From that point, the storm moved into the Greenbrier section, where it destroyed two stores, several churches, and numerous farm houses, barns and outbuildings. Show. Coming into Robertson County the storm struck the barn of Mrs. Laban Warfield on the place occupied by Mr. Duff. There were also numerous reports of livestock killed by flying debris. 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. Multiple locations were found. But several hundred dollars will be needed for relief work and the more fortunate should respond liberally. 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. Only one member of this large family escaped unhurt. 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. At this time it is impossible to ascertain the damage and loss of life to stock; no lives so far reported. Among those whose homes are wrecked are Postmaster C. H. Underhill, Asa Hickerson, Mrs. Lizzie McPherson and Jim Butler. - 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. Track of Cyclone a Mile Wide and Vast Damage Done": MURFREESBORO, Tenn., April 30. NWS The storm extended over many states inflicting damage on widely scattered communities from the Great Lakes to the Gulf. - The heaviest rainfall in years, accompanied by high winds, has fallen here since midnight last night. Part of a larger outbreak that started a few days earlier, the unrelenting barrage of . Where Did The Tornado Touchdown In Tennessee? - PartyShopMaine FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, May 1 1909, PAGE 4, "RUTHERFORD COUNTY. Six people were killed in Hickman County, along a track through Shipps Bend, Centerville, and Little Tot. 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. But for the fact that the country is hilly and in places thinly settled the destruction would have been even greater. It is impossible at this time to estimate the damage. 93 dead across 5 states: The deadly tornado outbreak by the numbers The timbers in front of the hotel were laid waste, some of which fell on the hotel, doing considerable damage to the building. It is impossible to estimate the property loss, probably not less than a hundred thousand dollars. - 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. 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. One person was killed near Nolensville and another near Walterhill. At least 695 . Two more people may have died in rural areas near Fayetteville. Tornado caused $60,000 in damage at Sidney. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 12, "PERHAPS FATALLY HURT": McEWEN, Tenn., April 30.
A total of 22 people were killed in that area (Giles County), and seven near "Millville" (Lincoln County). Coming as it did near midnight, when the people generally were asleep, many barely escaped in their night clothes. FROM THE WILLIAMSON HERALD NEWSPAPER: The second tornado that night struck at 11:15 p.m. about four miles southwest of Nolensville. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices.
The cyclone struck Primm Springs, a summer resort in Hickman County, and devastated the country. - A terrific wind and rainstorm passed through this section last night at about 10:30 o'clock, destroying property and damaging crops of the neighboring farmers to such an extent that it is probable that they will have to be replanted. Just a few rods east of the McGrew place stood the home of Bud Guffey. It traveled through the Conway Community, destroying the local public school, Lancaster explained. The cyclone struck Primm Springs, a summer resort in Hickman County, and devastated the country. A tornado destroyed 23 homes and damaged a depot and a hotel in Decherd. 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. 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. Spawned by the same thunderstorm that produced the Charleston tornado family. Several negro families lost their homes. 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. This massive tornado then passed into Lincoln County where much of Millville, Cyruston, Clardyville, and Harms were damaged or destroyed. No fatalities have been reported as yet, but several are very painfully hurt. 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. This tornado was reported to occur over 2 hours after the Dickson County tornado, so it does not appear they are part of the same tornado or were produced by the same supercell, although that is certainly possible if the reported time is incorrect. 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 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. Another strong tornado struck Franklin County near Decherd. 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. 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. 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. Thousands of trees were downed and cattle were killed. A. C. Morgan's house was blown away and Mrs. Morgan was badly injured, but not fatally, it is thought. 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. 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. There were no additional fatalities from these tornadoes. Historian John Lancaster with the Giles County Historical Society recalled that fateful night. 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 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. Just like the previous storm, it caused widespread property damage. Damage:
GRAZULIS: The entire town of Statesville had severe downburst damage. [3] However, the 1909 outbreak did not produce any F5 tornadoes on the Fujita scale; only one such event occurred in Tennessee on April 16, 1998. 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. But the daily mail from Charlotte brings a letter from Circuit Court Clerk J. J. Taylor to the effect that about twenty-five residences were destroyed there. 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. Elk River is higher than ever before. 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. Another (not counted) indirect death occurred in Lincoln County due to a Miss Jennie Kelso interacting with a live electrical wire. The desperately injured are: R. H. Thompson, a son and daughter of Mrs. Money, Hiram Prince and Prof. R. S. Ballen. 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 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. And those individuals are buried in the Bee Spring Cemetery that you see here today.. 