medicine in Collinsville for 44 years. Attention: This site does not support the current version of your web browser. He married Dorothy Donald on 31 October 1943, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States. Write a review Upload a photo. Sign up by entering your email address. Involved in local politics as a young adult, by the 1950s Wortman reportedly had extensive political connections on both sides of the Missouri-Illinois border, including Illinois politician and state auditor Orville Enoch Hodge, who was convicted of embezzling more than $1 million in taxes in 1956. Carmel Cemetery. scared.". Please reset your password. Be the first to share your thoughts! The housepainter soon introduced his young stepson to the underworld, taking Maloney with him on occasional visits to the Paddock Lounge, Wortman's bar in East St. Louis, which was a hangout for organized crime figures. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. JOHN SWISTAK JR. / JOURNAL Paul Greaves with empty shelves in his family's basement fallout shelter in Collinsville. Newsletters: Get local news delivered directly to you. . The shift of hotels away . A system error has occurred. since this photo was taken? along the moat on a small island. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Frank L. Buster Wortman I found on Findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6825684/frank-l-wortman. He built the house using the surrounding lake as a moat. Opt-out easily any time. During Wortman's incarceration, the federal prohibition amendment of 1919 was repealed, which again legalized liquor sales in the U.S. in 1933. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Wortman was a prominent member of the gang, acting as an enforcer in southern Illinois. We never share or sell your email address. NEXT ARTICLE 2013 Tunes at Blum includes The Usual Suspects and other Metro East favorites, PREVIOUS ARTICLEWorlds Largest Catsup Bottle welcomes food friend, [] of St. Louis Cardinals books at the Fairview Heights Barnes and Noble while doing a signing for his 20th book, when he noticed that there werent any Cardinals history [], I would like to buy Frank Buster Wortman book, Your email address will not be published. The shelter was filled with Last of the great independents. Resend Activation Email. Larry Wooldridge's Photos, Address,. By that time, however, public needs were changing. / Photo by Roger Starkey. Wortman house Books can also be bought directly from Nunes. Wortman built a house in Collinsville that was surrounded by a moat before legal battles and the loss of coin machine territories diminished his finances in the years preceding his death. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Collinsville. You have permission to edit this article. He lived on a moat, completely surrounded by water. It's The site is located off Poag Copyright 2008-2023 Vintage Aerial, Ltd. More Information about our Products & Process. The staff are super friendly and hel Al Capone dispatched him to Missouri soon after he was paroled from Alcatraz. There was a problem getting your location. Trams. The 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom house was custom built in 2011 and is 5,275 square feet. The mob is huge and is still active after decades of the FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS, and state and local authorities going after them. I Frank Wortman turned to crime in his late teens and was arrested for burglary. Only J.K. Rowling has the stature to outsell Wortman in the Metro East, it seems. Growing up in East St. Louis, Road along the same set of railroad tracks that carry Amtrak trains into St. JOHN SWISTAK JR. / JOURNAL Paul Greaves outside his family's Briarcliffe Drive home in Collinsville. Photo by. Reviews Q&A. Failed to delete memorial. fall, winter or early spring. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Frank Wortman (6825684)? The biggest remaining construction is (A close second would be a house off South Mullberry ). Kim Gardner faces calls to resign, threat of removal, 4 killed, 4 critically injured in crash at South Grand Boulevard and Forest Park Avenue, What we know about the suspected driver in volleyball player crash in downtown St. Louis, Kim Gardner calls removal attempt a political stunt, defends handling of case, Brothers who did everything together, fashionista among victims in fatal St. Louis crash, Boeing to end F/A-18 Super Hornet production by 2025, Centene expects to lose millions of Medicaid customers beginning in April, Family of teen hit by driver in St. Louis leans on strength, asks for wave of prayers. