Author Event: NYC Gangland Photo Book Archivist

coney island history proj

A Look Back at the "Caponey Island" of Al Capone, Abe Reles & Others

The Coney Island History Project is pleased to welcome author and archivist Arthur Nash on Saturday, September 4, during exhibition center hours (1-6 pm). Mr Nash will record an interview with Charles Denson for our Oral History Archive and sign copies of his new book "New York City Gangland."
http://www.nycgangland.com/home.html

Stop by the History Project to meet the author and look at never-before-seen photos of famed New York City gangsters with Coney Island connections. Among them are Al Capone, who got his nickname "Scarface" when he worked in Coney Island; Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, a hit man for Murder Inc who fell to his death from the window of Coney Island's Half Moon Hotel; and Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria, head of the largest Mafia group in New York until he was gunned down in 1931. Many of the previously unpublished photos in the book come from the families of mobsters and law enforcement sources.

In one previously unpublished photo, Brooklyn prosecutor Michael F Vecchione unveils Reles' knotted bedsheets recovered from the roof where Reles' body was found. The Murder Inc mobster had been under 24 hour police protection after turning informant.

"New York City Gangland," which is published by Arcadia in their Images of America Series, also features behind the scenes stories.such as this one: "Among the most stunning episodes of the Castellammarese War was the killing of Al Capone's close ally, Giuseppe 'Joe the Boss' Masseria which occurred in Coney Island at the Villa Tammaro on West 15th Street -- once an Italian restaurant owned by Gerardo Scarpato. A fact not widely known, however, is that at the time of Masseria's death, Scarpato himself was busy extorting money from a small businessman who he summoned to his location on April 15, 1931. 'As soon as I reached the place,' this frightened entrepreneur later wrote to the Brooklyn District Attorney, 'Scarpato ran over to my car and asked me what I was doing there. (He) told me to leave right away and not mention to anyone I had been there that day. I left. Late that night I read that Joe Masseria had been killed at the Villa Tammaro. This was my first taste of what these men were capable of.'"

Al Capone family photo. Courtesy of Arthur Nash capone
Arthur Nash is a freelance archivist and a major contributor of historical objects to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment in Washington, D.C., as well as the Las Vegas Museum of Law Enforcement and Organized Crime, also known as the MOB Museum. In 2006, he introduced "MADE In America," the first public exhibition addressing gangland's enduring impact on our nation's pop culture. Mr Nash is a former resident of Seagate whose grandfather rode the Cyclone roller coaster with Marilyn Monroe.

http://www.coneyislandhistory.org/index.php

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About the Coney Island History Project

The Coney Island History Project, founded in 2004, is a not-for-profit organization that aims to increase awareness of Coney Island's legendary and colorful past and to encourage appreciation of the Coney Island neighborhood of today. Our mission is to record, archive and share oral history interviews; provide access to historical artifacts and documentary material through educational exhibits, events and a website; and honor community leaders and amusement pioneers through our Coney Island Hall of Fame.

Our free public exhibition center is located under the Cyclone Roller Coaster at 824 Surf Avenue just east of West 10th Street. We're open weekends from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day.Hours are 1 to 6 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. The exhibition center is open year-round by appointment for schools and groups. For additional info, visit our website http://www.coneyislandhistory.org/ or e-mail [email protected].

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