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. 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. Please Contact Us. - 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. - A terrific rain and wind storm swept this county last night and many reports of widespread damage and destruction are being received. Weather.gov > Nashville, TN > April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak . Among the towns affected were Horn Lake, Mississippi, where about half of the fatalities were recorded, and Whitehaven, Tennessee, where the tornado damaged 30 homes. 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. 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. Tennessee 225: Dive into the history of the Volunteer State. CYCLONE BRINGS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION Many Lives and Much Property Lost in Giles County. Will Ross Lackey, Jr., and Esq. The tornado is included here with an estimated F2 intensity and 2 injuries based on the destruction of the Bush Brown home south of McEwen. 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. SHAMBURGER (2017): The path of this tornado, which touched down just south of where the Franklin tornado occluded near Clovercroft, was estimated to begin southwest of the Trinity Methodist Church southeast of Franklin. Much of the land was washed. All the houses there are damaged more or less, but no one was killed. 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. So one family that lived here in Bee Spring near the cemetery lost seven members of the family including the mother and six children. The missing are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Stevens, whose home was torn to pieces. The cyclone struck Rudolphtown about 8 o'clock and traveled in a northeasterly course. ": Dickson, Tenn., Apr. Two persons were killed outright, James Stafford, an aged white man, who was taken 200 yards from his residence and his neck snapped, and a small colored child. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 4 1909, PAGE 5, "HEAVY DAMAGE AT CHARLOTTE": CHARLOTTE, Tenn., May 3. Another (not counted) indirect death occurred in Lincoln County due to a Miss Jennie Kelso interacting with a live electrical wire. As the storm moved eastward, it cut a path into the Southall community, causing major damage and dealing additional death blows. 11 deaths were recorded in the Missouri storm, 5 near Texas City and 29 along the Alabama-Tennessee state line. 6 Feb. 2021. Fayetteville, Tenn., April 30. January's largest single outbreak happened over the course of two days when 129 tornadoes were spawned, mostly in the South, in the record year of 1999. The wind was from the southwest and first struck the west end of the city and blew down a number of houses in Bushtown, the negro part of the city. Dickson was left to the right of the storm's pathway, and fortunately little damage was done here. 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. Damage: Dr. Barger lost five of his six barns, and the merchants suffered much loss from their business houses being unroofed. Track of Cyclone a Mile Wide and Vast Damage Done": MURFREESBORO, Tenn., April 30. Late-April 1909 Tornado Outbreak - Confirmed Tornadoes - April 29 Event April 29 Event Read more about this topic: Late-April 1909 Tornado Outbreak, Confirmed Tornadoes Famous quotes containing the word event: " When we awoke, we found a heavy dew on our blankets. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 2, section "NUMBER OF HOUSES WRECKED - Cookeville and Surrounding Territory in the Path of the Storm": COOKEVILLE, Tenn., April 30 - A storm of cyclonic effects struck this city last night about 1 o'clock. 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]. James Marshall, a young man of about 20, was blown from the bed in an upstairs room and lodged in a tree about twenty-five feet away but escaped without injury. The cyclone wrecked the house and killed Mrs. McGrew and six children, while Mr. McGrew, a son and a baby escaped with serious injuries. A force of men from Scott and Morgan counties under the road overseers, cleared the road on May 3rd. At least fifty other persons sustained more or less serious injuries, and the recovery of three is doubtful. Affecting particularly the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys, it killed over 150 people, 60 of them in the U.S. state of Tennessee alone. 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. - The little town of Smyrna was close to the path of a terrific storm that swept through this section last night, causing much damage to property, and it was miraculous that no lives were lost. Mr. McNutt, wife and three children, near Fayetteville. The courthouse roof was blown off. This large outbreak of tornadoes included an EF3 tornado that caused significant damage to homes, business, schools and infrastructure in Jacksboro, Texas. In addition to those killed outright many were more or less seriously injured. Special thanks to Sam Shamburger from the National Weather Service office in Nashville, who did extensive research on this tornado outbreak. Telephone lines are a mass of wires and poles. Spawned by the same thunderstorm that produced the Charleston tornado family. At Trinity, about seven miles west of here, the damage is beyond description. The tornado touched down just outside of Aspen Hills, just a few miles west of here. 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. 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. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 2 1909, PAGE 5, "FALLING TIMBER": WILDER, Tenn., May 1. This tornado was almost certainly produced by the same supercell that spawned the even worse Giles/Lincoln County tornado just to the west. 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. 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. Columbia, Tenn., April 20. 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 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 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. Contributions may be sent direct to Mr. Young or to the Citizen and we will forward to the relief committee. -92-93 Daily Journal, Stevens Point, WI. 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. 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. After striking Nolensville, the storm moved into Rutherford County. That tornado alone caused an estimated $100 million in damage and the loss of 33 lives, which was only a fraction of the total damage caused by the Super Outbreak. Damage: Homes were reportedly damaged or destroyed. It is impossible to obtain details, as the wires are all down. At this time it is impossible to ascertain the damage and loss of life to stock; no lives so far reported. While it was estimated to be an F4, some reports indicate that there was more than one tornado. And those individuals are buried in the Bee Spring Cemetery that you see here today.. About 75 homes were damaged or destroyed at Centerville, and losses totaled over $100,000. A number of residences were badly damaged and business houses unroofed, the rain destroying almost the entire stock of John Jewell. I call upon all persons in this community who will contribute to this object to leave contributions at either of the banks. It is seldom our mountain country has such a cyclone. