Only one member of this large family escaped unhurt. Striking the residence of Prof. W. H. Hooks it blew away all of his residence except the kitchen, his stable, outbuildings and shade trees. The deadliest tornado outbreak ever in Middle Tennessee, and one of the worst tornado outbreaks in the history of the United States, struck the region from the evening hours on April 29, 1909, through the night and into the next day on April 30, 1909. This tornado likely continued into Logan County, Kentucky, but no information is available. Mail service over Route No. The desperately injured are: R. H. Thompson, a son and daughter of Mrs. Money, Hiram Prince and Prof. R. S. Ballen. Tornado - Occurrence in the United States | Britannica I call upon all persons in this community who will contribute to this object to leave contributions at either of the banks. A few barns and other outhouses were totally destroyed, and a dwelling occupied by Sol Bates, near Linden, was utterly demolished, several members of his family being more or less hurt and one child was killed. The tornado outbreak this week featured more than 400 tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings that spanned nearly two-dozen states. A third son died two days later as a result of injuries sustained during the tornado. Mr. Parkes had a cow killed, fruit trees destroyed and barn blown down. Col. Pendergrass' residence was blown from its foundation. [1] 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. List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks At Walter Hill the residence of Mrs. Upchurch was totally destroyed and she herself was fatally injured. The rear flank downdraft of the parent supercell also caused significant damage up to 2 miles south of the tornado path, such as the numerous trees blown down across Winchester. The missing are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Stevens, whose home was torn to pieces. Thousands of trees were downed and cattle were killed. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 2 1909, PAGE 5, "PERRY COUNTY": LINDEN, Tenn., May 1. NWS Franklin, Tenn., Apr. The missing are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Stevens, whose home was torn to pieces. 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. Another one of Mr. Cox's sons sustained a broken leg and his wife is badly hurt. From the foot of the mountain, near Wonder Cave, half way to the top, two-thirds of the large trees are down. It then completely blew away Webb & Crawford's Planning Mills and the stock house of the Cookeville Roller Mills. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 2 1909, PAGE 4, section FOUR DEATHS IN MONTGOMERY: CLARKSVILLE, Tenn., May 1. In Charlotte ten houses were completely wrecked, and thirty in addition were damaged more or less. 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. 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. The strongest tornado traveled through Giles and Lincoln Counties. Their household effects are destroyed. The entire town of Statesville had severe downburst damage. 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. This massive tornado then passed into Lincoln County where much of Millville, Cyruston, Clardyville, and Harms were damaged or destroyed. The strongest tornado confirmed so far from. Tri-State Tornado of 1925 was deadliest in U.S. history - The The path length was estimated based on a beginning point in the Bushtown area and end point just past Algood. This large tornado then passed 2 to 3 miles south of Nolensville, moved 1 mile northwest of Florence Station, passed over Wards Mill (also called Evans Mill or Nice Mill) around 4 miles southeast of Smyrna, then damaged homes and barns just south of Walter Hill. Others are not expected to recover. The home of the widow Speight was also destroyed. [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. 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. A path about 100 yards wide was swept clear of timber. Two of the couple's sons were blown over a 20-foot bluff and into a nearby creek. 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. The cyclone struck Rudolphtown about 8 o'clock and traveled in a northeasterly course. Nashville, TN500 Weather Station RoadOld Hickory, TN 37138615-754-8500Comments? At Cross Roads, Scott County, it demolished the home of Henry Reed, debris falling upon him and crushing his skull. Mr. Brinkley's house was carried from its foundations, as was a newly completed house of J. It touched down during the dead of night between 10 and 11as it moved into Williamson County. 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. Dickson was left to the right of the storm's pathway, and fortunately little damage was done here. NWS Giles County 112 years after Middle Tennessee's deadliest tornado outbreak How often do tornadoes hit Tennessee? SHAMBURGER (2016): The devastating and very large Decherd tornado, which was only given a few meager words in the book Significant Tornadoes by Tom Grazulis, began somewhere west of Owl Hollow in western Franklin County, then moved east-northeast passing about 1.3 miles north of Winchester, then plowing directly through Decherd. The deadliest tornado touched down just south of the Tennessee-Mississippi state line in Desoto County and tracked east-northeast for about 125 miles (201km) across Shelby, Fayette, Hardeman, Chester, Henderson and Decatur Counties. This is a list of significant tornadoes that have touched down in Maury County since 1900. Tornado destroyed six homes at Moreland. Following is a partia (?) A large oak tree was lifted bodily and blown across it, crushing in the roof. You can see his full report here. References National Weather Service. Four-year-old child of Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Thompson, Totty's Bend. 