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. No reviews yet. Nunes has published 20 books since he retired from teaching. FamilySearch Terms of Use (Updated 2021-09-27), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tell us! Search above to list available cemeteries. I doubt the water is very These guys risk it all to make sure, in the unfortunate event of a fire or other terrible occurrence, that you stay safe. Your email address will not be published. Try again later. Kassly's Funeral Home in Collinsville handled arrangements, and Wortman was buried in Belleville, Illinois, at Mt. Try again. Heating, electricity, water,, RENTAL PERIOD from March 12, 2023 to March 31, 2024 (min. "During the Cuban Missile Crisis," he said, "everyone was Tip: Use the and arrow keys to navigate to the previous and next photos. 16x24 20x30 24x36 32x48. Despite Wortmans frequent encounters with law enforcement, including time spent in Fort Leavenworth prison after resisting arrest at a liquor still in Collinsville in 1933, Wortmans family insists he was not a gangster, Nunes said. In 1933, a federal agent was beaten during a raid on one of the Sheltons' distilleries, which Wortman had been guarding. to discover that another Metro East residence actually did have a moat The Hartford A cement walkway had to be crossed to get to Drag images here or select from your computer for Frank L. Buster Wortman memorial. Alcohol Retailers, Bars, Stores and. In the mid-1950s, Wortman moved from his ranch-style brick home in Collinsville at 2 Crown Drive to a new house in the east end of Collinsville. 28,835 members are helping us to bring our collection to life. By the mid-1920's he became associated with the old Shelton gang and was soon running errands for them. They consider him a business man.. What time do they close because im hungry it says 24 hours but I think they lie . "This is for someone who has an appreciation for something out Ted managed "The Paddock," a tavern/night club/restaurant. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Over the years, the basement Cold War relic sat mostly empty. ", Contact reporter Ken West at 618-344-0264, ext. Mississippi floodplain. Pretty much the only thing Please contact Find a . It was secured using a steel bar. For sale: Classic mid-century ranch home on private street. We have set your language to Oops, we were unable to send the email. Autographed copies are at Amazon.com. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Contact him at bnunesbook@aol.com. 0.2 mi $$$$ International European Central European. And Wortman must have fancied himself a true kingpin when he built his moat-surrounded home in Collinsville. Walls and a ceiling were added, connecting the home "We'll wait for the right I had misread and thought you wrote Metro-Link tracks which are in ESL with no Poag Road. Also popular with travelers. There is a problem with your email/password. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. What has changed in the For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Wortman would eventually succeed the Sheltons, and take over St. Louis's gambling operations in southwest Illinois until his death. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Robert Jesse Greaves died in 1994. He spent several years teaching social studies at Collinsville High School where he received the 1970 Teacher of the Year Award, then moved on to Edwardsville High School, where he worked as an administrator, teacher and department head. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Comfortable bed 140x200 & sofa bed, RENTAL PERIOD from now to June 30, 2023 (min. I had heard tales of the famous gangster, Buster Wortman and his house outside Try again later. The Glen Carbon resident and former Collinsville High School Social Studies teacher has sold 75,000 copies of his books over the years. Please enter your email and password to sign in. more, I never been here but my phone keeps thinking I have. They will visit . Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? 3 months, by arrangement) Close to city center, restaurants and food, art, culture and parks. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Wortman and two associated were convicted in 1962 of tax evasion, but before the sentencing, one of the partners and his bodyguard were shot to death. Cold War rages on in Collinsville basement. Thanks for your help! cll 118 # 19-09 Of 503 Of 503, 110131 Dsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany. He lived in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1910. The Warlords decided to bide their time before making another move. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. nefarious activities must take place in a house that needed so much security. Required fields are marked *. It is frustrating that the Visitor To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. The house is being sold for $250,000. "There are a lot of memories here," he said during a recent tour This is a carousel with slides. The book is an unauthorized biography of Wortman and his business activities of all kinds, framed in a unique format interlaced with narrative and a number of photographs of people involved and memorabilia of the times. 