1909 tornado outbreak

Will McGrew's family consisted of ten. The farms lying on the hillsides are washed in deep gullies and the low land is completely flooded. Contributions may be sent direct to Mr. Young or to the Citizen and we will forward to the relief committee. The old McGavock home is wrecked. Columbia, Tenn., April 20. A number of residences were badly damaged and business houses unroofed, the rain destroying almost the entire stock of John Jewell. The Tri-State Tornado occurred on March 18, 1925. Other F4 recorded were reported in Missouri near Golden, in Illinois near Texas City, and in south-central Tennessee near Bee Springs, just north of the Alabama state line. Houses, barns and buildings generally were blown down or else badly wrecked. The stock barn of Rural home Stock farm was torn to pieces, and there were many other houses, barns, and outhouses destroyed. Oscar Brown, a young son, was also seriously injured. Many Lives and Much Property Lost in Giles County. Thirty-six serious injuries were reported in the newspapers across both counties, with numerous other more minor injuries, so the total of 70 injuries shown by Grazulis was kept. As soon as neighbors could be informed of the disaster, they hastened to the relief of the suffering. - Following the trail of the storm which passed through Centreville April 9, the tornado last night between 10 and 11 o'clock was one of the most appalling that has visited this section probably in half a century. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 4, section Robertson County: SPRINGFIELD, Tenn., April 30 - A "twister", or cyclone, struck Montgomery County last night at Rudolphtown and plowed its way on through Montgomery County and the Seventeenth District of Robertson County into Kentucky, leaving devastation in its wake and entailing a loss of over $50,000. The residence of Rush Brown, four miles from town, was razed to the ground and Mrs. Brown dangerously injured by the falling of the roof. The old McGavock home is wrecked. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) The deadliest tornado outbreak ever in Middle Tennessee struck the region from the evening hours of April 29, 1909, through the night and into the next day on April. Jim Cheat, a prosperous farmer near town, lost his barn, and had one very fine mule killed by the storm. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 10, "AT WATERTOWN, TENN.". Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. Web. Near Cross Roads, one man was killed and two more people were severely injured (F2) before the tornado lifted somewhere northeast of that community, a distance of roughly 20 miles. Following are some of the more serious losses: Lee Smith, house and barn; J. S. Bryan, house and barn; Werner Stevenson, house and barn; W. H. Watson, house and barn; Otha Young, house and barn; W. S. McLaurine, house and barn; Irby Scruggs, residence, outhouses and tenant houses; - barn escaped, Mrs. Eliza Wilkinson, residence; Hood Wilkinson, orchard, shop and barn, resident damaged, but not wrecked; T. J. Hardy, residence and barn; Ike Shapard, gin, The Scruggs' school house, near Conway, and the school house and church at Bee Spring were utterly swept away. Several of the injured people who later died were plantation workers. - The windstorm in this county Thursday night was probably the worst in its history. These pictures show the damage in Centerville in Hickman County where there were nine deaths and 32 injuries. A large oak tree was lifted bodily and blown across it, crushing in the roof. C. H. Whitney's barn, in the track of the storm, was blown down and Rural Carrier Morgan's horse was killed in the barn. A number of houses have been damaged by falling timber, one or two thrown off the foundations and one large two-story building completely demolished. One of the saddest stories was of two brothers who in the Hillsboro/Leipers Fork area who were blown over a 20-foot bluff and into a nearby creek, according to the Nashville American newspaper. - Following the trail of the storm which passed through Centreville April 9, the tornado last night between 10 and 11 o'clock was one of the most appalling that has visited this section probably in half a century. In addition to those killed outright many were more or less seriously injured. GRAZULIS: Moved ENE from somewhere west of Shipps Bend to north of Clovercroft. The F-scale rating, location and path width are estimated from the reported damage. This would be typical of damage reports all along the storm route that night. The worst damage to houses is the home of Prof. J. M. Goulson, a good two-story house, completely ruined, but no loss of life, though to look at the ruins seems marvelous that the family escaped. The path of the cyclone at this point is about 300 yards wide, and was accompanied by a heavy rain and thunder and electrical display. This massive tornado then passed into Lincoln County where much of Millville, Cyruston, Clardyville, and Harms were damaged or destroyed. Four-year-old child of Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Thompson, Totty's Bend. Affecting particularly the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys, it killed over 150 people, 60 of them in the U.S. state of Tennessee alone. A relief committee was organized with John W. Young, Elkton R. 1, as chairman, and in a little while enough funds were in hand