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. Thousands of dollars worth of property completely ruined. 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. Miss Jennie Kelso, Fayetteville; killed by live electric light wire. A gulch just west of the town evidently broke the force so that no serious damage has resulted. This is only a partial report of the damage done sent in by telephone this morning. North of Memphis, Tennessee, two F3 tornadoes killed a total of 22 from Crittenden County, Arkansas, to Carroll County, Tennessee. 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. 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. The homes of Mrs. John Brown and William McAdoo were blown down, and part of the home of B. M. Peebles was blown away. The timbers in front of the hotel were laid waste, some of which fell on the hotel, doing considerable damage to the building. The houses damaged were all unoccupied, except the one destroyed. Contributions may be sent direct to Mr. Young or to the Citizen and we will forward to the relief committee. 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. P. M. Greenwood had a small house blown away. 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. 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. 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. 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. The house of Judge Lewis was also destroyed and several other houses damaged beyond repair. A portion of the residence of Mrs. Alice Estes was blown away. 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. GRAZULIS: Twenty-three homes were destroyed, and a hotel and depot were unroofed at Decherd. The damage in town is slight compared with the country. Mrs. Will Adcock and her daughter are reported killed, but not verified. Spawned by the same thunderstorm that produced the Charleston tornado family. Just a few rods east of the McGrew place stood the home of Bud Guffey. The home of Wilson Estes was also destroyed, together with the livery barn of Russell Estes, owner of Primm Springs Hotel. So far as reported, no lives were lost, but on the farm of Mrs. Charles Ward all of the outhouses were blown away and a Mr. Gannon and his wife were 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. 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. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 10, "AT WATERTOWN, TENN.". No fatalities have been reported as yet, but several are very painfully hurt. One of the heaviest and hardest rains followed by a hail storm; hundreds of trees blown down and nearly all orchards ruined. Here it blew away the barn in which Duff was sheltered at the time, breaking three of Duff's toes, but otherwise he was not injured. 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. 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. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, May 1 1909, PAGE 4, "NOLENSVILLE SECTION": NOLENSVILLE, April 30. SHAMBURGER (2016): This tornado was not included in Grazulis' book Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. More than 320 died in the twister barrage . National Weather Service The most terrible cyclone in the history of Giles County struck with great fury between 11 and 12 o'clock Thursday night. And five days later, Mrs. Marlin died from her injuries at a Nashville hospital. 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. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. 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 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. After striking Nolensville, the storm moved into Rutherford County. The home of Wilson Estes was also destroyed, together with the livery barn of Russell Estes, owner of Primm Springs Hotel. GRAZULIS: Moved ENE from 4 miles SW of Nolensville, passing south of Smyrna, just north of Walterhill and ending near Statesville. Multiple locations were found. All NOAA. All NOAA, (The following newspaper article was transcribed from The Pulaski Citizen of May 6, 1909.). The storm seems to have entered the county from the southern side, passing between this place and Tennessee City. This tornado appears to be the same tornado that struck Decaturville and Perryville in Decatur County, which crossed the Tennessee River before moving across central Perry County. Many Lives and Much Property Lost in Giles County. April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak. It left 10 people dead and 40 more with serious injuries. The McConnico Church southeast of Franklin was also heavily damaged. It is an old adage that he who gives quickly gives twice. All missing people in Kentucky have been accounted for, Gov. 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. With the exception of several street lights being burned out, the damage at McEwen was slight. 30. Damage: FROM THE WILLIAMSON HERALD NEWSPAPER: The second tornado that night struck at 11:15 p.m. about four miles southwest of Nolensville. Affecting particularly the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys, it killed over 150 people, 60 of them in the U.S. state of Tennessee alone. At Trinity, about seven miles west of here, the damage is beyond description. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. It will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. SHAMBURGER (2016): Despite the death of the child and significant damage to the two homes in Perry County, this tornado was not included in Grazulis' book Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. At Leiper's Fork, in Williamson County, a mother and three children were killed in their home. GRAZULIS: Moved ENE from somewhere west of Shipps Bend to north of Clovercroft. The most terrible cyclone in the history of Giles County struck with great fury between 11 and 12 o'clock Thursday night. Fayetteville, Tenn., April 30. - 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. 