Warren County Local History
by Dallas Bogan |
Contributor: |
Dallas Bogan on 23 July 2004 |
Source: |
Dallas Bogan, Warren County, Ohio and Beyond (Bowie Maryland: Heritage Press, 1979) page 363 |
Return to Index to see a list of other articles by Dallas Bogan |
"Darker and darker became the sky and louder and louder rolled the thunder-drum
of heaven." The preceding was a vivid description of a storm that settled
over Lebanon and the surrounding countryside on May 12, 1886. This is just a
reminder that tornado season is once again upon us.
The "storm of the century," was an event that the Lebanonites had
feared for years. Evening was broken by something in the clouds that caused
uneasiness amongst the people. The crowds gathered and gazed at the heavens
in all its majesty. A continual outburst of lightning, the roar of the thunder,
and the frightening winds lent a ghostly and somber appearance to all surrounding
objects. The sky lent a dark, eerie feeling as the clouds churned in all their
glory. The spectacle of Mother Nature moved into town about 7 o'clock and continued
to roll out of the west for more than two hours; whirling, rolling and blowing
itself into a fierce storm that the town folks would talk about for years to
come.
About 9:30 the storm threatened havoc on the Lebanonites. Meetings were let
out and the folks hurriedly scampered for the safety of their home. Fifteen
minutes later it seemed that all the fury of the heavens showered its ravages
on the small town. Men, women and children alike expressed silent concern over
the spectacle. For a few minutes it raged most fiercely, filling the hearts
of the strong and the weak with fear.
Like a demon from the southwest, it struck the old tannery building on Main
Street. It then leaped to the Lebanon House, ripping away the tin roof, rolling
it into a huge ball and dropping it in front of John W. Thompson's
grocery on Broadway.
The next stop for the storm was the Greeley & Davis Mill, which scattered
debris on both sides of the street. It then jumped from this place to a little
frame dwelling down in the hollow by the reservoir, splitting it almost into
kindling wood. The occupants were two black families, Mr. Sutton
and his wife, and a man named Alford and his wife and two children.
By a miracle, they received no injury. Mrs. Alford grabbed
her two children, one aged three and the other two, and got into the millrace
under one of the footbridges. Ed Grimes and Jim Johnson,
two young boys, occupied the upstairs. They were blown a hundred yards against
the bank at the overflow of the reservoir.
At this point the storm seems to have turned back toward the center of town
and the crisis was prolonged. This time it wrecked the Union School Building,
the M.E. Church, Memorial Hall and unroofed many private dwellings. Memorial
Hall's west end caved in right on the stage ruining all the scenery, and produced
a loss of several hundred dollars to the G.A.R. Post. The narrow escapes were
many as told by the different individuals.
A boarder by the name of Phillips was asleep at Mrs. Waggoner's
boarding house when part of the roof of the M.E. Church came crashing in under
his bed. The commotion woke him up, but he was not injured.
The streets were full of all kinds of debris from the devastation of the buildings.
Shingles, boards, lath, household items, etc., were strewn in a manner of total
destruction. Trees were snapped off like straws at the tops. Many were uprooted
and countless numbers were twisted like licorice sticks. Damage in Lebanon amounted
to thousands of dollars. The Union School suffered damage between four and five
thousand dollars. Swinging eastward the storm traveled from town toward the
river creating havoc on its way; doing damage to the farms in its path. Damage
reports from the individuals was quite extensive, however, because of lack of
room in the article, they cannot be listed
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This page created 23 July 2004 and last updated
28 September, 2008
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik
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