Where America's Most Famous Outlaws Are Buried

Outlaws and criminals from the past are fascinating historical figures, and despite their crimes, some people want to pay their respects at their gravesites. There are many well-marked burial sites for famous outlaws that are visited often, sometimes with small stones or coins laid on the headstone out of respect, or sometimes chipped away by souvenir seekers (don't do this!). Here are the burial locations of some of the most infamous American outlaws and gangsters so you can create your own macabre cemetery tour. 

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Died: 1963

Buried: Shannon Rose Hill Memorial Park

Fort Worth, Texas

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy shook the nation to its core. The man behind it, Lee Harvey Oswald, shot him in a convertible from the Texas School Book Depository building at Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Famously, before Jack Ruby shot and killed him, Oswald claimed that he was just a patsy in the assassination, spurring endless conspiracy theories about who was really behind the crime. His original grave marker was stolen four years after the assassination, so his mother put a new one in its place, which simply reads Oswald. 

Died: 1968

Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery

Bronx, New York

Bumpy Johnson has been called the Godfather of Harlem, and even inspired a television series of the same name based on his life. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, but his parents sent him to live with an older sister in Harlem when he was a teenager. That's where he started his life of crime, including drug trafficking and a massive numbers racket. He spent decades in prison, including a long stint in Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. He died of a heart attack at a diner in Harlem, and is buried in the Bronx.

Died: 1954

Buried: Cottondale Cemetery

Cottondale, Texas

George Barnes' colorful nickname was given to him based on his weapon of choice: the Thompson submachine gun. He kidnapped oil tycoon Charles Urschel and received $200,000 in ransom for his return, equivalent to millions of dollars today. He was captured and spent the rest of his life in prison, including a time at the famous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary before being transferred to Leavenworth in Kansas where he died of a heart attack on his 54th birthday. His gravestone is simple and plain where he rests in his wife's family's plot.

Died: 1934

Buried: Crown Hill Memorial Park

Dallas

One half of the famous Bonnie and Clyde criminal duo, Bonnie Parker fell in love with outlaw Clyde Barrow and became an outlaw herself. They embarked on a spree of robberies and murders until the day they were ambushed on a Louisiana road and died together in a car showered by bullets. Though Bonnie wanted to be buried with Clyde, her family opted to bury her in her home state of Texas. She was already notorious at the time of her death, and thousands of people tried to get a glimpse of her funeral. Her grave inscription reads, "As the flowers are all made sweeter by the sunshine and the dew, so this old world is made brighter by the lives of folks like you."

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Died: 1934

Buried: Western Heights Cemetery

Dallas

Bonnie and Clyde were inseparable, especially after Bonnie smuggled a handgun to Clyde that helped him in a jailbreak. After their violent end, Clyde was buried in a Dallas cemetery as well, next to his brother Marvin who died a year earlier. They share a gravestone with the inscription, "Gone but not forgotten."

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Died: 1865

Buried: Green Mount Cemetery

Baltimore

The other infamous U.S. presidential assassin, John Wilkes Booth, killed Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater in 1865. A dozen days after the murder and after a massive manhunt, Booth was tracked down and located hiding in a barn, which was set on fire. Wilkes was seen moving around to avoid the flames, and was shot in the neck. He died a few hours later, and his body was identified by 10 people who knew him, ensuring that they had the right man. His final resting place is in the Booth family plot, but in an unmarked grave. There is a small blank gravestone near the family monument which visitors assume is his plot. They leave pennies on the stone as one final word from Lincoln.

Died: 1881

Buried: Old Fort Sumner Cemetery

Fort Sumner, New Mexico

A notorious outlaw of the Wild West, Billy the Kid was shot and killed for his crimes when he was only 21. He was orphaned as a teenager and was first arrested for stealing food. A number of arrests eventually occurred, some for theft, some for murder, but he'd escape every time. Newspapers around the country started reporting on his escapades, which made him a folk figure even before he was killed, leading some to believe he never died. If you believe he was, you can visit his burial site, with its well-protected 1950s-era tombstone that had been stolen and recovered so many times it has inspired an annual race where people lug around a tombstone. 

Related: Towns Where You Can Still Experience the Wild West

Died: 1947

Buried: Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery

Hillside, Illinois

The most well known mobster in Chicago, Al Capone was notorious for getting away with crimes, including murder. He allegedly orchestrated the St. Valentine's Day massacre, in which rivals of his were murdered, and was convicted of income tax evasion evasion because it was the only charge that would stick. He died of complications of syphilis, a strange end for a mobster known for violence. He is buried in his family's plot, which contains a large Capone marker. Nearby is the small stone engraved with Alphonse Capone and the inscription, "My Jesus mercy."