to provide food and clothing to supply the immediate necessities of those who had lost everything. It is seldom our mountain country has such a cyclone. His daughter, who had her leg broken, crawled to hear father's aid by the light of a flash of lightning and found him dying. The total list of those killed in Giles County, so far as could be learned the day after the storm was eighteen white people and four negroes, making twenty two in all. The tornado was a mile wide at times, and its winds reached 300 mph, putting it at the top of the Fujita scale for tornado intensity. Damage: All of the buildings belong to the Fentress Coal & Coke Company. The tornado likely began in Humphreys County based on the information by Grazulis and the Nashville American. The strongest, an F-4 with winds 207 mph or higher traveled for 30 miles across Giles and Lincoln counties killing 31 people in all. Four houses are blown down in Franklin. Aftermath of deadly April 1909 tornado outbreak in Centerville, TN (Tennessee State Library & Archives) 62 people were killed in the outbreak, with 31 of them dying when a massive F4 tornado. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 2 1909, PAGE 4, section FOUR DEATHS IN MONTGOMERY: CLARKSVILLE, Tenn., May 1. Farther to the east, the homes of Mrs. Upchurch and Mr. McAdoo were damaged or destroyed northwest of Lascassas. For several minutes it was as bright as the glare of a noonday sun with this setting, the wind terrific in force and volume halted at no obstacle, and in its path it left an imprint on everything it touched. The cyclone followed the course of Dog Creek, a small stream close to the springs, and followed it until it came to the mouth of the hollow, when it entered the hollow and laid waste everything in its path. Therefore a more accurate total of 6 deaths was used here, although the final number may have been even higher. Many Nolensville residents said it was the worst storm to ever strike there -- even worse than the notorious cyclone of 1900, which had cut a path only a few hundred yards wide. Wires all down everywhere and communication with the country cut off. In addition, the "old negro woman" killed "one-quarter mile west of Franklin" according to the Pulaski Citizen newspaper was actually killed, along with one of her children, on Carter's Creek Pike southwest of Franklin per the Nashville American newspaper. Ab Hays, of Nashville, who was visiting Joe Rosson's family, near Port Royal, was seriously hurt by timbers, and died this morning. Shade trees and orchards suffered greatly. Until late this afternoon it has been impossible to communicate with other towns throughout the country. Based on all this information, the path location was adjusted to the south of Franklin, with the path width added as 300 yards based on reports in the Nashville American. For a strip more than two miles in width along the railroad between here and Tennessee City, and on through that portion of the county traversed by the storm, scarcely a tree is left standing, but all lie as flat as if rolled over by some immense road roller. It is thought that the dead and injured list will be increased by further reports. [4], List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks, "Tornadoes, with Special Reference to Those That Have Occurred in Tennessee", "A tornado climatology of middle Tennessee (1830-2003)", "The Forgotten F5: The Lawrence County Supercell During the Middle Tennessee Tornado Outbreak of 16 April 1998", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tornado_outbreak_of_late-April_1909&oldid=1076670277, Tornado destroyed two homes about 7mi (11km) south of, Tornado transported a tank weighing 1,300. Homes were destroyed in Marion, Arkansas, resulting in five deaths in Arkansas. NWS Greatest damage and the most horrible loss of life occurred in the community between Bunker Hill and Bryson, but the destruction was by no means confined to one place. Web. - The most horrible catastrophe ever known in Lincoln County was the cyclone which passed through the county last night about midnight, wrecking homes, destroying lives and injuring a large number of citizens. Here is information to know, understand and remember; The annual average number of tornadoes reported in Tennessee grew from 11.3 for the 20-year period of 1980-1999 to 18.1 for 2000-2019. This tornado is estimated to have touched down in Fentress County southwest of Gatewood Ford Road just west of the Morgan County border, then moved northeast to near where the Crooked Creek and Clear Fork meet destroying a sawmill (F1), and then on into Morgan County. All NOAA. Will McGrew's family consisted of ten. The tornado outbreak this week featured more than 400 tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings that spanned nearly two-dozen states. Dive into the history of the Volunteer State. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 10, "FROM MURFREESBORO, TENN.": MURFREESBORO, Tenn., April 30. Trees were twisted in two and hurled great distances. The path length was extended from Grazulis' 15 miles to 20 miles and path width added as 1/4 mile based on the information in the Nashville American, along with the time being adjusted to 8 PM from 830 PM. All NOAA, (The following newspaper article was transcribed from The Pulaski Citizen of May 6, 1909.). No other fatalities are reported from this town although barns and outbuildings were swept away by the fierce assault of the storm. Damage: BEE SPRING, Tenn. (WKRN) On April 29th and 30th in 1909, Middle Tennessee suffered its deadliest tornado outbreak in history. It touched down during the dead of night between 10 and 11as it moved into Williamson County. One hundred trees were blown across the Rugby Pike, delaying the mails that day, for it was next to impossible to get through. The Evans Mills, on Stones River, one mile north of Florence, were blown into the river and destroyed. 