2015 Global TapRooT® Summit After Hours: The Mob Museum
Have you registered for the 2015 Global TapRooT® Summit, June 1 – 5, 2015 in Las Vegas Nevada? This column is to help you plan for some fun things to do after hours.
Las Vegas is known for many things such as neon lights, great shows and of course casinos. I wanted to take a step away from the hustle and bustle of the strip and I was told by a local individual that I should check out the Mob Museum. I’ll admit, I’ve never been a big fan of mob movies, but that suggestion piqued my interest and I thought I’d check it out and it was worth the short taxi ride away from the Vegas strip.
The building housing the Mob Museum was completed in 1933 and originally was the site of the new Las Vegas Post Office and Federal Courthouse. It is considered a historically significant building and is included on both the Nevada and National Registers of Historical Places. As I walked into the building, there was something about it that felt special. The museum is spread over three floors and includes the actual courtroom where the seventh hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, was held on November 15, 1950. Along with information regarding these historic hearings, you will find history about many notorious criminals including Al Capone and Charles “Lucky” Luciano. One artifact I particularly enjoyed seeing was the wall from the St. Valentine’s Day massacre where five members of the North Side Gang were shot and killed. The event itself, is sad, but I appreciated seeing a piece of mob history in person.
Exhibits in the museum include a mock lineup room where you can have your picture taken holding up an identification placard, a case containing various types of mob weapons and the actual chair where a mob member was sitting when he was killed. Most information is posted using cards on the wall as you would expect, but there are also several interactive displays as well including a replica Tommy gun simulating the kick you feel when shooting the gun. Come wearing comfortable shoes as you will be standing and walking a good amount traversing the museum.
The museum also includes numerous short video presentations giving you deeper insight to the history of the mob and those that worked to stop the violence across the country. Each video is only a few minutes long, but they give you a quick respite from reading all the placards detailing various aspects of mob history. One video I really enjoyed detailed the process to become a member of a mob family. I didn’t realize all that was required to become a member.
As I was walking through the museum, I came to sign indicating graphic material ahead. Continuing on, I found this section contained actual crime scene photographs. Even though the images were in black and white, I found the brutality of the crimes amazing and disturbing at the same time. It appears at times, it wasn’t enough to kill the person with a single bullet, but rather multiple bullets. Should the attacker get close enough, the killings would be extremely brutal with multiple stab wounds and deep lacerations all over the body.
The Mob Museum may not be right on the strip, but it’s well worth the 15 minute taxi ride to see a piece of American history and one aspect that helped Las Vegas become the city it is today. The Mob Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and tickets can be purchased here.
And if you haven’t registered to the Summit yet, go here.