Died: 1927

Buried: Oak Grove Cemetery

Fall River, Massachusetts

Though Lizzie Border was acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother, she's still known as one of the most famous murderers in U.S. history, whether she committed the gruesome crime or not. There was tension in the home between Lizzie and her family, and she often changed her story after the murders and trial, fueling public speculation that she was guilty. After she was acquitted, she changed her name and lived off the family's wealth until she died of pneumonia at age 66. She is buried in the Borden family plot with a simple gravestone marker.

Died: 1957

Buried: United States Penitentiary Cemetery

Leavenworth, Kansas

Bugs Moran was the leader of the rival gang to Al Capone, and famously tried to murder him. If Capone orchestrated the St. Valentine's Day massacre, Moran was likely the main target, but he slept in that day. Instead, members of his gang were murdered. He eventually left Chicago and returned to petty crime, taking part in a number of robberies for which he served jail time. He died of lung cancer in prison, which is why he's buried in a penitentiary cemetery under a worn grave marker.

Died: 1887

Buried: Unknown

Doc Holliday was a dentist and gunslinger. He was a friend of Wyatt Earp, and that friendship is what got him involved in the shootout at the O.K. Corral, the most legendary gunfight in the American West. Holliday was wounded in the fight but survived, was arrested, and released. He eventually split from Earp and died from tuberculosis in Colorado. While most historians contend that he was buried in the same state at the Linwood Cemetery in Glenwood Springs where a monument stands, some insist that his father had his body moved to the Oakhill Cemetary in Griffin, Georgia, to be buried next to each other.

Died: 1976

Buried: St. John Cemetery

Queens, New York

Carlo Gambino, also known as Don Carlo or the Godfather, was one of the crime bosses who inspired the title character in the movie "The Godfather." Carlo grew up in Sicily where he was a teenage hitman, and eventually rose through the ranks to become head of the Gambino crime family. He forged working relationships with crime bosses across the country, and died of natural causes at the age of 76. He's buried in his family's mausoleum in Queens.

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Died: 1878

Buried: Round Rock Cemetery

Round Rock, Texas

Sam Bass is best known as an outlaw who robbed stagecoaches and trains. The most notable crime was when he and his gang robbed a Union Pacific Railroad gold train in Nebraska, netting the group $60,000, a huge sum of money at the time. Eventually, the law caught up with him and he was killed while planning his next heist. His original gravestone, like that of many notorious figures, has been chipped away to nothing by visitors, so the current monument is a modern replacement.

Died: 1882

Buried: Mount Olivet Cemetery

Kearney, Missouri

Jesse James is an iconic Western outlaw. He gained fame and notoriety leading his gang of bank, stagecoach and train robbers in the Midwest. He fought for the Confederate states in the U.S. Civil War, and reportedly committed war crimes against Union soldiers. A member of his own gang turned on him and shot him in the back of the head at his home in Missouri. Originally, his mother had him buried at the James home with a monument condemning the killer, but today he rests in a cemetery next to his wife's grave.

Died: 1934

Buried: Crown Hill Cemetery

Indianapolis, Indiana

With his gang in tow, John Dillinger robbed a couple dozen banks and a number of police stations and killed 10 people. He was arrested and jailed a number of times, but was able to escape twice, making him especially hated among law enforcement, including FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover. He was eventually given up by the madam of a brothel he frequented, and federal agents surrounded a movie theater he was attending before shooting him as he exited the building. He's buried in his hometown of Indianapolis, though his family has had to replace his gravestone a number of times due to vandals chipping off souvenirs. 

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Died: 1962

Buried: St. John Cemetery

Queens, New York

Lucky Luciano was instrumental in making organized crime, well, more organized. After taking over a top crime family in New York, he started The Commission, which was like a national conference of mob families with the goal of cooperation and maximum profits. He expanded profits beyond illegal businesses, making it a kind of golden age for crime. He died of a heart attack in the Naples airport after meeting a producer about making a film about his life. The U.S. allowed his family to bring his body back to New York, where he's buried in his family's crypt in a cemetery where many mob bosses are buried.

