The Grenada, Mississippi tornado of May 7, 1846 killed 21 people, injured 60, and destroyed 60 or 70 buildings in the southern half of Grenada, Yalobusha County, Mississippi[a] in the United States.[1][2][3] Other accounts had it that 112 buildings were destroyed,[4] including 17 homes.[5] Property damage was estimated at $65,000[6] to US$80,000 (equivalent to $2,712,889 in 2023).[4] According to the Mississippi Democrat of Carrollton, Mississippi, "When the tornado passed through Grenada it must have been at least 600 yards from one extreme to the other; but about the centre and 50 yards each way therefrom, the principal damage was done."[7]
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | May 7, 1846 |
According to the New Orleans Picayune, "On the outside of a letter to a friend, is written the words, 'Grenada is in ruins, and many of her inhabitants are destroyed; names cannot be given, or numbers set down."[8] The tornado struck at about 2:30 p.m.[5] Both schools in the town were in session at the time the hurricane struck, and both were destroyed.[9] The teacher of the girls' school was killed, her body was found across the river in a tree.[9] The force of the tornado "shattered" the logs of the cabin that housed the girls' school.[9] The teacher of the boys' school survived but was seriously injured.[9] The newly built Baptist church was leveled.[6][10]
According to a scrapbooked clipping of a news article entitled "The Great Hurricane," written by Aaron Davis, the tornado approached the town from the west.[11] The same tornado later continued northward into Maury County, Tennessee, where there were no casualties but three farms were damaged.[12]
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ Grenada County, Mississippi was not established until 1870.
References edit
- ^ Stokes (1929), pp. 87.
- ^ "Killer Tornado Grenada, MS 1846". The Evening Post. 1846-05-23. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ "1846 Tornado Grenada, Mississippi. Attention to the last paragraph. - Tom Malmay". Boon's Lick Times. 1846-06-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ a b Preble (1847), pp. 37–38.
- ^ a b WPA Grenada County (1938), p. 26.
- ^ a b "The Baptist 30 May 1846, page 9". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
- ^ WPA Grenada County (1938), p. 29.
- ^ Smith, Robert (1846). The Friend. The Friend. p. 291.
- ^ a b c d Stokes (1929), pp. 90.
- ^ Stokes (1929), pp. 89.
- ^ Stokes (1929), pp. 88.
- ^ Dwight, Theodore (1846). American Penny Magazine, and Family Newspaper. T. Dwight. p. 298.
Sources edit
- Preble, Thomas, ed. (1847). The Voice of God : or an account of the unparalleled fires, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes commencing with 1845. Albany, New York: Printed by Joel Munsell. hdl:2027/hvd.32044088056379 – via HathiTrust.
- Stokes, Rebecca Martin (1929). History of Grenada (1830–1880) (Master's thesis). Oxford, Mississippi: University of Mississippi. 1972.
- Various (1938). Source Material for Mississippi History: Grenada County, Vol. XXII (PDF). STATE WIDE HISTORICAL RESEARCH PROJECT (Susie V. Powell, State Supervisor) WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION for MISSISSIPPI – via Mississippi Library Commission.