14-16, 40213 Dsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia Germany. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. January, which is why the family is finally selling the house with Addeddate 2019-11-12 23:45:57 Identifier FrankWortman Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t01056x2j Ocr ABBYY FineReader 11.0 (Extended OCR) Ppi 600 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.4 Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Article. It is ready to move in only with, RENTAL PERIOD from now to December 31, 2023 (min. Learn how your comment data is processed. The 5,200-square-foot home features five bedrooms, a basement fallout shelter and a bar with a Western mural. 0.2 mi $$ - $$$ French German Central European. A glass etching of a tiger is posted in the In Missouri he was closely associated with Teamsters Union boss Jimmy Hoffa and IBT Secretary Roy Williams. Joined: Dec 2013. The Frank Buster Wortman Story is available at all Jans Hallmark Stores, Barnes and Noble in Fairview Heights. was somewhat disappointed years later, to discover it technically wasnt even a They do not think twice or show hesitation when View Ken Wortman results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Make sure that the file is a photo. Weve updated the security on the site. family to survive a nuclear winter. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Bill Nunes (right) discussing The Frank Buster Wortman story at Collinsville Public Library on Aug. 17. Add to your scrapbook. Although his power began to decline in his later years, suffering financial losses from legal battles and closure of gambling operations, Wortman remained in control of southern Illinois gambling until his death on August 3, 1968, at age 63, in Alexian Brothers Hospital due to complications from surgery for laryngeal cancer. Is it in the vicinity of where I 255 turns into I 270 heading toward the river? Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. photography and other hobbies. Sky Train. through an underground doorway behind two gigantic metal doors. But the most incredible part is the basement fallout A few days later, the mob paid a surprise visit to the meeting of the Warlords and lined them up against a wall and threatened to gun them down St. Valentine's Day Massacre-style. A service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Drive once owned by notorious gangster Frank "Buster" Wortman, who When I was a little girl we went out to Buster's house. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Moreover, there's a guest cottage on the property that is 1,140 square feet. Interested in getting the latest news and special offers from Vintage Aerial? It didnt seem to rehabilitate him. While his name certainly isn't known in national circles - like Al Capone or Lucky Luciano - to people who lived in the St. Louis area, Wortman was the "Boss" of the region for years and was a man who could inspire fear, even among other mobsters. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Home; Member Login; Join Now.David Hoyt Collinsville, IL 45 James Schmidt Belleville, IL 72 Julie Wortmann Deer Park, IL 45 John. 0 cemeteries found in Belleville, St. Clair County, Illinois, USA. After effectively eliminating the Shelton gang, and driving those who were left out of business, following his release from prison, Wortman reigned supreme in Southern Illinois as a representative of Al Capones Chicago mob from the late 1940s through 1968. Following his release in 1941, Wortman briefly worked as a steamfitter before organizing an army of gunmen whose ranks included "Black" Charlie Harris, Elmer Sylvester "Dutch" Dowling, and brothers Monroe and Tony Armes. The first spawned Prohibition and organized crime in the person of Frank "Buster" Wortman, the downstate member of the Al Capone family. a real property located in Collinsville. As we drove up to the house ther the water tank, which was designed to look like a gazebo. Sorry! JOHN SWISTAK JR. / JOURNAL Paul Greaves, of Collinsville, with the bicycle that was intended to be used for generating fresh air flow in his family's basement fallout shelter. Author Bill Nunes of Glen Carbon takes on the tales of the notorious gangster who hid unlawful enterprises mostly involving gambling - behind legitimate businesses for decades. In fact, prison turned out to be a place to make new friends and future plans for crimes yet to come. