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. 1909: Middle Tennessee's deadliest tornado outbreak Web. Some homes were reportedly destroyed in six counties further to the ENE, but tornadoes there are not confirmable. The time of this tornado appears to be incorrect as the Cookeville tornado was well documented as occurring around 1 AM, so a later time was used. The homes of Mrs. John Brown and William McAdoo were blown down, and part of the home of B. M. Peebles was blown away. "April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak." Undated. A. C. Morgan's house was blown away and Mrs. Morgan was badly injured, but not fatally, it is thought. 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. At least fifty other persons sustained more or less serious injuries, and the recovery of three is doubtful. It cut a huge path over a mile wide through the area. In its course from Rudolphtown to the Robertson County line the storm put out the eyes of several mules and other stock at Hinton, blew down the residence and stable of Joe Rosson, blew away the residence of Mrs. Ella Rosson and blew her over 100 yards. Tennessee 225: Dive into the history of the Volunteer State. It is miraculous that there was no more personal injuries, as this was the worst storm ever seen in this part of the State. 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. Their household effects are destroyed. It then completely blew away Webb & Crawford's Planning Mills and the stock house of the Cookeville Roller Mills. C. H. Underhill had a considerable loss, but it is covered by insurance. Thousands of trees were downed and cattle were killed. Tornadoes in Maury County - Maurypedia 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. Web. Oscar Brown, a young son, was also seriously injured. The storm seemed to reach the proportions of a tornado at a late hour of the night, sweeping from northeast to southwest, carrying down many farm buildings, but fortunately it passed through a sparsely-settled section and in about twenty minutes it completely reversed its course, turning from the northeast to the southwest, and many of the buildings were blown back in the opposite direction. Mr. McNutt, wife and three children, near Fayetteville. The property loss will mount into the thousands. Houses and barns with their contents, orchards, fences and timber make up a large list of valuable property much of which was literally blown out of existence in a few seconds. 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. Windows were blown from the residence of William H. Gregory, and the barn on his farm was blown down and numerous losses of a similar kind were the result. At the same time and place, Mrs. Thad Reese, who was a sister of Mrs. Guffey, with her two children, lost their lives, making seven deaths at this one house. Andy Beshear said Saturday. The greatest damage was done in the Florence and Walter Hill sections. NUMBER EIGHT - THE ZEPHYR TORNADO - MAY 30, 1909 Tornado number 8 formed somewhere close to the town of Zephyr, in Brown County, near midnight and destroyed large parts of the town during the early morning hours, leaving little to view except vacant lots. Dive into the history of the Volunteer State. References National Weather Service. The cyclone struck Rudolphtown about 8 o'clock and traveled in a northeasterly course. This particular cyclone began its work of destruction in the neighborhood of Conway, though several barns and tenant houses were blown down west of that place. A special thanks to the Nashville National Weather Service office and Lead Forecaster Sam Shamburger for his research on this tornado outbreak. CYCLONE BRINGS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION Many Lives and Much Property Lost in Giles County. Dr. Barger lost five of his six barns, and the merchants suffered much loss from their business houses being unroofed. April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak. On account of the destitution which is reported to exist in the stricken district, Mayor Northington has issued the following statement: "Reports having reached me of the destitution occasioned by Thursday night's storm, on account of which scored of persons have lost all of their means and been rendered homeless, it becomes my duty to make the fact known in our citizens officially. Most of the land will have to be returned and planted. At Cross Roads, Scott County, it demolished the home of Henry Reed, debris falling upon him and crushing his skull. The storm seems to have entered the county from the southern side, passing between this place and Tennessee City. Today the people of Cookeville and Algood are applying themselves vigorously to removing the debris and repairing the damages and the fact that no one was killed dispels much of the gloom caused by the destruction of property. A school was reportedly carried intact for two miles, touching the ground every 200-300 yards, leaving holes in the earth. Just a few rods east of the McGrew place stood the home of Bud Guffey. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration How often do tornadoes hit Tennessee? - Dickson County was swept by a terrible storm last night, and as a result more than fifty houses lay wrecked today, and the damage to property will run far into the thousands of dollars. Mr. McNutt, wife and three children, near Fayetteville. In addition, Grazulis did not include the part of this tornado's path in northwest Robertson County near Sadlersville, which was included here along with the reported one injury. FROM THE WILLIAMSON HERALD NEWSPAPER: The second tornado that night struck at 11:15 p.m. about four miles southwest of Nolensville. The several cashiers will take charge of same several cashiers will take charge of same and see to it that it is property and judiciously distributed among those who are destitute. The farms lying on the hillsides are washed in deep gullies and the low land is completely flooded. A number of residences were badly damaged and business houses unroofed, the rain destroying almost the entire stock of John Jewell. Tornado destroyed six homes at Moreland. Miss Jennie Kelso, Fayetteville; killed by live electric light wire. It was an F-4 with winds 207 miles per hour or higher. A large oak tree was lifted bodily and blown across it, crushing in the roof. The 77 killer tornadoes recorded in the year 1909 marked an all-time yearly record for the number of killer tornadoes, a total that was only equaled in the year 1917. Col. Pendergrass' residence was blown from its foundation. Miss Jennie Kelso, Fayetteville; killed by live electric light wire. To this day, the 1909 outbreak remains the second-deadliest on record in Tennesseeeven the April 34, 1974 Super Outbreak and the February 56, 2008, Super Tuesday outbreak produced just 45 and 31 deaths each in the state.[1]. $150,000 damage. But several hundred dollars will be needed for relief work and the more fortunate should respond liberally. From there, it crossed over to Columbia Avenue, where it completely wrecked everything along both sides of the pike, from Winstead Hill to the area just adjacent to Battle Ground Academy. One of the heaviest and hardest rains followed by a hail storm; hundreds of trees blown down and nearly all orchards ruined. - 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. GRAZULIS: The entire town of Statesville had severe downburst damage. Dickson was left to the right of the storm's pathway, and fortunately little damage was done here. Many tenant houses and barns were wrecked on different places. - This section was visited by a cyclone last night at 11 o'clock, leaving suffering and destruction in its path. Tornadoes in the United States 1950-2019 These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America . The most frightful wreckage and loss of life occurred in the little valley through which passes the road from Bunker Hill to Bryson, and in which were located the homes of Bud Guffey, Will McGrew, Lee Smith, J. S. Bryson and others. 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. At Leiper's Fork, in Williamson County, a mother and three children were killed in their home. (Bud) Hardy, Mrs. Louie Gordon, who was living with her mother, Mrs. Eliza Wilkinson, was cut and bruised about the face and arm. The writer went across the country to Sulphur Fork, following it up, and through Charlotte, on the west side of town. Another tornado or downburst later struck near Monterey in eastern Putnam County, as the Nashville American reported "one of the worst wind storms in the history of the town" unroofed houses and barns, but the description of the damage is unclear whether a tornado or downburst was the cause. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Tornado Outbreak of April 29, 1909 - National Weather Service If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. There were also numerous reports of livestock killed by flying debris. The listing is U.S.-centric, with greater and more consistent information available for U.S. tornadoes. The home of Mrs. Ward escaped any serious damage. No lives were lost, but live stock suffered greatly. It will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. SHAMBURGER (2016): Despite the significant destruction caused by this tornado in Cookeville and Algood, Grazulis did not include this tornado in his book Significant Tornadoes. The second highest number of fatalities occurred from an F-3 tornado with winds of 158 miles per hour or higher that ravaged Hickman and Williamson counties. SHAMBURGER (2016): Although Grazulis reported 10 deaths and 40 injuries from this major tornado, newspaper articles from the Nashville American and Williamson Herald indicated several more people were injured, killed, or eventually died from their injuries in the days after the tornado. The late-April 1909 tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that affected much of the central and Southern United States between April 29 and May 1, 1909. The house of Mr. Harvey, near town, was turned bottom side up without serious injury to the occupants. 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. Reports from farmers are that crops will have to be planted over again. At least 695 . The most terrible cyclone in the history of Giles County struck with great fury between 11 and 12 o'clock Thursday night. Ab Lane lost his barn and two mules. Shade trees and orchards suffered greatly. This tornado likely continued into Logan County, Kentucky, but no information is available. The most frightful wreckage and loss of life occurred in the little valley through which passes the road from Bunker Hill to Bryson, and in which were located the homes of Bud Guffey, Will McGrew, Lee Smith, J. S. Bryson and others. 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. 