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. One of the heaviest and hardest rains followed by a hail storm; hundreds of trees blown down and nearly all orchards ruined. One-half of the house where Attorney J. The storm extended over many states inflicting damage on widely scattered communities from the Great Lakes to the Gulf. Ed Ragland's house was blown from its foundation. 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. One brick home was completely demolished. - The windstorm in this county Thursday night was probably the worst in its history. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, May 1 1909, PAGE 4, "NOLENSVILLE SECTION": NOLENSVILLE, April 30. J. 1909 Oct 14, Tornado Outbreak, AL (11-21), AR (2), GA (1-2), TN (42 Some homes were reportedly destroyed in six counties further to the ENE, but tornadoes there are not confirmable. And then coming through Bee Spring destroying homes and families and a local church here by the cemetery.. It went on record as an F2 tornado. List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks The barn of William Gillam was blown down and his house twisted. Following is a partia (?) A portion of the residence of Mrs. Alice Estes was blown away. 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. SHAMBURGER (2016): This tornado was not included in Grazulis' book Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. The town of Statesville, six miles from here, was struck last night by a tornado. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. This was the deadliest tornado outbreak in the U.S. since May 2011, when more than 170 people were killed. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 4 1909, PAGE 5, "HEAVY DAMAGE AT CHARLOTTE": CHARLOTTE, Tenn., May 3. -92-93 Daily Journal, Stevens Point, WI. 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. 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]. Miss Daisy Marshall received a few slight wounds. Many Lives and Much Property Lost in Giles County. It was the deadliest known tornado outbreak to affect Tennessee until March 21, 1952, when 64 . Mrs. Speight, one mile from Charlotte, suffered a severe loss. The writer went across the country to Sulphur Fork, following it up, and through Charlotte, on the west side of town. 22 people were killed here in Giles County from this tornado. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 4 1909, PAGE 5, "THREE CHURCHES DESTROYED": ALEXANDRIA, Tenn., May 3. 63 people lost their lives, and more than 200 were injured from a total of 12 tornadoes. National Weather Service. Will McGrew's family consisted of ten. - This place was visited Thursday night about 1 o'clock by a cyclone traveling in a southeasterly direction. 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. 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. North of Memphis, Tennessee, two F3 tornadoes killed a total of 22 from Crittenden County, Arkansas, to Carroll County, Tennessee. Thousands of dollars worth of property completely ruined. A latter report comes in from Hillsboro, a small place northwest of here that several people had been killed, however, this is not authentic. Please Contact Us. Bud Guffey, his wife, and two chidlren. Andy Beshear said Saturday. Almost every dwelling was rendered unsafe. Mr. Brinkley's house was carried from its foundations, as was a newly completed house of J. 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. A latter report comes in from Hillsboro, a small place northwest of here that several people had been killed, however, this is not authentic. W. S. McLaurine's baby were also killed. Eight-year-old boy of Paulina Farris, colored, Centreville. of those most seriously hurt: Esq. Please try another search. 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. US Dept of Commerce 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. Although not specifically stated in the article, Mr. Henry Reed of Cross Roads died from his injuries per death certificate records. 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. 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. Four people are known to be dead and two are missing, supposed to have been blown away as their home was demolished. 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. That tornado appears to have begun west of Aspen Hill, passing near Aspen Hill and Conway, where the school was destroyed, between Bunker Hill and Bryson, and through Bee Spring. No other fatalities are reported from this town although barns and outbuildings were swept away by the fierce assault of the storm. 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 homes of Mrs. John Brown and William McAdoo were blown down, and part of the home of B. M. Peebles was blown away. 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. It is seldom our mountain country has such a cyclone. Will Ross Lackey, Jr., and Esq. The plate glass show windows stood the shock, but a number of other smaller lights in the windows were broken. It will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Web. The most terrible cyclone in the history of Giles County struck with great fury between 11 and 12 o'clock Thursday night. Columbia, Tenn., April 20. One room was left of his home place, a seven-room dwelling, and it was in this room the family sought refuge. Coming as it did near midnight, when the people generally were asleep, many barely escaped in their night clothes. The property loss will mount into the thousands. The missing are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Stevens, whose home was torn to pieces. Elam Tucker, who lives at the old Suttle place, near Aspen Hill, lost his barn, also Will Coon, Billy Widene, and D. Biles, and the tenant houses on the Phillips place, south of Tucker's, were wrecked. - 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. The village of Harms, five miles west of Fayetteville, was almost completely destroyed. 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. 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. The tornado continued into Giles County where nine more people lost their lives. December tornado record crushed by historic onslaught of storms - The - 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. Two people were killed and 20 injured in that second storm. The Evans Mills, on Stones River, one mile north of Florence, were blown into the river and destroyed. FROM THE PULASKI CITIZEN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON MAY 6, 1909 "FIFTY HOUSES WRECKED.