The cyclone of the night of April 29th or morning of April 30th, did great damage near Rugby. Dickson, Tenn., Apr. Brave men bared their backs to the chilly rain to provide wraps for suffering women and children; and worked through the dreary hours till daylight, searching for the dead and endeavoring to relieve the suffering of survivors. 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. The track of the cyclone was about a mile in width, passing across the country from west to east and north of Murfreesboro. The Bee Springs tornado touched down in northernmost Limestone County, Alabama, before crossing the into Lincoln and Giles Counties in Tennessee. GRAZULIS: Twenty-three homes were destroyed, and a hotel and depot were unroofed at Decherd. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 4 1909, PAGE 5, "THREE CHURCHES DESTROYED": ALEXANDRIA, Tenn., May 3. 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. The most terrible cyclone in the history of Giles County struck with great fury between 11 and 12 o'clock Thursday 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. Col. Pendergrass' residence was blown from its foundation. Both the Methodist and Christian churches are blown down; the homes of Will Tullass and James Marshall, both of which were beautiful country residences, are complete wrecks; the home of James Nolen is considerably damage, but not so bad as the others. Miss Daisy Marshall received a few slight wounds. Several negro families lost their homes. Show. 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 tornado likely began in Humphreys County based on the information by Grazulis and the Nashville American. The old McGavock home is wrecked. - 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. Following is a partia (?) Damage: Damage: - 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. Result of the Work of the Storm in Dickson County": DICKSON, Tenn., April 30. The timber for 250 yards wide in the path of this tornado is down for many miles. The deadliest January tornadoes on record. The village of Harms, five miles west of Fayetteville, was almost completely destroyed. Two more people may have died in rural areas near Fayetteville. Mrs. Berry (sic) Prosser, near Fayetteville; fatally injured. Coming into Robertson County the storm struck the barn of Mrs. Laban Warfield on the place occupied by Mr. Duff. Several of the injured people who later died were plantation workers. FROM THE PULASKI CITIZEN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON MAY 6, 1909: Centreville, Tenn., April 30. The total damage cannot be accurately stated, but it will go into the thousands of dollars in this section. There were also numerous reports of livestock killed by flying debris. It will amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This week marks a decade since the "Super Outbreak" of tornadoes April 25-28, 2011, an unprecedented swarm of tornadoes that tore through the South. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. - April 29, at 8:15 p.m., Charlotte was visited with an electrical storm and tornado about 300 yards wide, taking all in its path. The second F3 tornado flattened structures near Covington and Medina. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 1 1909, PAGE 10, FROM M'EWEN: M'EWEN, Tenn., April 30. The Weather Service has confirmed 66 tornadoes from Dec. 10 to 11 and 79 tornadoes Dec. 15. 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. 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. 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. A tornado destroyed 23 homes and damaged a depot and a hotel in Decherd. 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. 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. 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. Some homes were reportedly destroyed in six counties further to the ENE, but tornadoes there are not confirmable. Ab Lane lost his barn and two mules. F. H. Hickerson, in the mercantile business, suffered quite a loss. Jim Cheat, a prosperous farmer near town, lost his barn, and had one very fine mule killed by the storm. 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. Questions? J. M. Colston and wife, near Fayetteville. But several hundred dollars will be needed for relief work and the more fortunate should respond liberally. 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 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. At Trinity, about seven miles west of here, the damage is beyond description. Many of the inhabitants here moved to Bryson, a few miles away, and that community grew a little bit larger. A damage rating of at least F2 intensity seems likely based on the newspaper descriptions. 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. [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. 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. - M. C. NORTHINGTON, Mayor.". Jack Pope's home was wrecked and he and his wife were killed. Oscar Brown, a young son, was also seriously injured. It was an F-4 with winds 207 miles per hour or higher. The property loss will mount into the thousands. SHAMBURGER (2016): Despite the significant destruction caused by this tornado in Cookeville and Algood, Grazulis did not include this tornado in his book Significant Tornadoes. 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. All of the buildings belong to the Fentress Coal & Coke Company. Multiple locations were found. J. D. Butler's house was damaged considerably, and the Methodist Church, South, had part of the roof blown away. A thorough reading of the Nashville American, Nashville Tennessean, and Pulaski Citizen newspaper articles for several days after the tornado outbreak indicates 22 deaths occurred in Giles County and 9 deaths occurred in Lincoln County, for a total of 31 deaths from this tornado. - Dickson County was swept by a terrific storm last night, and as a result more than fifty houses lay wrecked today, and the damage to property will run far up into the thousands of dollars. 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. Columbia, Tenn., April 20. The most notable result was the destruction of the Web & Crawford Planing Mill. Fayetteville was not in the pathway of the cyclone, but was near it. From that point, the storm moved into the Greenbrier section, where it destroyed two stores, several churches, and numerous farm houses, barns and outbuildings. 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, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, 5 reported dead after severe weather in Kentucky, Rollover crash cleared on I-65N, injuries reported, Man hit, killed after celebrating birthday in Nashville, Driver dead after MD tanker explosion, fire, Ja Morant investigated by NBA over Instagram post, More than 21K NES customers without power, Downed power lines cause road closure in Goodlettsville, 1 killed amid turbulence event on business jet, Straight line winds damage buildings in Waverly, Portions of Calif. home hang over cliff after landslide, BBB: Beware of Storm Chasers in Middle TN, WATCH: Carjacking suspect caught after wild chase, Man dies after being hit by metal carport in Kentucky, Highest wind speeds from Fridays severe storms, Parent threatens teacher over book assignments, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. One of the saddest stories took place at Leiper's Fork. In its course from Rudolphtown to the Robertson County line the storm put out the eyes of several mules and other stock at Hinton, blew down the residence and stable of Joe Rosson, blew away the residence of Mrs. Ella Rosson and blew her over 100 yards. The emergency is one which as charitable, sympathetic people, we should take prompt steps to alleviate. It is reported that one man is dead, but his name cannot be ascertained. 