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. - 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. Others are not expected to recover. - The house of Bush Brown, on Hurricane Creek, three miles from McEwen, was destroyed by a heavy wind last night. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 10, FROM M'EWEN: M'EWEN, Tenn., April 30. It was the deadliest known tornado outbreak to affect Tennessee until March 21, 1952, when 64 . The horror of the storm was greatly increased especially were people were (sic) severely hurt by the darkness and torrents of rain, which followed. For about one mile north of Florence the telegraph poles were twisted off and thrown across the N., C. & St. L. Railroad, which obstructed traffic for a considerable time last night. 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. Tornado caused $60,000 in damage at Sidney. North of Memphis, Tennessee, two F3 tornadoes killed a total of 22 from Crittenden County, Arkansas, to Carroll County, Tennessee. 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. Representative M. E. Neely lost a valuable barn, as did Maj. B. Randolph, both of the Walter Hill neighborhood. Only one member of this large family escaped unhurt. Will Ross Lackey, Jr., and Esq. Bob White's house was blown from its foundation. Tornado Outbreak of April 29, 1909 (The following newspaper article was transcribed from The Pulaski Citizen of May 6, 1909.) But for the fact that the country is hilly and in places thinly settled the destruction would have been even greater. Some North American outbreaks affecting the U.S. may only include tornado information from the U.S. How 148 Tornadoes in One Day in 1974 Changed Emergency Preparedness Homes were reportedly damaged or destroyed. - A terrific cyclone passed through a portion of Maury, Giles, Hickman and Williamson Counties last night, and as a result thirty-five or forty known dead and a hundred or more injured, some seriously. BEE SPRING, Tenn. (WKRN) On April 29th and 30th in 1909, Middle Tennessee suffered its deadliest tornado outbreak in history. And five days later, Mrs. Marlin died from her injuries at a Nashville hospital. Several parties sustained slight injuries. Multiple locations were found. And then coming through Bee Spring destroying homes and families and a local church here by the cemetery.. The tornado appears to have begun west of Aspen Hill in Giles County, not in Limestone County, Alabama, as Grazulis stated, then passed near Aspen Hill where it damaged homes and barns, through Conway where the school was destroyed, between Bunker Hill and Bryson, and through Bee Springs destroying numerous homes and the Bee Springs Church on Bee Springs Road about 1/3 mile south of Stevenson Road. As soon as neighbors could be informed of the disaster, they hastened to the relief of the suffering. National Weather Service One person was killed near Nolensville and another near Walterhill. Weather.gov > Nashville, TN > April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak . Robert Barnes and wife, near Fayetteville. Another (not counted) indirect death occurred in Lincoln County due to a Miss Jennie Kelso interacting with a live electrical wire. 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. 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. This page was last edited on 12 March 2022, at 09:35. But for the fact that the country is hilly and in places thinly settled the destruction would have been even greater. The plate glass show windows stood the shock, but a number of other smaller lights in the windows were broken. 22 people were killed here in Giles County from this tornado. Among those whose homes are wrecked are Postmaster C. H. Underhill, Asa Hickerson, Mrs. Lizzie McPherson and Jim Butler. One-half of the house where Attorney J. The timber for 250 yards wide in the path of this tornado is down for many miles. Thousands of dollars worth of property completely ruined. Damage: 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. The dwelling of Lon Dowell was unroofed, and the house of Will Hickman was blown fifty yards and caught fire and was consumed. Between the Wilson turnpike and Nolensville Pike for a distance of seven miles and half mile wide a number of houses are destroyed. 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. The village of Harms, five miles west of Fayetteville, was almost completely destroyed. A list of the top 10 worst tornadoes in Texas history Damage: F. H. Hickerson, in the mercantile business, suffered quite a loss. 30 - A heavy and disastrous cyclone passed through this section last night between the hours of eleven and twelve o'clock and struck one-quarter of a mile west of Franklin, killing an old negro woman and injuring three of her children, two of which may die. 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. 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. It is reported that three white people are killed about two miles further down the trail of the cyclone, but this statement has not been authenticated. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, May 1 1909, PAGE 4, "RUTHERFORD COUNTY. 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. 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. 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. Will Ross Lackey, Jr., and Esq. Four people are known to be dead and two are missing, supposed to have been blown away as their home was demolished. 