The Tennessee Valley Historical Research Project

Mark A. Rose & Timothy W. Troutman

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Overview Storm Prediction Center’s tornado database contains

events from 1950 to present. Data prior to 1950 do exist, but come from a variety of

sources (Grazulis Significant Tornadoes book, newspaper archives, genealogical websites, Finley data) and contain large gaps.

The authors have undertaken a years-long effort to construct a more complete tornado database for the Tennessee Valley, including Internet research and person visits to county archives and libraries.

Many previously-undocumented tornadoes have been uncovered and newspaper accounts have been added to already-existing entries that lacked description.

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Limitations The authors have made no attempt to assign F-ratings

to any pre-1950 storms. Tornado tracks must be estimated given the

geographical references listed in the available news accounts.

Small communities referenced in decades-old news articles sometimes no longer exist and cannot be found on current maps.

Authors must be judicious in eliminating doubtful tornado references. (Sometimes the word “tornado” or “hurricane” is applied to storms that were probably just high-wind events. The term “straight-line winds” wasn’t part of the 19th century lexicon.)

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Tennessee Valley

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Methodology Many sources available for documenting past

tornadoeso Online search of newspaper accountso Online genealogical websites with local histories

(sometimes contain tornado anecdotes)o Personal visits to libraries (microfilm, local history books,

photographs)o Personal visits to county archives (often staffed by a

local historian with a good memory)o Survivor testimonies can give researchers a specific

tornado to search foro Knowledge of multiple tornadoes on the same date can

give authors specific dates to target for other possible tornadoes in the vicinity (increasing our knowledge of past tornado outbreaks)

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1800s Tornado Event Examples

May 24 1808 East Tennesse Tornadoes

A series of tornadoes moved across east TN, affecting Roane, Knox, Sevier, Jefferson, and Cocke counties, destroying numerous homes and killing severalpersons. Hailstones weighing 12 ounces and measuring nearly 10 inches in circumference were documented. Damage from tornadoes were in a 140 mile length.

Courtesy of the Staunton, Virginia Eagle Newsaper, June 1, 1808 edition

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October 12 1811 Nashville TN Tornado

• First documented tornado to hit immediate Nashville TN area

• Fortunately, no deaths occurred, but there was quite a bit of damage to homes in immediate Nashville area

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1822 Significant Tornadoes in North Alabama

November 29, 1822 Lauderdale CountyAlabama Tornado!

April 13, 1822 North Alabama Tornado OutbreakNumerous counties affected!

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Lauderdale County AlabamaGiles County Tennessee Tornado May 14 1834

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Sample newspaper account May 13 1835 Davidson county Tornado

From the Nashville Republican on May 19, 1835:

“On Wednesday last, 13th inst. our town appeared to be threatened with destruction, we were visited by a hurricane, such as we never witnessed before -- but, thanks to a beneficent providence, that the worst of the storm did not reach us -- it passed below our village, so near that we could see, 'Quick whirls and shifting eddies of the wind.' And where the main current of the wind passed along, fences are levelled -- trees are uprooted or twisted off -- almost everything is swept to the earth.”

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February 24 1851 Lincoln County TN Tornado

Manuscript from First Presbyterian Church historyFayetteville TN 430 am tornado that severely damaged church

February 24, 1851 Fayetteville, TN Tornado Fatalities; Madison Rowzee and Family (4 deaths and 60 injured)

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Results Historical research project has thus far added 46 tornadoes

to the pre-1950 tornado database for Middle Tennessee, increasing the number of entries by 47% (from 97 to 143)

37 tornado events were added for the north Alabama/southern middle Tennessee area, increasing the number of events by 56 % (from 66 to 103)

Project is ongoing for as long as there are available, untapped sources

Limitations have to be acceptedo Latitude/longitude points will never be fully availableo F-scale ratings will never be known

Authors must be judicious in determining what was a tornado and what wasn’to Journalistic style has changed considerablyo Meteorological knowledge 100 years ago was quite primitive

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Results Continued- Will be working with MTSU Historical Preservation

program with their extensive Civil War journal library to document more events

Overall goals of this study are to:o 1.Better document previous tornado events which will

lead to better tornado climatology results for TN Valley region

o 2. Assist county emergency managers involving tornado documentation, which should provide better data for their state hazardous mitigation plans