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. Mr. McNutt, wife and three children, near Fayetteville. A special thanks to the Nashville National Weather Service office and Lead Forecaster Sam Shamburger for his research on this tornado outbreak. A tornado destroyed 23 homes and damaged a depot and a hotel in Decherd. Several parties sustained slight injuries. All of the buildings belong to the Fentress Coal & Coke Company. A tornado destroyed a church and three homes. 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. His entire family was wiped out of existence. Columbia, Tenn., April 20. CYCLONE BRINGS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION Many Lives and Much Property Lost in Giles County. The track of the cyclone was about a mile in width, passing across the country from west to east and north of Murfreesboro. Tornado caused $60,000 in damage at Sidney. The greatest damage was done in the Florence and Walter Hill sections. 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. Dickson, Tenn., Apr. 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. 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. It was an F-4 with winds 207 miles per hour or higher. Andy Beshear said Saturday. Result of the Work of the Storm in Dickson County": DICKSON, Tenn., April 30. 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]. Among those whose homes are wrecked are Postmaster C. H. Underhill, Asa Hickerson, Mrs. Lizzie McPherson and Jim Butler. There were no additional fatalities from these tornadoes. 22 people were killed here in Giles County from this tornado. The village of Harms, five miles west of Fayetteville, was almost completely destroyed. Another family lost five or six members of its family, as well. It is seldom our mountain country has such a cyclone. The tornado touched down just outside of Aspen Hills, just a few miles west of here. 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. The courthouse roof was blown off. W. S. McLaurine's baby were also killed. List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks Tornado Outbreak of April 29, 1909 (The following newspaper article was transcribed from The Pulaski Citizen of May 6, 1909.) A damage rating of at least F2 intensity seems likely based on the newspaper descriptions. 93 dead across 5 states: The deadly tornado outbreak by the numbers 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. A portion of the residence of Mrs. Alice Estes was blown away. 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. The tornado proceeded over across the Lewisburg Pike area, out Murfreesboro Road, and by 11 p.m. struck for a final time, near Clovercroft. The old McGavock home is wrecked. Eight-year-old boy of Paulina Farris, colored, Centreville. The large marble shaft erected to the memory of the Collier family, and in the private ground, was thrown to the ground. The Bee Spring community after the tornado was never quite the same and never really recovered. 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. Mrs. Reed was also found unconscious, but has recovered. 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. - The house of Bush Brown, on Hurricane Creek, three miles from McEwen, was destroyed by a heavy wind last night. 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. - 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. Elk River is higher than ever before. 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. The parent supercell thunderstorm continued on to produce additional tornadoes in Scott County. Submit a Storm Report; Briefing Page; Outlooks; Hazardous Weather Outlook; Detailed Hazards; Local Storm Reports (Text) Local Storm Reports (Graphical) Severe Weather Mode; Current Conditions. Robert Barnes and wife, near Fayetteville. Mr. McNutt, wife and three children, near Fayetteville. "Storm's Dead Total 93." 10-18-1909, p. 2. B. Thompson lives was blown across the street and his barn turned over, but his family was not hurt. 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, Elkton Story Mapper - Bee Springs Tornado, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. - The windstorm in this county Thursday night was probably the worst in its history. - M. C. NORTHINGTON, Mayor.". 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. One room was left of his home place, a seven-room dwelling, and it was in this room the family sought refuge. Only one member of this large family escaped unhurt. The most lives were lost in the Bee Spring community of Giles County. One brick home was completely demolished. Please try another search. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Numbers of barns completely wrecked, and several houses ruined. F. H. Hickerson, in the mercantile business, suffered quite a loss. About 75 homes were damaged or destroyed at Centerville, and losses totaled over $100,000. 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. A. Hickerson a house barn, buggies and fences. 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. Large trees were torn and twisted from the roots, and in some places scarcely a tree was left uninjured in a whole forest. The cyclone struck Primm Springs, a summer resort in Hickman County, and devastated the country. These pictures show the damage in Centerville in Hickman County where there were 9 deaths and 32 injuries. J. M. Colston and wife, near Fayetteville. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 10, FROM M'EWEN: M'EWEN, Tenn., April 30. It is impossible to obtain details, as the wires are all down. But several hundred dollars will be needed for relief work and the more fortunate should respond liberally. The stock barn of Rural home Stock farm was torn to pieces, and there were many other houses, barns, and outhouses destroyed.