which the mobster was convicted. He went on to be one of the earliest prisoners at the federal penitentiary of Alcatraz.

Capone served his time and lived the last of his years quietly in his home in Palm Island, Florida. He died there in January of 1947 due to complications from syphilis.

If you want to learn more about some of Al Capone's highest ranking henchmen, follow this link to the Oak Park River Forest Gangster tour "There Goes the Neighborhood" conducted by Historian John Binder."