Only one member of this large family escaped unhurt. The village of Harms, five miles west of Fayetteville, was almost completely destroyed. The Bee Spring Church was destroyed and many graves in the cemetery are the resting places of those killed that fateful day. Ab Hays, of Nashville, who was visiting Joe Rosson's family, near Port Royal, was seriously hurt by timbers, and died this morning. John Lee's barn was blown over. [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. The top of the house was blown off and Mrs. Cox was thrown by the wind into the garden a short distance away. - At Statesville, seven miles from here, the storm of Thursday night destroyed the three churches and the school building. 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. At Cross Roads, Scott County, it demolished the home of Henry Reed, debris falling upon him and crushing his skull. 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. Robert Barnes and wife, near Fayetteville. The cyclone wrecked the house and killed Mrs. McGrew and six children, while Mr. McGrew, a son and a baby escaped with serious injuries. The cyclone struck Primm Springs, a summer resort in Hickman County, and devastated the country. Please try another search. A school was reportedly carried intact for two miles, touching the ground every 200-300 yards, leaving holes in the earth. It is miraculous that there was no more personal injuries, as this was the worst storm ever seen in this part of the State. 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. Many historians believe it was during this phase of the storm that winds along the periphery also toppled the steeple that used to sit atop the Franklin Cumberland Presbyterian Church. This massive tornado then passed into Lincoln County through the northern suburbs of Fayetteville before lifting northeast of Fayetteville. 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. No other fatalities are reported from this town although barns and outbuildings were swept away by the fierce assault of the storm. Coming into Robertson County the storm struck the barn of Mrs. Laban Warfield on the place occupied by Mr. Duff. Ward's Mill, one of the oldest country mills in the country, was blown bodily into Stones River. Henry Frate, colored, who lived on Finis Brown's farm, was so badly hurt that he may not recover. At Leiper's Fork, in Williamson County, a mother and three children were killed in their home. 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. The barn of Dr. Neely, representative from this county, was blown away. The Sixth District schoolhouse, of Rutherford County, was blown a distance of fifteen or twenty feet and left standing without showing any visible results of great damage. Some homes were reportedly destroyed in six counties further to the ENE, but tornadoes there are not confirmable. - 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. It is an old adage that he who gives quickly gives twice. This list does not include F0 events. There were also numerous reports of livestock killed by flying debris. Please Contact Us. - 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. A large warehouse and storehouse were wrecked. One of the heaviest and hardest rains followed by a hail storm; hundreds of trees blown down and nearly all orchards ruined. 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. 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. 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. GRAZULIS: Moved NE from just over the Alabama line, crossing extreme SE Giles County to 5 miles NW of Fayetteville. How 148 Tornadoes in One Day in 1974 Changed Emergency Preparedness BEE SPRING, Tenn. (WKRN) On April 29th and 30th in 1909, Middle Tennessee suffered its deadliest tornado outbreak in history. One person was killed near Nolensville and another near Walterhill. Tornadoes in the United States 1950-2019 These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America . 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 night of the 29th was one of severe wind and rain, with heavy thunder and lightning the cyclone coming at 2 a.m. Friday morning with a low terrible rumbling heard by those awake at Rugby. Tornado - Occurrence in the United States | Britannica Six people were killed in Hickman County, along a track through Shipps Bend, Centerville, and Little Tot. Therefore a more accurate total of 6 deaths was used here, although the final number may have been even higher. A tornado destroyed a church and three homes. Ed Ragland's house was blown from its foundation. US Dept of Commerce The second largest was the Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974, which was credited with producing 148 tornadoes in the central and southern United States (though 4 of these were later . Eight-year-old boy of Paulina Farris, colored, Centreville. Bud Guffey, his wife, and two chidlren. - 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. The home of Mrs. Ward escaped any serious damage. It is impossible to estimate the property loss, probably not less than a hundred thousand dollars. Others are not expected to recover. 