63 people lost their lives, and more than 200 were injured from a total of 12 tornadoes. At Trinity, about seven miles west of here, the damage is beyond description. The strongest tornado traveled through Giles and Lincoln Counties. Besides the loss of property, which is now estimated at $100,000, seven known dead are reported, and injured. Just a few rods east of the McGrew place stood the home of Bud Guffey. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The timbers in front of the hotel were laid waste, some of which fell on the hotel, doing considerable damage to the building. Several negro families lost their homes. One negro family, Nancy Smith and two children lost their lives in the wreckage of their little home, and one of Till Bledsoe's children was killed. At least 695 . Many tenant houses and barns were wrecked on different places. His entire family was wiped out of existence. Current Hazards. Photos of the damage in the Hillsboro (Leiper's Fork) area from the Nashville American newspaper show extreme damage, with a home wiped off the foundation and a hillside forest completely destroyed, suggesting this tornado reached F4 intensity. The Bee Spring community after the tornado was never quite the same and never really recovered. Robert Barnes and wife, near Fayetteville. The description of the tornado path by Grazulis does not match the reports in the Nashville American and Williamson Herald, which indicate the tornado passed around 1 mile south of Franklin, not north as Grazulis wrote, with heavy damage in Hillsboro, Southall, on Carter's Creek Pike, between Winstead Hill and the Battleground Academy on Columbia Pike, at the Historic Carenton Plantation, and on Lewisburg Pike. Tornado destroyed up to nine homes and hit buildings in. The timber for 250 yards wide in the path of this tornado is down for many miles. Col. Pendergrass' residence was blown from its foundation. It will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The storm struck the county line just opposite Perryville, and traveled a northeast course, passing about five miles to the north of Linden. Tornado destroyed six homes at Moreland. However, the party living in this was away. Almost every dwelling was rendered unsafe. - The heaviest rainfall in years, accompanied by high winds, has fallen here since midnight last night. Grazulis and some newspapers reported 4 deaths in Franklin County from Owl Hollow to Decherd, but newspaper articles indicate at least 2 more people died from their injuries several weeks later after the tornado, with other people still in critical condition. From Conway eastward to the county line, and even beyond through Lincoln County a wide path of destruction and desolation was swept through a prosperous and happy farming community. J. D. Butler's house was damaged considerably, and the Methodist Church, South, had part of the roof blown away. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 4, ALGOOD SECTION: The worst storm that has visited this section for thirty years passed over this section about midnight. The majority of the 34 deaths caused by this F4 tornado were in the residential areas of the east and south areas of the town. Miss Jennie Kelso, Fayetteville; killed by live electric light wire. "Storm's Dead Total 93." 10-18-1909, p. 2. 20th Century 1909 Oct 14, Tornado Outbreak, AL (11-21), AR (2), GA (1-2), TN (42-50) -56-75 lornajarrettblanchard October 14, 1909 95 Daily Telegraph, Atlantic, IA. Mr. Marlin was badly injured, too, but he survived, along with an infant child, a 16-year old son, and two young daughters. "Death Toll in Ninety-five." 10-18-1909, p. 1. Thousands of trees were downed and cattle were killed. The parent supercell thunderstorm continued on to produce additional tornadoes in Scott County. - At Statesville, seven miles from here, the storm of Thursday night destroyed the three churches and the school building. B. Thompson lives was blown across the street and his barn turned over, but his family was not hurt. The tornado continued into Giles County where nine more people lost their lives. The emergency is one which as charitable, sympathetic people, we should take prompt steps to alleviate. The largest national tornado outbreak was the Super Outbreak of April 26-28, 2011, which spawned more than 300 tornadoes across the eastern United States. RUGBY. A total of 22 people were killed in that area (Giles County), and seven near "Millville" (Lincoln County). The town of Statesville, six miles from here, was struck last night by a tornado. But for the fact that the country is hilly and in places thinly settled the destruction would have been even greater. Mrs. Brown was seriously if not fatally injured. Its course was about a half mile wide and lay from Cross Roads into Scott Co., between the farms of William Cummings and Laban Riseden, just escaping both the homesteads, but tearing up all the timber in the neighborhood and bearing on southward below Rugby, carrying away the home of Young John Brewster and crushing in his shoulder and injuring his wife. In addition to those killed outright many were more or less seriously injured. At this time it is impossible to ascertain the damage and loss of life to stock; no lives so far reported. Dickson was left to the right of the storm's pathway, and fortunately little damage was done here. The young son of J. L. Cox, who lives on Hervey Whitfield's farm in District No. Brave men bared their backs to the chilly rain to provide wraps for suffering women and children; and worked through the dreary hours till daylight, searching for the dead and endeavoring to relieve the suffering of survivors. