A hotel which was once the hangout for Chicago mobster Al Capone and his associates is back up for sale. The 15.5-acre property that the Mineola Hotel sits on is located on the shores of Fox Lake, Illinois, and has an asking price of $5.5 million.
The 135-year-old hotel had previously been on the market (the owners were asking $7 million in 2017), but nobody wanted to purchase it. There is also a marina, restaurant, bar, and a single-family home on the property. The U.S. Department of Interior and Parks had the hotel listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The Mineola was built in 1884 by members of the Chicago Board of Trade. The 100-room hotel was a popular spot for people who wanted to get away to go fishing, boating, or hunting. While it was originally built as a private clubhouse for those of elite social status, in 1891 it was made into a public hotel for anyone who wanted to stay there.
Al Capone
Fox Lake had a reputation for its gambling and drinking establishments as far back as the 1910s, with the Chicago Tribune even describing it as “…worst than in the levee districts of the city,” adding, “Probably the most vicious resort is the Mineola Hotel.” It became even more dangerous during the Prohibition period when Chicago mobsters began hanging out at Fox Lake. Al Capone and his crew were said to have drank and gambled at the hotel.
And of course it has a reputation for being haunted. Since much of the hotel has been closed off for decades, there hasn’t been an overwhelming amount of ghost sightings, but they’re definitely still there according to several people who have experienced strange occurrences while at the location.
Many people have heard disembodied voices while visiting the hotel. One woman even claimed to have heard a voice saying, “Get going, buddy”. Additionally, the staff at the hotel reported seeing the apparition of a boy wandering around.
Mineola Hotel
It wouldn’t be surprising if there is residual energy from the violent “Fox Lake massacre” that took place in 1930 when five mobsters were shot and three of them died. Although the reasoning behind the massacre is highly debated, it is believed that it happened as a result of a beer war between Al Capone and George “Bugs” Moran. The shooting happened at the Manning Hotel in Fox Lake, so the possible residual energy from Capone and his crew discussing the shooting may have attracted some paranormal activity to the location. And interestingly enough, Capone and his gang were only a few miles away when the shooting took place.
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