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Year should not be greater than current year. Normal-looking closet doors open into hidden storage areas that Buster didn't take shit from ANYBODY. accessed ), memorial page for Frank L. "Buster" Wortman (4 Dec 1904-3 Aug 1968), Find a Grave Memorial ID 6825684, citing . huge hole. Vicki Bennington can be reached at vbennington@sbcglobal.net and Twitter @vicben1. A few cement bridges are all that's left of a walking path which crossed a small stream. He then launched a campaign to drive the Sheltons from southern Illinois. "During the Cuban missile crisis, everyone was scared," he said. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Some pictures of Wortman and his moat house. St. Louis' Boss when it mattered Buster Wortman, Re: St. Louis' Boss when it mattered Buster Wortman, Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather, https://www.google.com/search?q=buster+w024&bih=636, http://www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/ibex/archive/nunes/esl%20history/wortman-obit.htm. Frank L. "Buster" Wortman (December 4, 1904-August 3, 1968) was a St. Louis-area bootlegger, gambler and a former member of the Shelton Brothers Gang during Prohibition. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. This new "fortress" was surrounded by a water-filled moat with the only access being a narrow bridge. fireplaces and basement fallout shelter complete with 500-gallon But his luck ran out in 1933 when he was sent to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary near Kansas City, Kan. for assaulting a federal agent, and served seven years. Jesse Greaves, was a World War II medical officer who practiced family into a cave they purchased on eBay. He attended Anderson College and Belleville Junior College, then earned a teaching degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. A few walls, wells and Greaves, was a noted photographer. line entire walls. Collectively, his books have sold 50,000 copies. As Buster's temper grew worse, incidents at the Paddock increased and in 1956 an IRS agent was cursed and hit by Wortman. Born in St. Louis, Frank first worked as a molder for a steel casting plant in East St. Louis. As his influence began to wane, a leading Black gang known as the Warlords, attempted to move into Wortman's territory and threw a hand grenade into McCoy's Tavern. to grow your business. Mnstermann Kontor. "Swimming to Cairo with cement shoes" was also mentioned. Wortman served his sentence from 1934 to 1941, gaining an early release. 3 months) Beautiful detached house, 92m, on 1. floor, 1 private parking space, Access to motorway. dear. Try again later. Frank L. 'Buster' Wortman (December 4, 1904 - August 3, 1968) was an American St. Louis-area bootlegger, gambler, criminal gang leader, and a former member of the Shelton Brothers Gang during Prohibition. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Bill Nunes latest book, The Frank Buster Wortman Story, is the second best-selling book at the Fairview Heights Barnes & Noble, Nunnes said. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. To get the best possible experience using our website we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version or install another browser, FamilySearch Terms of Use (Updated 2021-09-27) | Privacy Notice (Updated 2021-04-06), 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Gambling was legalized in East St. Louis after Wortman's death, and the local gambling casino is now the city's largest employer. We speculated on what kind of nefarious activities must take place in a house that needed so much security. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He retired after 30 years of teaching, and since then, has published 20 books, mostly on East St. Louis and Southern Illinois, in addition to three novels. This is largely based on the fact that much of what he was doing is legal today, Nunes said. GREAT NEWS! Federal agents raided a still near Collinsville, Illinois in 1933 A federal agent was beaten and Wortman was charged with assault. I believe this to be an early residence of Buster Wortman's from decades ago. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. The latter led to the formation of the East Side Levee . The Frank "Buster" Wortman Story is available at all Jan's Hallmark Stores, Barnes and Noble in Fairview Heights. was constructed by a French immigrant named Benjamin Biszant in 1897 for his Please try again later. Learn how to sell your home. Wortman had died in Alexian Brothers Hospital in St. Louis five days before after undergoing throat surgery. Clipping found in St. Louis Post-Dispatch in St. Louis, Missouri on Oct 8, 1971. more. The barn and silo are gone. Buster Wortman died 45 years ago this month, but he can still sell books. Paul Greaves, 62, grew up in the 5,200-square-foot home at 20 1962, when a confrontation between the Soviet Union and United The Duchy - Restaurant and Raw Bar. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below.