Lincoln Township in Stevensville in Berrien County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Home of Fred “Killer” Burke

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 23, 2026

1. Home of Fred “Killer” Burke Marker

Inscription. This early twentieth-century bungalow was originally the home of infamous gangster Fred “Killer” Burke. Burke was not only involved in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago, but also the murder of a beloved local policeman, Charles Skelly. Prohibition created tension between law enforcement and the Capone gang, who used Southwest Michigan as a vacation hideaway in the Roaring 20s. After the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Capone hitman Fred Burke found refuge here.

On December 14, 1929, the intoxicated Burke was involved in a minor traffic incident in St. Joseph. When Officer Charles Skelly arrived on the scene, Burke fatally shot him. After two carjackings, Burke fled to Missouri, where he was captured almost two years later after a nationwide manhunt. During the search for Burke, a cache of weapons, including Thompson submachine guns (known as Tommy guns), was found in this house. The new science of ballistics testing tied the guns to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago. Burke was brought to justice for the brutal murder of Charles Skelly after he pled guilty to 2nd degree murder

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and was sentenced to life in prison. Burke died in Marquette Prison in 1940.

Erected 2019 by Coldwell Banker Realty and Lakeshore High School students.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is December 14, 1929.

Location. 42° 2.354′ N, 86° 30.827′ W. Marker is in Stevensville, Michigan, in Berrien County. It is in Lincoln Township. It is on Red Arrow Highway (Business Interstate 94) half a mile north of Exit 23 (Interstate 94), on the right when traveling north. The bungalow is now a real estate office. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4333 Red Arrow Hwy, Stevensville MI 49127, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Michigan

and specifically in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At

Home of Fred “Killer” Burke and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 23, 2026

2. Home of Fred “Killer” Burke and Marker

least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Burnett's Post (approx. 4.4 miles away); Old St. Joseph Neighborhood (approx. 4½ miles away); Pioneer Aviator (approx. 4.9 miles away); Immigrants (approx. 5 miles away); St. Joseph Maritime Heritage (approx. 5 miles away); Lighthouses on the Pier (approx. 5 miles away); La Salle Memorial (approx. 5 miles away); Lighthouses on the Bluff (approx. 5.1 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Barrien County Sheriff’s Office St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Connection. This page includes photographs of the weapons found, the fingerprint sheet and description and other information. Excerpt:

In addition to the arsenal, deputies found trap doors, several disguises, well-thumbed detective novels and $390,000 worth of stolen bonds from a Jefferson, Wisconsin Bank.

(Submitted on August 5, 2026.)

2. Wikipedia entry. Excerpt:

In 1928 and early 1929, Al Capone had a conflict with Bugs Moran and his Irish gang from Chicago's Northside. Burke and his associates lured five members and two associates of the Moran gang to a garage on Clark Street in Chicago.
Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 23, 2026

3. Home of Fred “Killer” Burke and Marker
Burke and his associates entered the garage, some dressed as police, and executed the Moran gang members. The murders received international press attention and within a few weeks Burke was named by Chicago police as a principal suspect. Witnesses placed Burke near the scene and guns seized from his home later in 1929 were matched to bullets from the crime. Years later, in 1935, Byron Bolton, a captured member of the Barker Gang, gave a detailed statement to the FBI implicating Burke, his associates, and other Capone gang members as being responsible.

(Submitted on August 5, 2026.)

Fred “Killer” Burke (1893 – 1940) image. Click for full size.

Public Domain

4. Fred “Killer” Burke (1893 – 1940)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2026, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 5, 2026, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.