The location where the Apalachin meeting was held

This is the location where the Apalachin meeting took place.

It is situated at 625 McFall Road in Apalachin, New York.

At the time, this property belonged to Joseph Barbara, who was the boss of the Bufalino crime family in Pennsylvania. These days, it is a horseback riding facility called Hidden Farm.

The Apalachin meeting was a large summit of the Italian-American mafia. On November 14th, 1957, bosses and senior figures from more than twenty separate crime families descended on this rural property to discuss topics such as drug dealing, trade unions, Cuba, loansharking, and gambling.

They also planned on dividing up the former operations of mob boss Albert Anastasia, who had been murdered three weeks prior.

It is estimated that more than 100 mafia members from around the world traveled to this nondescript farmhouse in Tioga County to attend the ambitious summit.

Unfortunately for the mob, the meeting turned out to be a disaster, as the local community quickly noticed the sudden influx of luxury cars with out-of-state license plates.

Notably, the state police were aware that the house belonged to a reputed mobster. One year previously, the consigliere of the Bonanno crime family, Carmine Galante, had been pulled over during a traffic stop shortly after he left Barbara's residence.

When the officers saw dozens of expensive cars parked on the property, they began checking the license plates. After learning that most of the vehicles belonged to convicted criminals, they set up roadblocks and called in reinforcements.

The high-ranking mobsters learned about the roadblocks shortly after the summit began. This led to a chaotic scene in which they all began fleeing in different directions. Some attempted to run through the woods at the back of the property, while others jumped in their cars and tried to circumnavigate the roadblocks.

More than sixty mafiosos were arrested during the operation, including Carlo Gambino and Vito "Don Vito" Genovese.

The underboss of the Buffalo crime family, John Montana, was also caught after the police found him tangled in a barbed wire fence.

Although twenty of the men were found guilty of conspiring to obstruct justice, their convictions were eventually overturned in 1960.

The Apalachin meeting marked a pivotal moment in the history of the mob.

Up until 1957, the FBI and public officials dismissed reports about the existence of a nationwide criminal conspiracy. Following the arrests, they were forced to admit that the various Italian-American crime families were far more interconnected than previously thought.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

Apalachin meeting

Image source: Google Maps

This Google Street View image of 625 McFall Road was captured in April 2012—more than 54 years after the Apalachin meeting took place.

The house, which was built in 1867, sits on a 40-acre plot of land.

At the time, the property was owned by Joseph "Joe the Barber" Barbara, who was the boss of the Bufalino crime family in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Following the meeting, he was charged with obstructing justice, income tax evasion, and fraud. However, he was never convicted of the crimes, as he died in June 1959 after suffering two heart attacks in the space of three weeks.

Barbara's hilltop mansion was sold for $130,000 to two real estate developers named Russell Terry and Larue Quick, who had plans to open it as a sightseeing destination.

These days, it is a horse boarding farm called Hidden Farm.

625 McFall Road

This is an aerial image of the property. We have circled the house in red.

When the attendees of the meeting realized that the state police were closing in, many of them fled through the fields and woods that lie to the south of the property.

It is believed that roughly 50 mob figures managed to escape.

Google Street View

Image source: Google Maps

The mansion isn't visible in the most recent Google Street View images, as it is obscured by trees.