30. Four-year-old child of Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Thompson, Totty's Bend. And those individuals are buried in the Bee Spring Cemetery that you see here today.. Almost every dwelling was rendered unsafe. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 4, "DEKALB COUNTY": ALEXANDRIA, Tenn., April 30 - A destructive wind of high velocity accompanied with much lightning and the largest hail ever known here struck the section of the country from Statesville to Smith Fork, traveling east. From the foot of the mountain, near Wonder Cave, half way to the top, two-thirds of the large trees are down. 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. "Death Toll in Ninety-five." 10-18-1909, p. 1. M. Gilbert, 1909 Natural Disasters: 1909 Atlantic Hurricane Season, 1909 Earthquakes, Tornadoes Of 1909, Late-April 1909 Tornado Outbreak|LLC Books . 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. 6 Feb. 2021. While it was estimated to be an F4, some reports indicate that there was more than one tornado. It went on record as an F2 tornado. A tornado destroyed 23 homes and damaged a depot and a hotel in Decherd. A tornado destroyed a church and three homes. The seriously injured are M. J. Farrar and daughter, of Gyruston, the former having a broken collarbone, and the latter a broken arm and leg; residence wrecked and burned. One hundred trees were blown across the Rugby Pike, delaying the mails that day, for it was next to impossible to get through. The storm extended over many states inflicting damage on widely scattered communities from the Great Lakes to the Gulf. 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. - A cyclone passed through this county last night about 10 o'clock, doing much damage to timber, fences, dwellings and barns, but so far as heard from only one life was lost, that being a little child about 6 years old. Columbia, Tenn., April 20. Others moved to towns like Elkton, which is the closest incorporated town to the area, Lancaster said. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 4 1909, PAGE 5, "THREE CHURCHES DESTROYED": ALEXANDRIA, Tenn., May 3. A large number of cattle and hogs were killed and telephonic communication south of the town has been entirely cut off. "Some splendid homes were turned to rubbish.". The strongest tornado traveled through Giles and Lincoln Counties. This tornado appears to be from the same long-track supercell which tracked from the Memphis area and later produced the tornadoes in Hickman, Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, DeKalb, Putnam, Fentress, and Scott Counties. BEE SPRING, Tenn. (WKRN) On April 29th and 30th in 1909, Middle Tennessee suffered its deadliest tornado outbreak in history. Please try another search. A thorough reading of the Nashville American, Nashville Tennessean, and Pulaski Citizen newspaper articles for several days after the tornado outbreak indicates 22 deaths occurred in Giles County and 9 deaths occurred in Lincoln County, for a total of 31 deaths from this tornado. You can see his full report here. It will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 4 1909, PAGE 5, "HEAVY DAMAGE AT CHARLOTTE": CHARLOTTE, Tenn., May 3. April 20, 1909: A windstorm "of great cyclonic power" caused $15,000 of damage in Putnam County. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, May 1 1909, PAGE 4, "NOLENSVILLE SECTION": NOLENSVILLE, April 30. The missing are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Stevens, whose home was torn to pieces. In addition to those killed outright many were more or less seriously injured. These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America. Please Contact Us. Therefore a more accurate total of 6 deaths was used here, although the final number may have been even higher. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The two main outbreaks alone were responsible for at least 145 of these tornadoes. 22 others lost their lives that fateful night across Middle Tennessee in tornadoes that struck Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Wilson, Grundy, and Fentress Counties. This week marks a decade since the "Super Outbreak" of tornadoes April 25-28, 2011, an unprecedented swarm of tornadoes that tore through the South. Coming as it did near midnight, when the people generally were asleep, many barely escaped in their night clothes. These pictures show the damage in Centerville in Hickman County where there were 9 deaths and 32 injuries. - 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. The stock barn of Rural home Stock farm was torn to pieces, and there were many other houses, barns, and outhouses destroyed. GRAZULIS: Twenty-three homes were destroyed, and a hotel and depot were unroofed at Decherd. Historian John Lancaster with the Giles County Historical Society recalled that fateful night. Six people were killed in Hickman County, along a track through Shipps Bend, Centerville, and Little Tot. Multiple locations were found. Deadliest Days: Killer tornadoes in Middle Tennessee A portion of the residence of Mrs. Alice Estes was blown away. 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. Special thanks to Sam Shamburger from the National Weather Service office in Nashville, who did extensive research on this tornado outbreak. FROM THE PULASKI CITIZEN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON MAY 6, 1909 "FIFTY HOUSES WRECKED. December tornado record crushed by historic onslaught of storms - The
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