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| 1927, 1937 killer tornadoes struck Green Forest |
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| Question: Was the town of Green Forest hit by two tornadoes in the early 1930s? |
| Answer: Green Forest was hit by a tornado in 1927, and ten years later in 1937, it was hit once again by a tornado of almost the same magnitude, which included the town of Alpena in its path. Nineteen people were killed and almost 100 injured when the storm struck in 1927, followed by only one fatality and 20 injuries in the 1937 storm. |
| On Friday, March 18, 1927, the tornado first struck about four miles south of Berryville, cutting a swath about a mile wide and continued on a northeasterly direction for about 13 miles. The city of Green Forest was directly in the path of the storm and received the greatest damage. The entire business section was badly wrecked and the area south of the city was practically destroyed. Between 40 and 50 homes were leveled, and more than 100 homes, as well as the Green Forest school, received heavy damage. |
| A train from Harrison with doctors and nurses aboard arrived in Green Forest early the next morning, and many of the injured were taken by train to the Eureka Springs Hospital. The National Guard, Red Cross, Legionaries and Boy Scouts also poured into the little town to help clear away debris and keep traffic moving as word spread about the devastation to Carroll County. |
| One story that sticks out in my mind is about two small children whose home had been swept away. They were reported to have been literally beaten to death by the huge pellets of hail that accompanied the tornado. |
| At 11:05 on Wednesday, June 9, 1937, once again Green Forest was hit as a tornado ripped through the western section of town near the railroad depot. The business district escaped damage this time, but Alpena Pass was not so lucky. One man was critically injured and several homes destroyed while the many seriously injured were brought to Harrison for treatment. Plate glass windows in Alpena's businesses were blown out and streets were strewn with debris and trees. |
| Batavia was also in the path of the 1937 storm. The Missouri and Arkansas Railroad depot and the Presbyterian Church were unroofed, and the John Travis and Grover Fraser homes both destroyed, but no lives were lost - only 200 chickens in Mr. Fraser's barn. Barns on the Bob Jones place were demolished, and livestock crippled and killed, but luckily Ed Collier and his wife escaped injury when their house was damaged and the barn blown away. |
| This same storm also struck about 2 miles north of Harrison, damaging the golf course and the barns of Birch Moore and Andy Capps. More extensive damage was done to the Fon Moore farm home, where the house was unroofed and the garage, chicken house and barn destroyed. The garage contained a quantity of automobile parts and accessories, and his Ford coupe was damaged. The Moores' garage had just been built and the home recently remodeled, but all in all, the family members were lucky to have escaped injury. |
| Both tornadoes, in 1927 and 1937, were followed by heavy rain and hail. Rescurers were forced to wade through water, which was deep even on level ground, and gullies and streams were rolling out of bounds in all the affected areas. Other severe storms have hit Boone and surrounding counties through the years, and no one can forget the April 19, 1973 tornado that heavily damaged the beautiful Twelve Oaks mansion south of town and continued on east to hit Salmon Lane, J. P. Williams Motor Company, and places in between. So now you know why so many places have storm cellars and safe rooms in their homes. |
| We invite you to visit the Heritage Museum any Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Three floors (11 rooms) are filled with artifacts and memorabilia from the past, sure to stir memories near and dear to your heart. The museum, located on the corner of South Cherry Street and Central Avenue, is housed in the historic 1912 Harrison High School building. Come spend an afternoon at the museum. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Breece can be contacted at bchm@alltel.net |
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