Ashley researcher challenges narrative

After nearly a half century studying the famous crime family, Steve Carr questions common perceptions

BY GREGORY ENNS

Steve Carr’s interest in the Ashley Gang began as a child growing up in Lake Worth, where he would hear his grandfather, William Carr, and friend, Woody Upthegrove, talk about the gang’s exploits.

Woody was the brother of gang member Laura Upthegrove, John Ashley’s girlfriend, and did work on the periphery for the gang such as driving members around. Woody’s tales and the reminiscences of others made Carr realize how central the story of the Ashley Gang was to the history of the region and those living in South Florida in the 1910s and ‘20s.