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 10, "AT WATERTOWN, TENN.". Most of the land will have to be returned and planted. SHAMBURGER (2017): Based on the Fentress County Gazette article, this damage appears to be yet another tornado produced by the same long track supercell that spawned numerous tornadoes from southeast of Memphis to Cookeville. Besides the loss of property, which is now estimated at $100,000, seven known dead are reported, and injured. 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 tornado destroyed a church and three homes. 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. 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. The tornado tore apart eight or nine farms and damaged or destroyed 25 buildings in Charlotte. One son, Oscar, was hit by falling timbers and considerably bruised. His entire family was wiped out of existence. Mrs. Will Adcock and her daughter are reported killed, but not verified. F. H. Hickerson, in the mercantile business, suffered quite a loss. 30. The plate glass show windows stood the shock, but a number of other smaller lights in the windows were broken. Dive into the history of the Volunteer State. Mrs. Berry (sic) Prosser, near Fayetteville; fatally injured. The barn of Dr. Neely, representative from this county, was blown away. SHAMBURGER (2016): Although Grazulis states that a downburst caused the immense damage in Statesville, the severity of the damage across southeast Wilson County into DeKalb County - with three churches demolished, numerous homes and barns unroofed, and several injuries - strongly suggests this damage was from a strong tornado. after celebrating, Driver dead after Maryland tanker explosion, Ja Morant investigated by NBA after Instagram post, How NIL will affect local high school athletes, The right thing to do: College softball players, Forsberg, Giannis join Nashville SC ownership group, Ja Morant accused of making threatening statement, Arrest warrants issued for projected NFL draft pick. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The poles were broken down and splintered and the wires were left in a tangled mass. (Bud) Hardy, Mrs. Louie Gordon, who was living with her mother, Mrs. Eliza Wilkinson, was cut and bruised about the face and arm. 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 writer went across the country to Sulphur Fork, following it up, and through Charlotte, on the west side of town. Almost every dwelling was rendered unsafe. The Bee Springs tornado touched down in northernmost Limestone County, Alabama, before crossing the into Lincoln and Giles Counties in Tennessee. 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. Just like the previous storm, it caused widespread property damage. Here is an opportunity in my judgement, for an exhibition of true Christian benevolence. US Dept of Commerce No information is available farther to the east across the extremely rural area between Decherd and Monteagle, but based on newspaper reports and damage in Franklin and Grundy Counties all lining up in a straight line, the damage in both counties was almost certainly produced by the same tornado. Some homes were reportedly destroyed in six counties further to the ENE, but tornadoes there are not confirmable. A portion of the residence of Mrs. Alice Estes was blown away. Andy Beshear said Saturday. Due to the proximity to the county border, this tornado likely began in Overton County, but the article does not mention any damage to confirm this. 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. One of the strange things of it all is that both the Christian and Methodist churches at Trinity were blown down about ten years ago, and both rebuilt on the same foundation to be blown away again last night. 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. Six people were killed in Hickman County, along a track through Shipps Bend, Centerville, and Little Tot. The cyclone went from Primm's on to Centreville. The old McGavock home is wrecked. Two of the couple's sons were blown over a 20-foot bluff and into a nearby creek. 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. - The heaviest rainfall in years, accompanied by high winds, has fallen here since midnight last night. Robert Barnes and wife, near Fayetteville. 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Two people were killed and 20 injured in that second storm. The dwelling of Lon Dowell was unroofed, and the house of Will Hickman was blown fifty yards and caught fire and was consumed. The McConnico Church southeast of Franklin was also heavily damaged. 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. The second highest number of fatalities occurred from an F-3 tornado with winds of 158 mph or higher that ravaged Hickman and Williamson counties. 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. 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. 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. It cut a huge path over a mile wide through the area. The entire town of Statesville had severe downburst damage. You can see his full report here. A large warehouse and storehouse were wrecked. April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak. Mrs. Reed was also found unconscious, but has recovered. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. A family of tornadoes also affected later Hickman and Williamson Counties southwest of Nashville and later moved into Cookeville and Putnam Counties. The cyclone of the night of April 29th or morning of April 30th, did great damage near Rugby. The storm extended over many states inflicting damage on widely scattered communities from the Great Lakes to the Gulf. "Death Toll in Ninety-five." 10-18-1909, p. 1. In Charlotte ten houses were completely wrecked, and thirty in addition were damaged more or less. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 12, "PERHAPS FATALLY HURT": McEWEN, Tenn., April 30. Many narrow escaped from death are reported, but only one person is known to have been injured, an old lady, Mrs. Upchurch, but the extent of her injuries is not known FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 4, "SMYRNA IS STRUCK": SMYRNA, Tenn., April 30. In that general area, at least 55 were killed by tornadoes. There were also numerous reports of livestock killed by flying debris. Will McGrew's family consisted of ten. - 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. Coming as it did near midnight, when the people generally were asleep, many barely escaped in their night clothes. The house of Judge Lewis was also destroyed and several other houses damaged beyond repair. National Weather Service But for the fact that the country is hilly and in places thinly settled the destruction would have been even greater. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, May 1 1909, PAGE 4, "NOLENSVILLE SECTION": NOLENSVILLE, April 30. RUGBY. SHAMBURGER (2016): This tornado was not included in Grazulis' book Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 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. Jack Pope's home was wrecked and he and his wife were killed. 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.