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. But nowhere was the loss of life greater or the destruction of property more complete than in Giles County. The clouds rolled like tremendous waves out of the southwest, and the thunder's crash was deafening, while the electric flashes played incessantly, lighting up the dark-canopied earth like a refulgent monster meteor. A damage rating of at least F2 intensity seems likely based on the newspaper descriptions. Nashville, TN500 Weather Station RoadOld Hickory, TN 37138615-754-8500Comments? FROM THE PULASKI CITIZEN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON MAY 6, 1909: Centreville, Tenn., April 30. The barn of Dr. Neely, representative from this county, was blown away. April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak. At Florence, a village about six miles from here, the large mill known as "Ward Mill", on the Stones River, was blown completely into the river. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The path length was estimated based on a beginning point in the Bushtown area and end point just past Algood. Six people were killed in Hickman County, along a track through Shipps Bend, Centerville, and Little Tot. 30. For several minutes it was as bright as the glare of a noonday sun with this setting, the wind terrific in force and volume halted at no obstacle, and in its path it left an imprint on everything it touched. As it moved into Williamson County it eventually passed just south of Franklin causing 8 deaths and 11 injuries. Tornado Outbreak of April 29, 1909 (The following newspaper article was transcribed from The Pulaski Citizen of May 6, 1909.) SHAMBURGER (2016): Based on the reports in the Nashville American, the number of deaths and injuries cited by Grazulis is too low, and the reported 4 deaths and 50 injuries in Montgomery County were used here. The damage reported in the far western and northern suburbs of Fayetteville along with the $5,000 damage to the Elk Cotton Mills north of Fayetteville indicates the tornado continued for several more miles before lifting northeast of Fayetteville, not 5 miles to the northwest as Grazulis stated. As soon as a message could be sent to Pulaski, local doctors and citizens hastened to the scene of disaster to aid as much as possible in the work of relief. Damage: Based on all of this information, the path start and end points were adjusted, path length increased to 30 miles, and path width increased to one mile. Mrs. Will Adcock and her daughter are reported killed, but not verified. Mr. Parkes had a cow killed, fruit trees destroyed and barn blown down. 1 could not continue on account of the wreckage of the roadways. "Some splendid homes were turned to rubbish.". The village of Harms, five miles west of Fayetteville, was almost completely destroyed. With the exception of several street lights being burned out, the damage at McEwen was slight. Therefore, the Franklin County damage (at least F2) and Grundy County damage (F1) were combined into this entry and added to the NWS Nashville tornado database. Only two houses were left standing. Some homes were reportedly destroyed in six counties further to the ENE, but tornadoes there are not confirmable. And the tornado also injured 70 people as it traveled through the county, Lancaster said. The top of the house was blown off and Mrs. Cox was thrown by the wind into the garden a short distance away. SHAMBURGER (2016): This tornado was not included in Grazulis' book Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. On Lick Creek the house of Frank Hunter was badly wrecked and one member of his family blown for a short distance without serious injury. Fayetteville, Tenn., April 30. Please select one of the following: Nashville (KOHX) Local Standard Radar (low bandwidth), Hopkinsville, KY (KHPX) Local Standard Radar (low bandwidth), Hytop, AL (KHTX) Local Standard Radar (low bandwidth), Columbus, MS (KGWX) Local Standard Radar (low bandwidth), National Radar Standard Radar (low bandwidth), Southern Mississippi Valley Local Standard Radar (low bandwidth), Central Great Lakes Local Standard Radar (low bandwidth), Southeast Local Standard Radar (low bandwidth), State of Tennessee and Middle TN Daily Climate, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The house was completely torn to pieces. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 2 1909, PAGE 5, "FALLING TIMBER": WILDER, Tenn., May 1. Both the Methodist and Christian churches are blown down; the homes of Will Tullass and James Marshall, both of which were beautiful country residences, are complete wrecks; the home of James Nolen is considerably damage, but not so bad as the others. No fatalities have been reported as yet, but several are very painfully hurt. Prof. J. M. Coulson's residence destroyed and a number of other buildings greatly damaged. The property loss will mount into the thousands. This historical footage of Oklahoma's worst-ever tornado outbreak was assembled using News 9's on-air broadcast along with storm tracker footage and some images/interviews with viewers. From the foot of the mountain, near Wonder Cave, half way to the top, two-thirds of the large trees are down. One massive grave contains the remains of an entire family. This page was last edited on 12 March 2022, at 09:35. The storm was about two miles south of Alexandria, and the following farmers had their barns demolished entirely or unroofed: James Dinwiddle, J. S. Turner, J. D. Griffith, Oby Jenkins, G. G. Gibbs, Vick Groom, Bob Vannatta, John Midgett (two), Mort Foutch, and Hanison Self. Just like the previous storm, it caused widespread property damage. Here is an opportunity in my judgement, for an exhibition of true Christian benevolence. SHAMBURGER (2016): Despite the complete destruction of the home in Humphreys County as reported by the Nashville American, the tornado was not included in Grazulis' book Significant Tornadoes 1600-1991. and Mrs. W. S. McLaurine, Mrs. Ella King, widow of the late Mit King, collar bone broken, Hiram Usselton's baby, seriously, perhaps fatally hurt, George Hardy, son of T. J. It is thought that the dead and injured list will be increased by further reports. J. M. Colston and wife, near Fayetteville. From almost every section of Tennessee are reports of fatalities and property loss, while Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and even Indiana and Illinois report touches of the cyclone. - M. C. NORTHINGTON, Mayor.". There have been. At Leiper's Fork, in Williamson County, a mother and three children were killed in their home. This large outbreak of tornadoes included an EF3 tornado that caused significant damage to homes, business, schools and infrastructure in Jacksboro, Texas. Jeff Dunnivant, a tenant on Irby Scruggs' place and his family escaped from the wreckage of their home with only slight injuries, but not a fragment of anything was left to the family, except the night clothes in which they were sleeping. It is impossible to obtain details, as the wires are all down. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, May 1 1909, PAGE 4, "RUTHERFORD COUNTY. In that general area, at least 55 were killed by tornadoes. The lightning flashed incessantly, and all evidences indicated that a great storm was raging in the neighboring sections. SHAMBURGER (2016): Based on the locations of damage reported by Grazulis and in the Pulaski Citizen, the Nashville American, and the Nashville Tennessean newspapers, the path of this tornado as plotted by Grazulis is incorrect, and is certainly oriented more east-northeastward similar to the other tornadoes on this day. Ward's Mill, one of the oldest country mills in the country, was blown bodily into Stones River. The home of Wilson Estes was also destroyed, together with the livery barn of Russell Estes, owner of Primm Springs Hotel. It is impossible to obtain details, as the wires are all down. The F-scale rating, path length, path width, and injuries are all estimated from the reported damage in the Nashville American, indicating the tornado began near Decaturville, moved through Perryville, and ended northeast of Linden. Franklin, Tenn., Apr. April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak Weather.gov> Nashville, TN> April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak Current Hazards Outlooks Submit a Storm Report Decision Support Hazardous Weather Outlook Detailed Hazards Local Storm Reports (Text) Local Storm Reports (Graphical) Severe Weather Mode Current Conditions Surface Observations Satellite It next struck the farm of Judge B. C. Batts, near Sadlersville, blew down his barn, his shade trees and other valuable timber, striking next the farm of Jervy Grubbs, where it demolished his tobacco barn, fences and other buildings; then struck the farm of Tom Sanders and his residence, barns and other buildings were destroyed. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, 5 reported dead after severe weather in Kentucky,, Rollover crash on I-65N in Davidson County leads, Man hit, killed on Old Hickory Blvd. The most terrible cyclone in the history of Giles County struck with great fury between 11 and 12 o'clock Thursday night. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This was the deadliest tornado outbreak in the U.S. since May 2011, when more than 170 people were killed. The Alex Mitchell family of five in Hillsboro was also reportedly all killed, but this could not be confirmed. Weather.gov > Nashville, TN > April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak . - A terrific rain and wind storm swept this county last night and many reports of widespread damage and destruction are being received. All missing people in Kentucky have been accounted for, Gov. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. The loss in timber alone in this section was placed at $100,000. FROM THE FENTRESS COUNTY GAZETTE, MAY 6 1909, "Local News": The storm of last Friday morning, which was so severe in different parts of the state, did no damage in this immediate vicinity.