A Garage Steeped in Ghostly Secrets
From the 1920s through the 1950s, my great-grandfather, Alfonse Vincent, ran Vincent & Sons Packard, a Packard dealership and garage on 120-130 East 115th Street in Roseland, Chicago. The garage was more than a place to sell and repair cars—it was a crossroads of history, mystery, and the paranormal. The Far South Side was turbulent, filled with Prohibition, gang wars, and sudden acts of violence. Men connected to organized crime were often killed nearby, and the dealership sometimes seemed haunted by the echoes of those events.
Alfonse’s sons and brothers, including Arthur , Clarence, Oscar, and Orville were skilled mechanics. Some of their expertise extended beyond ordinary business: Uncle Clarence, leveraging the family’s French Canadian roots, would use trucks to transport alcohol across the Canadian border during Prohibition. These secret runs added an element of danger—and excitement—to the family’s daily life. The garage became a hub not only for vehicles but also for whispered secrets, hidden dealings, and unusual happenings.
My father, Arthur, remembered washing cars there as a teenager while Al Capone himself visited, occasionally tipping him with a two-bit coin. Even decades later, family members reported ghostly phenomena—lights flickering, phantom footsteps, muffled voices, and the faint scent of cigar smoke when no one was around. Alfonse often told stories of men killed nearby during gang conflicts, further deepening the garage’s eerie atmosphere.
Learning Dowsing from Uncle Oscar
It was my uncle Oscar who introduced my sisters and I to the family’s dowsing traditions. As a teenager, he took me and my sisters to historic sites, including the Lexington Hotel, Prairie Ave, and other locations, in search of Al Capone’s rumored hidden treasures. Using dowsing rods, My Sisters and I learned to sense water, minerals, lost objects, and echoes of the past. Through these experiences, I inherited not just a skill, but a legacy of curiosity, intuition, and uncovering the unseen, bridging history and the paranormal.
Al Capone and the Outfit at the Garage
The garage was more than a workplace—it was a center of Chicago’s secret history. Al Capone and members of his Outfit frequently visited, inspecting and sometimes purchasing cars, and spending time in the bays where the Vincent's worked. The mix of legitimate business, underworld dealings, and family mechanics made the garage a unique crossroads of history. The lingering presence of Capone and others who frequented the space has been felt by multiple generations, intertwining haunted history with a legacy of secrets.
A Legacy Carried Forward
Today, the tradition continues through Suzanne and Jean Vincent. We are paranormal researchers, ghost hunters, psychic mediums, and dowsing practitioners, exploring historic sites, haunted buildings, and spaces steeped in mystery.
The story of Vincent & Sons Packard is more than a garage—it is a bridge between history, the paranormal, and family wisdom. Flickering lights, ghostly voices, hidden treasures, and tales of daring Prohibition runs continue to inspire and guide our work.