Died: 1967

Buried: Westlawn Cemetery

Norridge, Illinois

Jack Ruby was a nightclub owner who may have been involved in illegal activities like drugs and gambling rings, but is famous for murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the man arrested for assassinating President Kennedy. Oswald was in police custody when Ruby famously shot him as he was being transferred, and it was broadcast live on television. Despite being somewhat of a popular figure for his deed, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, but he died in prison from complications of lung cancer. He is buried beside his parents in his hometown of Chicago.

Died: 2002

Buried: St. John Cemetery

Queens, New York

John Gotti was one of the modern New York crime bosses, having come to power in 1985 when he had the head of the Gambino family murdered. He earned a couple of nicknames while he was in organized crime, including the Dapper Don because of his flamboyant, fashionable character, and the Teflon Don, because criminal charges rarely stuck to him. He was eventually turned in by his own man and convicted of murder and racketeering, among other charges. He died in prison and is buried in his family's crypt next to his son who died when he was 12.

Died: 1935

Buried: Williams Timberhill Cemetery

Welch, Oklahoma

Ma Barker was the matriarch of the Barker-Karpis gang, which included her four sons. Together they committed robberies, kidnappings and murders across the Midwest. Barker is often considered the organizer and mastermind of the crimes, but that's sometimes attributed to sensationalism now. She was killed by FBI agents who were on the trail of her and one of her sons in Chicago after an hours-long standoff. Today she is buried in Oklahoma next to one of her sons, Herman.

Died: 1957

Buried: Green-Wood Cemetery

Brooklyn, New York

Johnny Torrio moved with his mother to New York from Italy after his father died when he was a baby. He ran some illegal gambling operations and a pool hall before getting into heavier criminal activity. He eventually moved to Chicago, where he took Al Capone under his wing and became his mentor. He survived an assassination attempt by a rival mobster, and retired to Italy before returning to Chicago. He died of a heart attack in Brooklyn and is laid to rest in a mausoleum in Brooklyn.

Died: 1947

Buried: Hollywood Forever

Hollywood, California

Bugsy Seigel was a mobster who started out in New York and ended up in California by way of Las Vegas, where he was instrumental in making the Strip what it is today. He was one of the founders of Murder, Inc., the violent group that enforced the will of Italian-American and Jewish mob groups. He oversaw and financed the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, one of the most historic hotels on the Strip. He was shot dead in his girlfriend's home in Beverly Hills by an unknown assailant. His remains are laid to rest in a crypt at a Hollywood cemetery, but there is also a memorial at the Flamingo, and a memorial plaque in a synagogue in New York.

Died: 1973

Buried: St. Michael's Cemetery

Queens, New York

Frank Costello was one of Lucky Luciano's right hand men, and helped him expand his organized crime empire. When Luciano was in prison, he appointed Costello as his acting boss. He survived an assassination attempt outside his apartment building, which prompted him to retire from the business, though he still offered advice to younger mobsters. He died of a heart attack in Manhattan and is buried in a private mausoleum in New York City.

Died: 1928

Buried: Union Field Cemetery

Queens, New York

While Arnold Rothstein was the typical mobster, participating in organized crime like racketeering and bootlegging, he was also a savvy, avid gambler. He's best known for fixing the 1919 World Series to become what's known now as the Black Sox scandal by paying members of the White Sox to throw the game. It was gambling that ultimately killed him: He refused to pay off a massive debt from a days-long poker game because he believed the game was fixed. He was shot over those debts during a business meeting, and is buried in a Queens cemetery.

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Died: 1934

Buried: St. Joseph Cemetery

Chicago

Baby Face Nelson was a well-known bank robber and partner of John Dillinger. After Nelson helped Dillinger escape from prison, they went on a bank robbery spree in the Midwest along with their gangs. He took part in a number of shootouts with law enforcement, and killed a number of FBI agents. He was killed in a shootout with FBI agents outside of Chicago and is buried in a cemetery with a small gravestone next to his wife.

Died: 1877

Buried: Sacred Heart Cemetery

Yankton, South Dakota

Wild Bill Hickok has one of the most famous deaths in the American West, and he was murdered by outlaw Jack McCall in Deadwood, South Dakota. McCall was possibly drunk when he sat down at a poker game with Hickok, and proceeded to lose all his money. Hickok advised him to take a break, which probably angered McCall. The next day, Hickok was playing poker when McCall shot him without warning in the back of the head. Hickok was holding aces and eights at the time, now known as the dead man's hand. McCall was captured quickly and eventually executed for his crime by hanging, then buried in a nearby cemetery.