NWS Mr. McNutt, wife and three children, near Fayetteville. A portion of the residence of Mrs. Alice Estes was blown away. It is impossible to obtain details, as the wires are all down. Affecting particularly the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys, it killed over 150 people, 60 of them in the U.S. state of Tennessee alone. I call upon all persons in this community who will contribute to this object to leave contributions at either of the banks. His mother, who was seriously injured, and a little boy were rescued with much difficulty from the ruins. 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. Columbia, Tenn., April 20. 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 second F3 tornado flattened structures near Covington and Medina. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 4 1909, PAGE 5, "HEAVY DAMAGE AT CHARLOTTE": CHARLOTTE, Tenn., May 3. It left 10 people dead and 40 more with serious injuries. The most terrible cyclone in the history of Giles County struck with great fury between 11 and 12 o'clock Thursday night. In addition to those killed outright many were more or less seriously injured. 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. W. C. Greer lost his large barn and two mail hacks. NWS It is reported that one man is dead, but his name cannot be ascertained. 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. Robert Barnes and wife, near Fayetteville. 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 track of the cyclone was about a mile in width, passing across the country from west to east and north of Murfreesboro. Mr. Marlin was badly injured, too, but he survived, along with an infant child, a 16-year old son, and two young daughters. One brick home was completely demolished. Coming as it did near midnight, when the people generally were asleep, many barely escaped in their night clothes. Thousands of trees were downed and cattle were killed. We hear that considerable damage was done in the south part of the county, that a large amount of timber was blown down near Gatewood Ford on Clear Fork and that the Tennessee Lumber and Coal Co.'s saw mill near the mouth of Crooked Creek was demolished. 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. 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. Several negro families lost their homes. The tornado outbreak of late-April 1909 was a deadly tornado outbreak that affected much of the central and Southern United States between April 29 and May 1, 1909. Another strong tornado struck Franklin County near Decherd. The house of Judge Lewis was also destroyed and several other houses damaged beyond repair. Houses, barns and buildings generally were blown down or else badly wrecked. 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. Result of the Work of the Storm in Dickson County": DICKSON, Tenn., April 30. The time of the tornado was adjusted to 8 PM and the path width added as 300 yards based on the newspaper articles in the Nashville American. The creeks are out of banks and all the farm work of the spring is practically lost. Twenty-two others lost their lives that fateful night across Middle Tennessee in tornadoes that struck Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Wilson, Grundy, and Fentress Counties. 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. Miss Jennie Kelso, Fayetteville; killed by live electric light wire. A path about 100 yards wide was swept clear of timber. 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. Franklin, Tenn., Apr. The property loss will mount into the thousands. The cyclone of the night of April 29th or morning of April 30th, did great damage near Rugby. "Death Toll in Ninety-five." 10-18-1909, p. 1. - 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. Besides the loss of property, which is now estimated at $100,000, seven known dead are reported, and injured. Damage was noted 1 mile N of Franklin. His entire family was wiped out of existence. 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. Franklin, Tenn., Apr. 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. SHAMBURGER (2016): Despite the complete destruction of the home in Humphreys County as reported by the Nashville American, the tornado was not included in Grazulis' book Significant Tornadoes 1600-1991.
When the tornado outbreak was over, at least 62 people had been killed across Middle Tennessee, and over 200 more were left injured. The storm seems to have entered the county from the southern side, passing between this place and Tennessee City. These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America. 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.