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. 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. The plate glass show windows stood the shock, but a number of other smaller lights in the windows were broken. Mr. McNutt, wife and three children, near Fayetteville. A large oak tree was lifted bodily and blown across it, crushing in the roof. 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. The property loss cannot be estimated. 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. 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. 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. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. Dickson was left to the right of the storm's pathway, and fortunately little damage was done here. Despite the significant damage, death and injuries, this tornado was not included in Grazulis' book Significant Tornadoes. 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. No fatalities have been reported as yet, but several are very painfully hurt. Nashville, TN500 Weather Station RoadOld Hickory, TN 37138615-754-8500Comments? 63 people lost their lives, and more than 200 were injured from. GRAZULIS: Moved NE from just over the Alabama line, crossing extreme SE Giles County to 5 miles NW of Fayetteville. 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. It was the deadliest known tornado outbreak to affect Tennessee until March 21, 1952, when 64 people died statewide. Bob White's house was blown from its foundation. Six people were killed in Hickman County, along a track through Shipps Bend, Centerville, and Little Tot. The storm struck the county line just opposite Perryville, and traveled a northeast course, passing about five miles to the north of Linden. C. H. Underhill had a considerable loss, but it is covered by insurance. It is thought that the dead and injured list will be increased by further reports. Until late this afternoon it has been impossible to communicate with other towns throughout the country. These pictures show the damage in Centerville in Hickman County where there were 9 deaths and 32 injuries. 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. 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. FROM THE NASHVILLE AMERICAN, MAY 2 1909, PAGE 5, "PERRY COUNTY": LINDEN, Tenn., May 1. Mrs. Speight, one mile from Charlotte, suffered a severe loss. Therefore, the Franklin County damage (at least F2) and Grundy County damage (F1) were combined into this entry and added to the NWS Nashville tornado database. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Web. Prof. J. M. Coulson's residence destroyed and a number of other buildings greatly damaged. The Bee Spring Church was destroyed and many graves in the cemetery are the resting places of those killed that fateful day. A latter report comes in from Hillsboro, a small place northwest of here that several people had been killed, however, this is not authentic. In addition to those killed outright many were more or less seriously injured. The cyclone went from Primm's on to Centreville. Mail service over Route No. One of the saddest stories was of two brothers 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. On March 21-22, there were 108 tornadoes that impacted several states most focused across Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Alabama. These tornadoes were part of an immense multi-day tornado outbreak that began in the Plains states on April 28, 1909, which continued through the Midwest, Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley, and Lower Mississippi Valley on April 29-30 before ending in the Southeast on May 1, 1909. A colored child on W. R. Anderson's farm was killed, making the fourth death so far reported. His mother, who was seriously injured, and a little boy were rescued with much difficulty from the ruins. Damage: Fayetteville was not in the pathway of the cyclone, but was near it. References National Weather Service. 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, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is seldom our mountain country has such a cyclone. Tornado caused $60,000 in damage at Sidney. - 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. 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. Dickson was left to the right of the storm's pathway, and fortunately little damage was done here. Another family lost five or six members of its family, as well. The tornado outbreak this week featured more than 400 tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings that spanned nearly two-dozen states. 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. All missing people in Kentucky have been accounted for, Gov. "Death Toll in Ninety-five." 10-18-1909, p. 1. ": Dickson, 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. 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. At Bee Springs, five members of a family were killed in one home, and seven in another family died in a nearby home. The stock barn of Rural home Stock farm was torn to pieces, and there were many other houses, barns, and outhouses destroyed. Ab Hays, of Nashville, who was visiting Joe Rosson's family, near Port Royal, was seriously hurt by timbers, and died this morning. Thousands of trees were downed and cattle were killed. 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. Please try another search. The horror of the storm was greatly increased especially were people were (sic) severely hurt by the darkness and torrents of rain, which followed. 1 could not continue on account of the wreckage of the roadways. A thorough reading of newspaper articles came up with a total of 17 deaths and 43 injuries, with 9 deaths and 32 injuries in Hickman County and 8 deaths and 11 injuries in Williamson County. Damage was noted 1 mile N of Franklin. The F-scale rating, location and path width are estimated from the reported damage. A force of men from Scott and Morgan counties under the road overseers, cleared the road on May 3rd. National Weather Service 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. 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. 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. Four houses are blown down in Franklin. Tornadoes in the United States 1950-2019 These are some notable tornadoes, tornado outbreaks, and tornado outbreak sequences that have occurred in North America . Another one of Mr. Cox's sons sustained a broken leg and his wife is badly hurt. This is the first storm of the kind that ever visited this section, although in 1878 much timber was blown down. Mr. Parkes had a cow killed, fruit trees destroyed and barn blown down. 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. It is impossible to obtain details, as the wires are all down. All NOAA, (The following newspaper article was transcribed from The Pulaski Citizen of May 6, 1909.). 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. Ten years ago today, the most prolific tornado outbreak on record swept across the southeastern United States.