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. Multiple locations were found. Contributions may be sent direct to Mr. Young or to the Citizen and we will forward to the relief committee. But for the fact that the country is hilly and in places thinly settled the destruction would have been even greater. Mr. Parkes had a cow killed, fruit trees destroyed and barn blown down. Many Lives and Much Property Lost in Giles County. Just a few rods east of the McGrew place stood the home of Bud Guffey. Homes were "obliterated" at "Bee Springs" and near "Millville." A force of men from Scott and Morgan counties under the road overseers, cleared the road on May 3rd. Mr. Brinkley's house was carried from its foundations, as was a newly completed house of J. Affecting particularly the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys, it killed over 150 people, 60 of them in the U.S. state of Tennessee alone. Show. Mrs. Speight, one mile from Charlotte, suffered a severe loss. It then completely blew away Webb & Crawford's Planning Mills and the stock house of the Cookeville Roller Mills. These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America. Centreville, Tenn., April 30. 6 Feb. 2021. April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak - National Weather Service Damage was noted 1 mile N of Franklin. However, descriptions of the damage appear to warrant at least an F2 rating, which was used here. C. H. Underhill had a considerable loss, but it is covered by insurance. The houses damaged were all unoccupied, except the one destroyed. These pictures show the damage in Centerville in Hickman County where there were nine deaths and 32 injuries. After striking Nolensville, the storm moved into Rutherford County. 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. Franklin, Tenn., Apr. "April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak." Undated. Weather.gov > Nashville, TN > April 29, 1909 Tornado Outbreak . It is impossible to obtain details, as the wires are all down. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The desperately injured are: R. H. Thompson, a son and daughter of Mrs. Money, Hiram Prince and Prof. R. S. Ballen. More than 320 died in the twister barrage . The home of Tobe Cunningham stands directly between the two churches and has withstood both storms without any especial damage. On March 21-22, there were 108 tornadoes that impacted several states most focused across Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Alabama. Twenty-two others lost their lives that fateful night across Middle Tennessee in tornadoes that struck Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Wilson, Grundy, and Fentress Counties. 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. Between the Wilson turnpike and Nolensville Pike for a distance of seven miles and half mile wide a number of houses are destroyed. 11 deaths were recorded in the Missouri storm, 5 near Texas City and 29 along the Alabama-Tennessee state line. The timbers in front of the hotel were laid waste, some of which fell on the hotel, doing considerable damage to the building. Ab Lane lost his barn and two mules. Giles County 112 years after Middle Tennessee's deadliest tornado outbreak Robert Barnes and wife, near Fayetteville. Please try another search. It was the deadliest known tornado outbreak to affect Tennessee until March 21, 1952, when 64 people died statewide. 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. At Rudolphtown, which lies between Port Royal and Clarksville, one man was killed whose name has not been ascertained here. ": Dickson, Tenn., Apr. In addition to those killed outright many were more or less seriously injured. A tornado destroyed 23 homes and damaged a depot and a hotel in Decherd. March 2022 Tornadoes Report | National Centers for Environmental Late-April 1909 Tornado Outbreak - liquisearch.com 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 that point, the storm moved into the Greenbrier section, where it destroyed two stores, several churches, and numerous farm houses, barns and outbuildings. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. It is impossible to estimate the property loss, probably not less than a hundred thousand dollars. 30. Fayetteville was not in the pathway of the cyclone, but was near it. Result of the Work of the Storm in Dickson County": DICKSON, Tenn., April 30. The young son of J. L. Cox, who lives on Hervey Whitfield's farm in District No. 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. 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. It traveled through the Conway Community, destroying the local public school, Lancaster explained. 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. Will McGrew's family consisted of ten. Fayetteville was not in the pathway of the cyclone, but was near it. The missing are Mr. and Mrs. Bob Stevens, whose home was torn to pieces. 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. A list of the top 10 worst tornadoes in Texas history 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]. Damage: At least fifty other persons sustained more or less serious injuries, and the recovery of three is doubtful. 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. The two main outbreaks alone were responsible for at least 145 of these tornadoes. The Elk Cotton Mill was damaged about $5,000. (Bud) Hardy, Mrs. Louie Gordon, who was living with her mother, Mrs. Eliza Wilkinson, was cut and bruised about the face and arm.