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. Two people were killed and 20 injured in that second storm. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 12, "PERHAPS FATALLY HURT": McEWEN, Tenn., April 30. However, descriptions of the damage appear to warrant at least an F2 rating, which was used here. This tornado likely continued into Logan County, Kentucky, but no information is available. The Bee Springs tornado touched down in northernmost Limestone County, Alabama, before crossing the into Lincoln and Giles Counties in Tennessee. It is thought that the dead and injured list will be increased by further reports. It will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 2 1909, PAGE 5, "FALLING TIMBER": WILDER, Tenn., May 1. A number of residences were badly damaged and business houses unroofed, the rain destroying almost the entire stock of John Jewell. 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. Wires all down everywhere and communication with the country cut off. The property loss cannot be estimated. "Some splendid homes were turned to rubbish.". About 75 homes were damaged or destroyed at Centerville, and losses totaled over $100,000. Nashville, TN500 Weather Station RoadOld Hickory, TN 37138615-754-8500Comments? A tornado destroyed 23 homes and damaged a depot and a hotel in Decherd. Ward's Mill, one of the oldest country mills in the country, was blown bodily into Stones River. North of Memphis, Tennessee, two F3 tornadoes killed a total of 22 from Crittenden County, Arkansas, to Carroll County, Tennessee. Current Hazards. 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. 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. At Cross Roads, Scott County, it demolished the home of Henry Reed, debris falling upon him and crushing his skull. The home of Tobe Cunningham stands directly between the two churches and has withstood both storms without any especial damage. April 20, 1909: A windstorm "of great cyclonic power" caused $15,000 of damage in Putnam County. B. Thompson lives was blown across the street and his barn turned over, but his family was not hurt. The Weather Service has confirmed 66 tornadoes from Dec. 10 to 11 and 79 tornadoes Dec. 15. The old McGavock home is wrecked. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, May 1 1909, PAGE 4, "NOLENSVILLE SECTION": NOLENSVILLE, April 30. 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. Elk River is higher than ever before. Damage:
The large marble shaft erected to the memory of the Collier family, and in the private ground, was thrown to the ground. - 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. US Dept of Commerce 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. Mrs. Will Adcock and her daughter are reported killed, but not verified. Questions? Therefore a more accurate total of 6 deaths was used here, although the final number may have been even higher. Some North American outbreaks affecting the U.S. may only include tornado information from the U.S. 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. - A terrific rain and wind storm swept this county last night and many reports of widespread damage and destruction are being received. 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. In its track, which was about half a mile in width, practically all timber was uprooted or twisted to the earth. SHAMBURGER (2016): Based on the narrative by Grazulis and the reports in the Nashville American, the path of this tornado was adjusted to begin on the Humphreys County border around 9 miles west of Dickson, pass between Tennessee City and Dickson, go through Charlotte, and end between Charlotte and Bellsburg. 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. Affecting particularly the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys, it killed over 150 people, 60 of them in the U.S. state of Tennessee alone. Ten homes were destroyed. How often do tornadoes hit Tennessee? Two of the couple's sons were blown over a 20-foot bluff and into a nearby creek. 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 path of the storm was through a section about one mile southeast of Smyrna, where several homes were converted into wreckage and much farm property was destroyed. 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. Damage:
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. GRAZULIS: Moved NE from 9 miles W of Dickson to Charlotte and on to Bellsburg. 30. Mrs. Speight, one mile from Charlotte, suffered a severe loss. 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. 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. Sorry, the location you searched for was not found. The cyclone wrecked the house and killed Mrs. McGrew and six children, while Mr. McGrew, a son and a baby escaped with serious injuries. This tornado was almost certainly produced by the same supercell that spawned the even worse Giles/Lincoln County tornado just to the west. 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. National Weather Service. And the tornado also injured 70 people as it traveled through the county, Lancaster said. 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. In all there were 12 tornadoes that caused 62 fatalities in Middle Tennessee. 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 three churches - the Cumberland, the Methodist and the Baptist - also the schoolhouse, were blown down and destroyed. Track of Cyclone a Mile Wide and Vast Damage Done": MURFREESBORO, Tenn., April 30. At Rudolphtown, which lies between Port Royal and Clarksville, one man was killed whose name has not been ascertained here. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 10, FROM M'EWEN: M'EWEN, Tenn., April 30. The house of Mr. Harvey, near town, was turned bottom side up without serious injury to the occupants. This page was last edited on 12 March 2022, at 09:35. Parts of the planning mill were blown through F. H. White's residence, some 200 yards away, and Mrs. White was slightly injured and their house considerably damaged. Damage:
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. Many tenant houses and barns were wrecked on different places. The tornado likely began in Humphreys County based on the information by Grazulis and the Nashville American. 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 30, 1909. Mrs. Berry (sic) Prosser, near Fayetteville; fatally injured. Their bodies were recovered the next morning at about daylight. GRAZULIS: Twenty-three homes were destroyed, and a hotel and depot were unroofed at Decherd. The home of Mrs. Ward escaped any serious damage. Please try another search. Will Ross Lackey, Jr., and Esq. One massive grave contains the remains of an entire family. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The next place in Tennessee was the farm of Mrs. Kate Wall, where all the fences and outbuildings were blown away and considerable other damage wrought.