Posted on by Maggie

Purple Gang Walking Tour

From wikipedia: Founded 1920s Founding location Detroit, Michigan, United States Years active 1910s − 1932 Territory Detroit Criminal activities Murder, extortion, theft, armed robbery, kidnapping, gambling, bootlegging Allies The Capone mob, Fred “Killer” Burke Rivals Rival gangs, The Detroit Partnership, Fred “Killer” Burke after 1927 The Purple Gang, also known as the Sugar House Gang, was a mob of bootleggers and hijackers, with predominantly Jewish members. They operated out of Detroit, Michigan, in the 1920s and came to be Detroit's dominant criminal gang, but ultimately excessive violence and infighting caused the gang to self-destruct in the 1930s. The Detroit Purple Gang. #33770 (standing far left) is Tony Eduardo Delduca leader of this crew, 1910-1985. The man kneeling in front of him is his brother Dominic Delduca 1908-1997
From an article by Frank Passic on AlbionMich.com The Purple Gang was a group of notorious Detroit gangsters during the 1920s and 1930s. Brothers Louis, Sam and Harry Fleisher were involved with the group. The latter two were convicted of conspiracy to murder Senator Warren G. Hooper in 1945. The Fleishers came to Albion in the 1930s and operated a junk yard in the Market Place between present-day Thompsons Brakes and the new Leisure Hour Club as a “front” for their criminal activity. The business was called the Riverside Iron and Metal Company. Albion was a perfect site between Detroit and Chicago for gangster meetings, which were held in places like the balcony of the Bohm Theatre, the Parker Inn where gangsters lodged, and at the Streetcar Tavern west of town where mobster Abe “Buffalo Harry” Rosenberg and his brother Louis owned the apartment house attached to the tavern. Purple Gang members would also purchase home-made liquor manufactured on the “west end” of town.

The Purple Gang walking tour of  Albion shows several of the places that the Purple Gang would frequent when in Albion Michigan. A printable copy of this self guided walking tour can be found below.  Click the little download button with the arrow to print this pdf.

 

Please note that the map was created before the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel was built.  The Alley shown on point 6 is now the parking lot of the hotel.  It is suggested that you start or end your tour by stopping by Cascarelli’s of Albion.  Visit their website at CascarellisAlbion.com

purple_gang_walking_tour_albionmich.net_

Other Walking Tours below

This is the web version of the writings of Frank Passic, including the weekly columns that appear in the Morning Star Shopper, Albion Recorder, The Mich-Matist, and other articles Mr. Passic has written in various publications about Albion history. Even the most casual of readers will find these articles educational, more than a little interesting, and often amusing.

An Albion native, Frank Passic is a 1971 graduate of Albion High School and has been writing Albion history articles since 1976.

See much more of Frank’s writings at: Albionmich.com

Michigan Prints

Visit Michigan Prints to see art of Albion and other historic locations.